Visiting Hours

by Saif Sidari

In Visiting Hours, Saif Sidari offers a profound exploration of identity, memory, and belonging, tracing the intricate intersections of queerness, masculinity, and displacement. Through vivid and unflinching poetry, Sidari examines the enduring legacies of love and trauma, exposing the tensions between familial bonds and personal truths. With a voice that moves fluidly between the deeply personal and the universally resonant, this debut pamphlet is a testament to the courage it takes to return—to the body, to life, and to the complexities of selfhood.

48 pages, Paperback

Published February 28, 2025

About the author

Saif Sidari (he/him) is a transnational Arab writer and researcher from Palestine, currently based in Brighton, England. He is pursuing a PhD at the University of Brighton’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences, where he teaches part-time. He holds an MA in Creative and Critical Writing from the University of Sussex. His work explores themes of grief and a-temporality, masculinity and queerness, displacement and belonging. Visiting Hours is his debut pamphlet.

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Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really raw and powerful collection. Journeying through themes of belonging, home and the multifaceted self, there's both a beauty and a haunting of connection to others and other places/spaces. Absolutely recommend.


'She watches on like a wound you drown in, time and again [...] my mother's forgiveness unfurls the ancestral valley into which I am felled, the skies in exile painting gaunt shadows - I myself, a little more dead. Where did you go just then?'

[Omar Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing is both bold and vulnerable, diving into the complexities of love, trauma, and self-discovery. The way he explores themes of identity and belonging, while navigating personal and cultural struggles, is both powerful and relatable. This debut pamphlet is a beautiful testament to resilience and the journey of understanding oneself.

[Emily Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, but it didn’t quite grab me—I can’t quite put my finger on why. It felt slightly overwritten in parts. Passenger, Nightstand Soda Bottle, Delicate, Yellowjacket were stand outs for me.