Refaat Alareer is the co-editor of Gaza Unsilenced (2015) and was the editor of (and a contributor to) Gaza Writes Back (2014). A native of Gaza City's Shijaieh neighborhood, he received his M.A. in Comparative Literature from the University College of London (U.K.) and is currently completing his Ph.D. in English Literature at the Universiti Putra Malaysia. He has been teaching world literature, comparative literature, and both fiction and non-fiction creative writing at the Islamic University of Gaza since 2007.

Alareer is interested in emerging Palestinian writers and works very closely with many of them to help them develop their creative writing skills. His book Gaza Writes Back is a compilation of short stories written in English by young Palestinian writers living in the Gaza Strip. It shows a different side of the struggle to create a free Palestine, since it includes fictional work and was written by young people as part of Gaza’s creative reaction to Israel’s repeated acts of aggression against Gaza.

In Spring 2014, Alareer and two other contributors to Gaza Writes Back toured the United States, speaking to thousands of young (and older) Americans in a tour co-organized by Just World Books and the American Friends Service Committee.

Refaat blogs at thisisgaza.wordpress.com and can be followed at his twitter handle @thisisgaza.