Until the Houthis decided to play David and Goliath with shipping in the Red Sea, Yemen rarely made the news. Who knew about the Houthis before this? Or who followed when aid was blocked, or someone decided to weaponize a forgotten coastline? Yemen is more than misunderstood — it’s a forgotten land. Or was.
Laura Kasinof lived there as a freelance reporter and recently helped edit The Book of Sana’a, a powerful short story collection written by Yemeni authors about life, loss, laughter, and survival in one of the oldest cities on Earth.
In this week’s Collapse Life episode, Kasinof shares:
What it’s really like to live and work in Yemen
How women navigate public life (and how it differed from other parts of the Middle East)
Why the country’s history and divisions make it hard to simplify
What fiction can reveal that journalism cannot
Why The Book of Sana’a is one of the most intriguing projects she’s worked on
Grab the book at Comma Press or LauraKasinof.com
Leave a comment — what surprised you most?
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