With love, Amal is written from the tender-most part of me - my heart, all mushy and relentless ever since it was puzzled together in my mother’s womb. I began this Substack as a letter to the ether; things I wrote to an invisible penpal, sending them out into the void, sealed with a kiss. It has since turned into a sort of archive of my meanderings, my poems, fragmented fiction, all soft truths from this mind. Exhales, you may call them.
Some of these posts are born from my imagination - fiction, in a way. Some are memoir. Some are a mixture of both. It seems I often write about love, grief, memory, the absurdity of longing, and the ache of becoming.
I write slowly, but with care. You can expect a letter every week or so, an envelope of whatever medium I am drawn to at that time. I try to keep most of my work free, but you can support me monetarily if you’re drawn to do so.
If you’ve ever written a love letter and never sent it… this is for you. If you’ve ever mourned a life that never happened… this is for you. If you’re trying to believe in softness in a world that teaches you to harden… this is for you.
I like to say that my work is my heart, in words.
a little about me
My name is Amal Kiswani. I was born in the US, and my family moved to Amman, Jordan when I was a small, tiny six year old - there was some back and forth, but you’ll see that my letters are most often addressed from my beautiful hometown of Amman. I come from Palestinian ancestry, the most closest of them who made the move to Jordan before the Nakba of 1948. Navigating the cultural differences between my heritage and my American upbringing is a contrast I explore often. I hope to use my platform to bring knowledge, understanding, and open conversation on the Middle East - a place I feel is unknown and foreign to the digital world we live in.
I don’t consider what themes I’m writing, but there is a sure connection to my roots you’ll find in most of my work.
I’ve been writing since I was fourteen. Since then, it has been a difficult but rewarding journey, especially with you by my side. I’m an Aquarius, a cat mom, a desperate wannabe writer, and a very proud graduate of English Language and Literature. Throughout the twists and turns of this life that is mine, I have always returned to the page (or, more accurately, the screen) with these words of mine, these thoughts. It is a pleasure to have a friend on the other side of this vastness, connecting with me somehow.
Thank you for reading, for feeling, for being here on this absurd journey that is my life. I welcome the chance to interact with you directly, and so my email is always open for penpals, at amaalkis@gmail.com.
