Tariq al Haydar's work has appeared in The Threepenny Review, Crab Orchard Review, North American Review, DIAGRAM and others, and his nonfiction was named as 'Notable' in The Best American Essays 2016.
“Basmah” means “smile” in Arabic. That’s what my ex-wife named our daughter; she said that maybe she could teach me how to smile. Our marriage lasted for eight years. I tried my best.