Ten years ago, English Department Lecturer in Creative Writing Rima Rantisi and some colleagues in a Hamra pub came up with the idea of launching a new student literary journal. Today, Rusted Radishes is published once a year in Arabic and English, and is open to AUB students and faculty and others across the Arab region. It has expanded beyond literary writing to include poetry, drama, essays, photography, graphics and other art forms. Rima Rantisi retraces this journey, which stresses training talented young writers and creative artists who address human, literary, political, artistic, and personal subjects, “without the interference of a censor – because literature and art get to the heart of issues that matter to people, and reflect the human condition.”

The online selection of texts is at RustedRadishes.com, where the printed full version can be ordered.