Sleeping in the Courtyard: Contemporary Kurdish Writers in Diaspora

by Holly Mason Badra (Editor)

Sleeping in the Courtyard brings together historically isolated writers in community—and invites readers to join them around the table to share in their memories, secrets, tears, and joys. Featuring poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and graphic work by emerging and well-established writers, this collection shines a light on works by a diverse group of contemporary Kurdish women and nonbinary writers living in Kurdistan and in diaspora.

Recognizing the complex web of physical and lingual displacement of the Kurdish people and celebrating the diverse tapestry of their stories, this collection presents work originally written in English and work translated from Kurdish dialects as well as from Arabic, Turkish, Persian, and Swedish. A few works in Kurdish dialects appear alongside their translations, both in recognition of the experience of linguicide and to push against oppressive attempts to strip away Kurdish language.

Several works here explore the impact of the countless forms of militarized displacement, cultural destruction, and mass genocide that Kurds have endured. Other pieces illuminate Kurdish experiences of desire, friendship, empowerment, familial intricacies, and other topics spanning across universal human conditions. The writers in these pages take risks both in craft and content—and in some cases, just by daring to write and publish. What emerges in Sleeping in the Courtyard is the antithesis of erasure.

138 pages, Paperback

Published July 30, 2025

Reviews

[Dshirnekhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

perfect! so much beautiful work in this. grateful to be introduced to so many kurdish writers and will be going down a rabbit hole of all their other work

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful collection.

[hêlîn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was introduced to some of my all time favorite poems through this book and lost the count of how many times I re-read it since october. the love holly mason badra and everyone else put into it overflows from the pages, this anthology builds a bridge between the diaspora and homeland. although our joys and sorrows are all shared amongst us no matter what corner of the world we found shelter in, I’ve always felt that most of the kurdish womanhood and queerness rest there unspoken so im very grateful bodies of works like this exist to prove language has room for us.

[Ava · Rating 5 out of 5]

This anthology, Sleeping in the Courtyard, brings together a range of Kurdish voices across genres, even an excerpt from a graphic novel. There’s so much ache and beauty here, lovingly curated by editor Holly Mason Badra. The writers are both established and emerging, some pieces even bilingual. It feels like a literary buffet that nourishes, especially if you’re tired of hearing the same mainstream stories and want authentic, fresh voices instead.

[Burgi Zenhaeusern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthologies can be such a great source of first introductions and Sleeping in the Courtyard is most certainly an excellent example of that. The editor, Holly Mason Badra, did a wonderful job in introducing, presenting, and sequencing the anthology's great variety of pieces and excerpts. As a reader vastly unfamiliar with Kurdish writers and writings I had my eyes opened, my tastes piqued and my appetites whetted—my favorite readerly experience by far. I learned so much, and I'm grateful. One of the featured authors I've already sought out and am currently reading. Others are likely to follow.