RAWI logo

Established in 1993, RAWI is a national organization that provides mentoring, community, and support for Arab American writers and those with roots in the Arabic speaking world and diaspora. We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) literary organization dedicated to supporting and disseminating creative writing and scholarly writing by Arab/SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) Americans and those from the Arabic speaking world–which often means creating space and highlighting voices and people threatened by erasure. We put on readings, panels, workshops, roundtables, conferences, and festivals that emphasize inclusivity.

Latest

below the Radius of Arab American Writers logo with moon and stars in black and turquoise, turquoise text on white background with turquoise clouds reads: National Poetry Month: prompting us toward resistance & refusal, toward honesty & action with Rasha Abdulhadi

Prompting us toward resistance & refusal, toward honesty & action

May any words you write or speak this month, to yourself or others, pull you closer to life—from rubble, from loneliness or desolation—and out of despair. Whatever you might say in your life, do not delay it. Do it now. Say it now.

a colorful collage of book covers from SWANA book releases coming in the first 6 months of 2024.

32 SWANA Book Releases for 2024 (January-June)

Whether you’re a SWANA reader looking for some resonance and familiarity in a moment marked, like much of our histories, by immeasurable violence and loss from Sudan to Palestine, or you’re a non-SWANA reader looking to help us honor our stories, welcome. I hope you find something you love.