I am thrilled and honored to have a personal essay included in the recent publication of Coordinates, a digital multi-media magazine jointly published by World BEYOND War and The Sahira Collective. This beautiful magazine is full of powerful poems, artwork and essays by writers and artists from around the world, each reflecting on the notion of home and how it can become mangled and transformed, both physically and emotionally, during and after violent conflict.

My story entitled “A Glassful of Peace” describes my disorientation and loss of American identity soon after 911, my return to Egypt afterwards where I and my husband were living at the time, and our celebration of the Iftar feast with Mr. Mohammed and his family during Ramadan.

War not only unsettles, uproots, and even destroys the places we once called home. War can also bring our identity into crisis and upheaval. Coordinates is full of poignant and heartfelt stories and works of art that ask and attempt to answer difficult, yet very human, questions: What are our coordinates when home is violently torn away from us? And how do we redraw our place of being, peace, and safety in the aftermath?

You can also download the magazine here.