Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza

Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear is a poetry debut by Mosab Abu Toha, who writes about his life under siege in Gaza, inspired by a profound humanity. The poems are filled with rubble, surveillance drones, tea, roses, and the sea at sunset, and are accompanied by an in-depth interview.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 100 pages
Publication date: 09 June 2022
Publisher: City Lights Books

Winner of the American Book Award, the Palestine Book Award, and the Arrowsmith Press's 2023 Derek Walcott Poetry Prize, Mosab Abu Toha's debut collection of poetry, "Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear," offers a powerful and poignant exploration of life under siege in Gaza. Written from his native Gaza, Abu Toha's debut contrasts scenes of political violence with the natural beauty of the region.

In this poetry debut, Abu Toha writes about his life under siege in Gaza, first as a child and then as a young father. A survivor of four brutal military attacks, he bears witness to a grinding cycle of destruction and assault, yet his poetry is inspired by a profound humanity.

These poems emerge directly from the experience of growing up and living in constant lockdown, and often under direct attack. Like Gaza itself, they are filled with rubble and the ever-present menace of surveillance drones policing a people unwelcome in their own land. They are also suffused with the smell of tea, roses in bloom, and the view of the sea at sunset.

Children are born, families continue traditions, students attend university, and libraries rise from the ruins as Palestinians go on about their lives, creating beauty and finding new ways to survive.

Accompanied by an in-depth interview (conducted by Ammiel Alcalay) in which Abu Toha discusses life in Gaza, his family origins, and how he came to poetry, "Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear" offers a unique and intimate glimpse into the lives of those living under the constant threat of violence and oppression.

Praise for "Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear" has been pouring in from critics and readers alike. Naomi Shihab Nye, for example, praised Abu Toha as an "astonishingly gifted young poet from Gaza, almost a seer with his eloquent lyrical vernacular." She added, "His poems break my heart and awaken it, at the same time. I feel I have been waiting for his work all my life."

Another critic, Nader El-Bizri, described the collection as "like flowers that grow out of bomb craters an.

Weight: 154g
Dimension: 128 x 177 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780872868601