We are proud to announce the winners of the 2016 Ghassan Kanafani writing scholarship. Alf Mabrook to  Jazelle Jajeh,  George Abraham, and Hamza Abid ! 

Their submissions, along with 17 other Palestinian writers ages 18-25, will be published in the upcoming Ghassan Kanafani Anthology, featuring designs by Jumana Qawasmi

 
 
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1st Place

Jazelle Jajeh is a second-year student at the University of San Francisco, studying English, Middle Eastern Studies, and Education. She hopes to teach someday in Palestine, and to learn, and be kind, and have more words for everything.

 
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2nd place

George Abraham is a Palestinian-American poet attending Swarthmore College. He competed in the College Union Poetry Slam Invitational (placing 2nd out of 68 international teams), the National Poetry Slam, and the Individual World Poetry Slam. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Thrush, Emerge Literary Journal, Assaracus, Riwayya, Sukoon, APIARY, and more. He is currently a copy editor for Muzzle Magazine and was a Brooklyn Poets fellow. He hopes to continue bringing awareness to Palestinian human rights and socio-economic struggles through art. More work and contact info can be found at his artist website: http://gabrahampoet.wixsite.com/gabrahampoet

 

3rd place 

Hamza Abid is a Palestinian refugee, born in Baqa'a Refugee Camp, Jordan. He spent his childhood with his great grandfather Adel in the camp, who raised him to become the man he is today. According to Hamza, his grandfather's death was the most devastating thing ever happened to him, which marked the day Hamza was truly born, because it made him a stronger person, creative writer, innovative thinker and a dreamer. Currently, Hamza lives in the United States and is pursuing his graduate studies at the University of California, San Francisco in the science of cancer and human genomics. Hamza is a public speaker and a global health advocate; he delivered several speeches and talks in international conferences and summits, about Palestinian refugees and the Palestinian issue. The 25-year-old Palestinian camp son devoted his entire life to speak for his people and underprivileged population, and to keep the promise he made to his grandfather when he told him: "Your gun is your education, your qualifications, and academic achievements."