Ibtisam Azem is a Palestinian novelist, short story writer, and journalist based in New York. Her works in Arabic include two novels; The Sleep Thief (2011) and The Book of Disappearance (2014). The latter has been translated into more that 10 languages and its English version was longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025. The Sleep Thief is forthcoming in English in 2026 from And Other Stories. Her most recent book is a short story collection entitled “Cities of Strangers.” Azem’s short stories and essays have appeared in several anthologies and various outlets, including Evergreen Review, Journal of Palestine Studies, World Literature Today, and Jadaliyya.

Credit A. Fathi