A GROUP of poets have published a collection to raise money for Palestine.
The book, titled Things There Are No Words For, features 24 writers who have written poems centred on the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Published in Glasgow by Speculative Books, all proceeds will be donated to charities Medical Aid for Palestinians and Operation Olive Branch.
The poems explore themes of motherhood, love, social anxiety and racism, while reflecting on the helplessness many people feel when watching events in the Middle East unfold on the news.
‘Those Palestinian children are my babies’
LAURIE Goldie (below) contributed to the collection with her poems Missing and February 26 2024, which explores the moment American soldier Aaron Bushnell set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC as an act of protest.
“For more than a year now I have been writing about Palestine, because I'm trying to make sense of it,” she told the Sunday National.
“[I’m trying to make sense] of the violence, the destruction, of the parallel universe it feels like we are living in when we turn on the news and what is being reported is not what we have seen live-streamed directly from journalists in Gaza on social media.
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“I've come to the conclusion that I can't make sense of it – but in writing, and sharing my writing, I hope other people see that they are not alone in feeling frankly mad merely existing in the world at the moment.
“There are certain things that once you see, you cannot unsee. The plight of the Palestinian people is one of these issues for me,” she added.
“Once you are cognisant of a deep injustice – like the persecution and genocide of an entire nation, the brutal murders of innocent people and far too many children – how can I, as an artist, not write about that?”
Goldie added that art reminds people that “across place and time, all humanity is connected”.
“I am those Palestinian mothers, those Palestinian children are my babies,” she said.
“Writing with the anger, empathy and solidarity they deserve, in the hope that my words connect with someone who needed to read them, is the very least I can do.”
‘Art is taking control of the narrative’
MATT Abbott’s poem, A House On The Beach Is Not A Dream, features text from a genuine Israeli real estate advert offering beach properties in Gaza.
“We have begun clearing rubble and fending off squatters,” the poem reads. “Fight. Liberate. Settle.”
“To be invited to contribute to something like this meant a lot because sometimes it feels like you’re screaming into the void,” Abbott (below) told the Sunday National.
“It’s good to know that you’re not on your own, and that’s an incredibly privileged position to come from, but it’s nice to read poetry from somebody else who is going through and witnessing the same thing that you are.”
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Abbott said he felt the vast majority of the public were still not engaging with the crisis in Gaza, adding that “if they do engage, they parrot what is presented in the media, which is so incredibly warped”.
“The biased language that’s being used is infuriating,” he added.
“Art is trying to take control of the narrative that the media is distorting.
“People might hear one poem, or hear one song, or they might see one painting that piques their interest and gets them to engage more.”
Abbott praised publishers Speculative Books for publishing the collection, adding: “I think it’s quite bold for them to put this out there at the risk of reputational damage.”
‘We must use whatever tools we can to speak out’
MEANWHILE, Aileen Angsutorn – who contributed to the collection with her poem The Memories That Burden Us – told the Sunday National that “civic activism is crucial now more than ever”.
“We must mobilise and use whatever tools we can to speak out against occupation, apartheid and oppression, and to support the Palestinian struggle for justice and human rights,” she said.
“Our government continues to fund this genocide, authorities are punishing those who dissent, and institutions are censoring support for Palestine.”
It comes as a number of Labour MPs have signed a motion calling on the UK Government to halt arms sales to Israel.
Around 30 arms export licences were suspended by the UK Government last month, yet it faces calls to go further and ban the supply of components for F-35 jets used by Israel in its bombardment of Gaza.
Angsutorn added: “Not actively supporting equality and the liberation of Palestine is an acceptance of colonial violence and the dehumanisation of marginalised people.”
‘Community, solidarity and hope’
THE editor of the collection, poet and arts educator Laura Bissell, said she is constantly asking what art can do “in the face of injustice, conflict and crisis”.
“Art can provide spaces to explore questions and to sit with difficulty, anger, questions and grief. I believe it can also create community, offer solidarity and provide a sense of hope,” she told the Sunday National.
Bissell (above) has been a fan of Speculative Books for a number of years and collaborated with owners Sam Small and Dale McPhail to publish a collection which would raise funds for Palestinian aid.
“These charities are working on the ground to provide support within a collapsing health system to communities who need it the most,” Bissell said.
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While there was no theme specified, many of the works submitted responded to the crisis in Gaza.
Bissell said that she curated the collection to begin and end with a work which explicitly addresses the ongoing conflict.
She added: “As well as buying the book to raise as much as possible, I would encourage people to read the work of Palestinian poets, such as Mosab Abu Toha, who is from Gaza and was able to escape shortly after the October 7 attacks.”
There will be two events to mark the launch of the event – one at Inn Deep in Glasgow on October 22 at 7pm, and another at Lighthouse Bookshop in Edinburgh on October 24 at 7pm.
The Edinburgh launch will be live-streamed – instructions on how to watch can be found here – and the recording will be made available on the Lighthouse website.
To find out more and to get a copy, click here.
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