24 stories
Sour Roman Baths | حمامات صور الرومانية
She excavates the Roman baths at Tyre while fighting for funding. He's the diaspora businessman who funds what governments won't. In ancient waters, they discover modern connection. 'Inti el kanz el madfoun' (أنتِ الكنز المدفون).
The Afghan Carpet Shop | متجر السجاد الأفغاني
She runs an Afghan carpet shop in Amsterdam. He's the customer who keeps returning. Each carpet tells a story, but theirs is just beginning.
The Arabic Poetry Night | ليلة الشعر العربي
At a Brooklyn poetry reading, she recites verses that make him remember everything. He's the audience member who approaches after—and never leaves.
The Kurdish Singer | المغنية الكردية
She sings forbidden songs of Kurdistan in exile. He's the record producer who wants to share her voice with the world. Their collaboration heals old wounds.
The Somali Tea House | بيت الشاي الصومالي
A Somali tea house in Minneapolis. A regular customer who comes for the spiced tea. The owner who gives him something stronger than cardamom.
Algiers Awakening
Samira runs a rooftop café overlooking the Bay of Algiers. When French-Algerian architect Karim returns to rediscover his roots, she shows him the city's hidden soul. 'Enti dzayer f qalbi' (أنتِ الجزائر في قلبي) - You are Algeria in my heart.
波士顿唐人街 | The Chinatown Restaurant of Boston
波士顿唐人街的老字号餐馆里，一位丰满的华裔女老板用家乡的味道温暖异乡人的心... In an old Chinatown restaurant in Boston, a curvaceous Chinese-American owner warms strangers' hearts with homeland flavors...
קיץ צברי | Sabra Summer
An American-Israeli woman returns to Israel after years abroad and falls for a pure sabra—learning that home isn't a place, it's a person.
The Architect's Return
After twenty years in Dubai, architect Samir returns to restore his grandmother's house in Jaffa—and finds preservation specialist Maya has already started without him.
The British Beloved
British-born Zara has always struggled between Pakistani expectations and British reality. When she meets Adil—who navigates both worlds effortlessly—she finally finds someone who understands the balance.
The Damascus Connection
Separated by borders since the Nakba, Palestinian diaspora Sami meets his cousin Layla in Jordan—and discovers that some family connections run deeper than blood.
The Debka Teacher
American-born Nadia joins a dabke troupe in Bethlehem to reconnect with her roots—and finds herself falling for instructor Kareem, whose steps are as precise as his passion.
The Nakba Day Reunion
At a Nakba Day commemoration in Chicago, Amira reconnects with her childhood friend Jamal—now a man whose passion for justice matches his passion for her.
The Orange Blossom Spring
Every spring, the orange groves of Jaffa bloom with intoxicating fragrance—and every spring, diaspora daughter Leila returns to find old flame Sami waiting among the trees.
The Oslo Connection
Oslo has the largest Somali population in Scandinavia. When he visits for a conference, the thick Somali-Norwegian academic who hosts the event shows him that Nordic hospitality has distinctly Somali flavors—especially after the other delegates leave.
The Dhaqan Celis
Dhaqan celis means 'cultural rehabilitation'—when diaspora kids are sent to Somalia to reconnect with tradition. He's twenty-two and forced to spend a summer with relatives. The thick widow who supervises his 'rehabilitation' has her own curriculum.
The Seattle Sister
His father's sister lives in Seattle—another city with a thriving Somali community. When he visits for a tech conference, the thick divorced eddo puts him up for the week. She hasn't had a man since her divorce, and Seattle nights are long and cold.
The Columbus Cousin
He visits his cousin in Columbus, Ohio—home to the second-largest Somali population in America. His cousin's thick divorced mother needs help moving furniture. By the time they're done rearranging, more than just the furniture has been moved.
Qurbaha Nights
Qurbaha means the diaspora in Somali. When he returns from America to visit Hargeisa, his father's thick second wife welcomes him home. His father is busy with business, but she's not busy at all. The diaspora boy learns what Somali hospitality really means.
The Podcast Host
She runs a podcast about Somali diaspora experiences. He's the guest she's been trying to book for months—a rising author who finally said yes. The interview goes off-script when he asks about her experiences, and the mics catch everything.
Habaryar in London
His thick Somali aunt puts him up in her London flat while he looks for work. She's been divorced for years, lonely in a city that doesn't understand her. When he offers to help around the house, she shows him exactly what kind of help she needs.
Hooyo's Secret
In Minneapolis, he discovers his friend's Somali mother has been watching him. When she invites him for shaah (tea) while her son is away, the thick hooyo (mother) reveals desires she's hidden beneath her garbasaar for years.
The Collection
She organizes charity drives for drought relief back home—collecting money, supplies, anything that helps. He's the skeptic who thinks charity is performative until he sees how much she actually does. Helping becomes healing becomes love.
Hot Mic
She runs a Somali diaspora podcast—stories of identity, belonging, and what home means. He's the guest who came to talk about his refugee parents and ended up talking about everything else. Including how he feels about her.