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A poetry collaboration in the call-and-response form of Renga by two award-winning poets—
one Jewish American and one Palestinian American during the genocide in Gaza. In 2009, prompted by the Israeli siege of Gaza, Palestinian American poet Deema Shehabi and Jewish American poet Marilyn Hacker started a correspondence. It took the form of responding to each other's poems. They resumed their poetic dialogue by email after Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.
Their project involved an alternating call and response between them in the tradition of the Japanese renga form, each poet picking up a word, phrase, or image from the poem preceding. The result is a fascinating poetic conversation. The two poetic voices are beautifully meshed together, so that it actually reads as one long poem.
The poetry is rich in vivid imagery, leaving lasting impressions along with the emotions it evokes—such as the feelings unrest and exile. While television and social media present images of the world's reaction to this genocide on the surface, this book offers an intimate glimpse into the thoughts of these two poets wrangling with the devastation and fallout.
W
ater to Water: Gaza Renga is a dignified celebration of humanity in and among atrocities. Although triggered by events in Gaza, it weaves in other conflicts past and present. Through its pages, the words transcend differences, linking individual voices into a collective expression of grief, hope, and defiance. It reminds us that even in devastation, poetry can bear witness, ignite healing, and inspire compassion and connection.
About the author
Marilyn Hacker is an American poet, translator, and critic. She is Professor of English emerita at the City College of New York. Her books of poetry include Presentation Piece, which won the National Book Award,
Love, Death, and the Changing of the Seasons, and
Going Back to the River. In 2010, she received the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry.
