Writing from Aleppo to exile and back again
March 2024 marked the end of my tenth year of exile from Aleppo, my hometown. On March 17, 2013, I was detained for several hours, and by the morning of March 18, I had left Syria, aware that any attempt to return could lead to my assassination or prolonged imprisonment at the very least. I had... Continue Reading →
I led a five-week creative writing workshop designed specifically for first-time women writers inside Syria. This workshop focused on creating a safe, supportive entry point into writing for women who had not previously published or formally studied creative writing. The workshop emphasized writing as a tool for expression, reflection, and self-articulation rather than performance or... Continue Reading →
Sara Jaleela, Marcelle Shehwaro For days after the earthquake, Syrians searched for their loved ones under the rubble of destroyed buildings, or in hospital halls that had been bombed in Syria during the war. Some searched in Turkey, where they could not speak the language. They were left to fend for themselves while accusations and debates flew between the... Continue Reading →
February 10, 2023 “The Search for Survivors of Earthquakes”, a Facebook Group. A photo of a young, handsome man believed to be in his twenties and a post reading: "His name is Nael Masri. He has been trapped under rubble for four days. If you have any information about his whereabouts, please call this number:... Continue Reading →
This six-week Creative Nonfiction Writing Workshop brought together Syrian women writers to explore writing as both a creative and political practice. The workshop was designed to support participants in developing the skills, confidence, and critical tools needed to articulate their experiences, perspectives, and positions in public life. Grounded in the principles of creative nonfiction, the... Continue Reading →
I recently concluded a six-week creative writing workshop with a group of Syrian women leaders and activists, an experience I carry with deep gratitude and pride. This workshop was designed as a space of resistance and care. A space to write against silencing, fear, and political erasure, and to reclaim language as a tool for... Continue Reading →
When was my first attempt to claim a voice, and whose voice tried to silence mine? Did the silencing begin in my school in Aleppo? When I was forced to memorize and believe in anything our “eternal leader” said? Some forms of silencing left marks on my voice; some made me louder. * “I see... Continue Reading →
Let’s discuss “peacefully” that “elephant in the room”, as you say, what if we accept that Assad remains in power? We are asked the question sometimes obliquely, and sometimes filtered through the closed circles that decide on Syrian affairs without the attendance of any Syrians. Sometimes it is brought up in ways that infantalize as... Continue Reading →
If Jesus were to come to us today we would spend a long time wondering about the scarf covering Mary’s head; we would close our doors in the face of the poor man and his pregnant wife. It would be from our houses that Jesus would be turned away, and we the ones who cause him to be born in a cave.
Marcelle Shehwaro 