Zeina Hashem Beck is a Lebanese poet and the author of two previous full-length collections of poetry: Louder than Hearts (Bauhan Publishing, 2017) and To Live in Autumn (The Backwaters Press, 2014), as well as two chapbooks: 3arabi Song (Rattle, 2016) and There Was and How Much There Was (smith|doorstop, 2016). Educated in Arabic, English, and French, Zeina has a BA and an MA in English Literature from the American University of Beirut. Her poem “Maqam” won Poetry’s 2017 Frederick Bock Prize, and her work appeared in The New York Times, Ploughshares, Poetry, and elsewhere. Zeina is the co-creator and co-host, with poet Farah Chamma, of Maqsouda, a podcast about Arabic poetry produced by Sowt. After a lifetime in Lebanon and a decade in Dubai, Zeina recently moved to California with her husband and two daughters.

A SUBVERSIVE VOICE WITH WIDE APPEAL: Clever, edgy, tender, heartbreaking, weary, and awestruck all at once, Zeina draws on her experiences as a Lebanese woman living between cultures and languages to write evocative, accessible poems that speak to us all.

A MASTER OF FORMS BOTH OLD AND NEW: Zeina is a formally nimble poet who has developed what she calls the "duet," a hybrid form in which English and her native Arabic exist both independently and in conversation with one another. Thought-provoking on the possibilities of language and structure in poetry, O is a feast for readers and reviewers alike.

POISED FOR A U.S. BREAKOUT: Zeina's poems have been published in Poetry, The New York Times Magazine, Ploughshares, Adroit, Ambit, World Literature Today, and many other outlets. Her previous collections have won the Rattle Chapbook Prize and the May Sarton New Hampshire Poetry Prize. Her poem "Maqam" won Poetry Magazine's 2017 Frederick Bock Prize. A Lebanese poet now based in France, her U.S. following has been steadily growing over the years, and this collection-her first with a large press-is sure to make waves and introduce her to new audiences.

WELL-CONNECTED POET: Naomi Shihab Nye, Kaveh Akbar, Mona Eltahawy, Safia Elhillo, Danez Smith, and Claire Schwartz are all fans of Zeina's, along with fellow Penguin Poets Adrian Matejka, Vincent Toro, and sam sax. On Twitter, where her publication announcement received nearly 650 likes, she is steadily approaching 7k followers.