Riyam is a PhD chemist by training, a writer by passion. She is an assistant professor at Al Quds-Bard College, Al Quds University, Abu Dis, Palestine, and a mother of two. In her free time she makes homemade ice cream and cupcakes with the help of the tiny little hands of Basil and Taima. At the epicentre of her creativity is her husband and partner Ahmed. Tala Abu Rahmeh is one of the content editors for This Week in Palestine. She writes poetry and non-fiction and is currently working on a poetry manuscript titled Amreeka. She holds an MFA in poetry from American University in Washington, DC. She is a regular contributor to Mashallah News magazine in Beirut and [wherever] magazine in New York City. Her poems have been published in a number of magazines and books, including Naomi Shihab Nye’s Time You Let Me In: 25 Poets under 25. Parts of her memoir-in-progress have been published in a non-fiction book about Beirut titled Beirut Re-collected, available in both French and English. Her poem “Cape Cod” was just nominated for a Pushcart Prize.