Honoring the stories and inspiration of Gaza: an interview with Susan Abulhawa
Susan Abulhawa, right, meeting with writers in Gaza in early 2024 for workshops that led to the book, ‘Every Moment Is A Life’
Adam Horowitz writes in Mondoweiss on 29 May 2026:
Among the most powerful ways people have learned about the Gaza genocide over the past two and a half years has been from the heroic efforts of Palestinians in Gaza to tell their stories. A new book shares among the most powerful testimonies collected to date, and will surely be a reference for generations to come.
Every Moment Is a Life shares the stories of 18 Palestinian writers and was the product of workshops that author Susan Abulhawa gave through a community organization during multiple trip to Gaza during the genocide.
I was excited to get a chance to interview Abulhawa about this incredibly powerful book. Abulhawa is an internationally bestselling novelist, poet, and activist whose books Mornings in Jenin has been translated into thirty languages. We talked over Zoom to discuss the process that led the book, her experiences with the writers, as well as what she is taking away from her time in Gaza.
Mondoweiss: Thank you so much for finding time to talk. The book is a great accomplishment and I know it has an amazing backstory, starting with you traveling to Gaza during the genocide. How did this book come to be?
Susan Abulhawa: When I first went into Gaza, we were all bewildered and unsure what to do, how to help, how to be of service, how to stop this. And we were all just overwhelmed. We still are. But at the time, I thought, okay, I’m just going to figure out how to get there. My first attempt landed me in jail in Egypt. And then the second attempt, I took a different route, I used my medical credentials from way back when. I went in with a delegation, and I brought in a ton of aid, which was a drop in the ocean, really, compared to what people actually needed. And I listened to people, I collected stories, I bore witness, I helped where I could, and I brought medication where I could. But it just wasn’t enough.