I have just finished reading anthology We Wrote in Symbols edited by Palestinian British author Selma Dabbagh (author of Out Of It) and published by Saqi Books - I had been savouring this anthology slowly.

We Wrote in Symbols is a collection of poems, excerpts and short stories on love and lust written by female Arab writers and poets from across the ages, as far back as the pre-Islamic period! The level of writing in this book was simply exquisite. What I really enjoyed - and what I saw as a common thread - was that throughout the ages the poets, writers and female characters in this book were assertive and really did not hold back - they enjoyed their sexuality and they knew what they wanted. In many of the pieces all inhibitions are lost. There’s some great exploration and representation of queer love as well.

My short story “Catch No Feelings” features in the anthology too, and is based on modern hook-up culture in the Gulf.