The Dark Ocean

Yasmeen returns back to her younger self, this time with a new perspective. Can we change our past to change our future?  

The Bird sang to himself and lamented about his cage.  He sang so loud his voice startled the wind.  And threw him so far outside his comfort zone  That he had no choice but to fly It was only then that he realized he was not a caged bird after all.  

Yasmeen starts off with a poem that she wrote that was inspired by the film she wrote and co-produced “A Star in the Desert” which follows the life of a young Iraqi boy in Baghdad on the eve of the first Gulf War, as he escapes into a fantastical reality on the search for his mis ... Show More

Today’s tale we will unravel the compelling journey of Maytha Alhassen, a Syrian-Lebanese-Saudi-Egyptian-Bedouin-Arab American historian, journalist, artist and organizer whose life bridges the chasms between cultures, communities, and self-discovery. Growing up at the crossroads ... Show More

Twenty years after the US-led invasion, four young Iraqis recall life under foreign occupation and share their hopes and fears for the future. Shedding a light on post-Saddam Iraq are: 26-year-old Dima who rebelled against religious extremists in her native Basra and has rediscov ... Show More

An intimate memoir about coming of age in a tight-knit working-class family during Iraq's seemingly endless series of wars.Faleeha Hassan became intimately acquainted with loss and fear while growing up in Najaf, Iraq. Now, in a deeply personal account of her life, she remembers ... Show More

“Hope makes you follow your dreams,” says actress Dina Shihabi, from the Amazon Original Jack Ryan. “I would have nothing in my life if I didn't have hope.” We’re living through a pretty dark time right now. There’s this constant stream of negative news coverage and criticism. It ... Show More

The pandemic has caused many people to reassess their lives...but self-reflection is a journey that can bring challenges. Annie, from Australia, feels she has gained wisdom and a deeper insight into life but it has led to her living almost on 'auto-pilot', without the passion she ... Show More

This is 'Imshi Imshi,' the podcast that brings you closer to the Arab diaspora's most compelling stories. Join us on a journey through the lives of individuals who bridge worlds, defy expectations, and inspire change. From the heart of the Middle East to the streets of the Wester ... Show More

This month as World Book Club continues its year-long season celebrating the Exuberance of Youth it also celebrates the 20th anniversary of the programme.To mark this happy occasion World Book Club are guests of the London Literature Festival at the South Bank Centre on the River ... Show More

With the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Iraqis abroad, hoping to return one day to a better Iraq, became uncertain exiles. Return to Ruin: Iraqi Narratives of Exile and Nostalgia (Stanford UP, 2020) tells the human story of this exile in the context of decades of U.S. imperial interests ... Show More

A death-defying migrant's story... Said Reza Adib was a TV journalist in Afghanistan. In 2016, about to break a story about the sexual abuse of children by Afghan men in authority, he received a threat to his life. Reza fled across the border to Iran. But journalism was in his bl ... Show More

The first Native American to be named United States Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo discusses her tumultuous life, her career as an award-winning poet and her newest book of poetry, “An American Sunrise.” Joy also talks about reparations, universal connection, her native ancestors and o ... Show More