Drive

Wael al-Mahdi was the Managing Editor of Rowayat’s Issue 10: Borders. He is a poet, translator, and healthcare professional from Bahrain and the recipient of a High Commendation from the Stephen Spender Poetry Prize. His Arabic translations include works by the National Poet of Wales, Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky, the Centennial Scriptures of Won Buddhism, and literature for the 2024 Diriyah Biennale. In recent years, Wael has explored the terminological and thematic impact of Arabic and Persian literature on Islamicate cultures. This exploration has culminated in his forthcoming poetry collection, A Breeze From The East, which showcases Mashriqi English, a novel poetic register that blends the rich Perso-Arabic literary tradition with the full expressive power of Modern English.