Henar Press

And lastly, we plan to reveal the very first bilingual Kurdish literary magazine based in North America at the end of this year :)

We're also working on the first anthology of contemporary Kurdish plays in English, titled "Who's Afraid of Kurdistan?" We're so glad to be supporting Kurdish playwrights from all around the world.

I'd like to tell you about some of the works we're excited to publish. Our first three novels are going to be English debuts from decorated writers who have had their works published in Turkish, Spanish, Italian, French, Kurmanji, and Arabic.

For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to create a community for Kurdish writers, translators, and readers. We've received incredible submissions that have been queried to other publishers for years but were turned down due to the difficulty in selling Kurdish literature.

We're launching our first ever fundraiser!

We have many amazing projects planned, and your support, no matter the amount, would ensure we can fully realize our vision of providing Kurdish literature with the platform it deserves.

Visit our fundraiser page: secure.givelively.org/donate/henar...

🚨Available for purchase in a risograph printed zine or as a PDF, from Maamoul Press, all proceeds will support Jehad and Esraa.
maamoulpress.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?...

+ Watch a video of the making of the zine:
maamoulpress.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?...

He has never killed before but knows he will kill today. The only question is who.

I AM GOING TO KILL SOMEBODY will be available late fall 2026.

Cover photo by Murat Yazar

When he wakes at dawn, a voice tells him he will kill someone today. As he moves through the city with a kitchen knife in his pocket, Temo insists he will choose his victim in a life where everything has been chosen for him.

A celebrated Kurdish translator of Dostoevsky, Cewerî now gives us his own Raskolnikov.

Forty-two years old and recently released after fifteen years of torture and imprisonment, Temo lives in a cramped house with his dying mother.

COVER REVEAL — We're proud to present I AM GOING TO KILL SOMEBODY, the English debut of Firat Cewerî, one of the great modern existentialists, brilliantly translated by Jeannette Okur and with a foreword by Agri Ismaïl.

A celebrated Kurdish translator of Dostoevsky, Cewerî now gives us his own Raskolnikov.

Forty-two years old and recently released after fifteen years of torture and imprisonment, Temo lives in a cramped house with his dying mother.

We're live at the Kurdish Studies Forum at the American University of Iraq Sulaimani!

Huge thanks to Nawa for setting up our booth and getting everything prepared leading up to the event! This wouldn't have been possible without all her hard work 👏👏👏

We'll be handing out Henar Press themed bookmarks and zines with excerpts from our upcoming releases.

Thanks to all the wonderful people at @kash_kul for organizing such an important event and milestone for Kurdish literature!

Biji Kurdistan❤️☀️💚

Excited to share that Henar Press will have a booth at the Kurdish Studies Forum at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani from September 25-27th!

If you're planning on attending (which you absolutely should), then please stop by and say hi.

GĀBOR will be available early fall 2026.

GĀBOR follows the darkly comedic quest of two boys whose desperate search for a soccer ball becomes a gruesome and satirical odyssey through the absurdities of military occupation. Much like DeLillo's Underworld, the ball is simultaneously the center of the universe and utterly meaningless.

COVER REVEAL — We're excited to announce Henar Press's inaugural publication, GĀBOR. This marks the English debut of Seyed Qader Hedayati, superbly translated from the Kurdish by Chiya Parvizpur and Hourieh Maleki Qouzloo.

🗓️[UPCOMING EVENT]

Join us on Sept. 28 at 1pm EST for #TMRBookClub! We’ll discuss “Sand-Catcher,” (@coffeehousepress.bsky.social) a moving fable of Palestinian memory. Author Omar Khalifah and translator Barbara Romaine join us. Hosted by @bookfabulous.bsky.social

🔗 us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Happy to Celebrate Arthur Sze as our New Poet Laureate of the U.S.!

Take action for bibliodiversity.

mailchi.mp/bab48bdc94e6...

A New Look at Kurdish Literature, Beyond the ‘Selfless, Helpless’ Trope Next year, Henar Press will bring out its first two titles, translated from Kurdish to English. But already, their website — with its Kurdish Literary Database — is contributing to a wi…

Arablit has been such an important platform for celebrating MENA literature. I've been a reader for the longest time, so seeing us featured is pretty surreal! Use the link in our bio to read the full article: arablit.org/2025/09/11/a...

The wonderful folks at @arablit.bsky.social just posted an interview about Henar Press, the database, my reasoning for starting the press, and so much more. I feel incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity to amplify Kurdish literature and get people excited about our upcoming releases.

Thanks!! Bachtyar Ali was my gateway into Kurdish lit too back in 2016. Glad to see the database resonating with other people!

This database cool is seriously the coolest thing. When I read “every fire you tend” and “the last pomegranate tree” I thought — I’d really like to learn more about Kurdish literature — and now!!

No worries! The awesome folks at @themountaingoats.bsky.social are honorary Kurds, so we couldn't ask for a better band to be (mis)associated with.

Thanks again for the generous coverage! We're incredible proud of our upcoming releases and the database :)

A New Look at Kurdish Literature, Beyond the ‘Selfless, Helpless’ Trope Next year, Henar Press will bring out its first two titles, translated from Kurdish to English. But already, their website — with its Kurdish Literary Database — is contributing to a wi…

Didn't realize @henarpress.bsky.social was here on Bsky.

Read our talk w/publisher & founding editor Aryan Omar Hassan & then make sure to follow them for updates on what's coming next.

arablit.org/2025/09/11/a...

Also, really, their Kurdish literary database is a treat for lit geeks & beyond. henarpress.org/database

So ‘experimental’ is the broadest term I could use to encourage Kurdish writers to really take their craft and flip it on its side. Many publishers have asked Kurdish writers to construct a novel that explains Kurdistan to the West. I want the polar opposite. I want to be disillusioned. Selfishly, that’s also the type of literature I consume. The novel that changed me was Calvino’s If on a winter’s night a traveler. From that moment, I knew there was something transcendental about literature that could only be experienced by contorting language and narrative into forms we haven’t previously encountered.

Today, the promised conversation with Aryan Omar Hassan, the founding editor of Henar Press (first Kurdish-lit focused press in the US), about why they're focusing on experimental Kurdish literature. cc @themountaingoats.bsky.social.

arablit.org/2025/09/11/a...

I’m so pleased to have had the chance to be involved in helping to expand @henarpress.bsky.social’s database of Kurdish Literature in English & glad that others are as excited about it as we are!

RSVP here!
linktr.ee/henar.pressu...