Taqwa A. Al-Wawi
A Palestinian writer, poet, and editor from Gaza. At just 19 years old, she is studying English literature at the Islamic University of Gaza. Through her writing, she strives to amplify Gaza’s voice and shed light on stories too often left untold.
For Taqwa, writing is more than words on a page—it is both therapy and escape.
“I come from Gaza—a place where hope rises from the rubble and dreams are built amidst hardship,” she says. “Writing is not only a form of expression; it is my refuge from a harsh reality, a space where I rediscover myself and map out my ambitions. It heals me and gives me a way out.”
Each piece she writes is both a testimony and an act of defiance against erasure. Every word she crafts carries the weight of lived experience and the promise of a better tomorrow—a future she is already shaping with courage and purpose.
Her work has been featured in leading international and regional outlets such as Al Jazeera English, The Nation, Middle East Eye, The Intercept, The Electronic Intifada, The New Arab, Middle East Monitor, Mondoweiss, Truthout, The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, The Massachusetts Review, The Markaz Review, The Palestine Chronicle, Politics Today, Prism, the Institute for Palestine Studies, Opol, and ArabLit Quarterly (Magazine). She also contributes to We Are Not Numbers (WANN) and serves as an editor at Baladi Magazine, where her poetry has appeared.
Taqwa’s zine Gaza Calling: Will the World Pick Up? features poems and texts about genocide, loss, grief — but also hope and resilience.
“Every word in this zine carries our hearts, our grief, and our defiance. We are human, just like you, with dreams that stretch beyond borders. Remember us, feel with us, and know that even in the face of genocide, we endure—and our voices will not be silenced. Thank you!”
Gaza Calling is one small piece of Taqwa’s extensive portfolio of work, ranging from poetry, news articles, and podcast appearances. A student, a writer, an editor, a survivor, Taqwa demonstrates a high degree of passion and commitment to the written word.
Want to support Taqwa?
Contribute to her fundraiser.
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Email: taqwa2019ahmed@gmail.com
Send proof donation to coastallinespress@gmail.com to receive a digital or print copy of Gaza Calling: Will the World Pick Up? For print copies, include your full name and address in the email.
Links to other writings by Taqwa:
https://theintercept.com/2025/10/30/gaza-ceasefire-israel-bombing-airstrike/
https://prismreports.org/2025/10/21/gaza-homes-restaurants-universities-mosques/
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/gaza-hunger-killing-us-where-is-world-not-forgive-or-forget
https://wearenotnumbers.org/nineteen/
Podcasts/Interviews:
https://theintercept.com/2025/10/17/briefing-podcast-gaza-ceasefire-deal/