25 April,
In Conversation /
Fatena Abu Mostafa, from Gaza to Galway
Saturday, 25 April 2026, 5:30pm
Galway Arts Centre – Nuns Island Theatre / €5/8
Book NowIn our 2025 New Writing Showcase we shared an audio recording of a poem by Fatena Abu Mostafa, who at the time was in Gaza. In the recording, Fatena said that she hoped one day to be with us in Galway to share her poetry. On August 28th, she was successfully evacuated from Gaza and we’re delighted to welcome her to Cúirt this year, to talk with Vincent Woods about her journey to Ireland, and to share her poetry with us in person.
I am a translator, storyteller, and poet from Gaza. I studied under the Palestinian poet and activist Dr. Refaat Alareer during my bachelor’s degree in English Literature (minor in Translation), and I am currently studying Creative Practice (Poetry and Performance) at ATU in Galway. My poems have been published in Every Night I Count My Children, Witness to Gaza, Walls, and on platforms such as ArabLit, Gaza Poets, WANN, and This Week in Palestine. I have performed my work internationally, including at the Cúirt International Festival of Literature 2024 in Galway and with a collective theatre in France.
I am currently working on a poetry collection that explores my own suffering and the suffering of every person in Gaza during the genocide. For me, writing is more than just a profession—it is a refuge for my emotions and a way to cope with the challenges I face. It is my lifelong mission to continue writing and sharing stories for as long as I live. I aspire for my voice to resonate globally, with my poems and stories leaving a lasting impact on the hearts of those who read them. I believe poetry is the key to every closed door, and the language that allows us to speak when no other words are possible.
