The Paper program extends Tamer Institute’s cultural production through written and published formats that widen access to literature, knowledge, and creative expression for children, adolescents, and youth. Through books, translated works, periodicals, and research publications, the program offers diverse paths for engagement with reading and learning beyond formal educational settings.
The program also creates space for Palestinian writers, illustrators, and young voices to contribute to a living cultural field that reflects local realities and broader human questions. Its publications include original and translated works for children and young adults, contributing to a richer, more inclusive literary landscape while strengthening the relationship among culture, learning, and community life.
Long Tail
About the author : Lamees Khadijah Assaly from a Palestinian village that was known for farming raspberries and cloves. I am a mother of three children, a freelance writer, editor, writing teacher and a social worker. I love birds, horses, the sea, flowers and children, because of this love I want to reach them through a bridge I built, which is the story. I believe that stories provide children with a collection of tools to live in this world. I believe that stories can lighten their pain and make them affective and initiators. I have more than 50 stories that vary between comic stories and novels for youth. My texts were distributed around the world both as paper written texts and electronic texts. My novels were in the short list of the Etisalat award in two consecutive years: in 2023 for the book with chapters category for my book "Meteor Million", and in 2024 for the same category for her novel "Jasmine Flower". I also founded the "Qanadeel" electronic Ramadan free magazine to gather the family around it, as the families used to gather when we were children.
About the Illustrator: Hiba Abu Kweik is a visual artist and children’s books illustrator from Gaza, Palestine. She started working with children as an expressive art trainer at several local and international institutions, including UNRWA, Mercy Corps, and Tamer Institute for Community Education. Hiba received the Palestinian artists scholarship from Goethe-Institut, Cairo in 2024, and she participated in the “Ruaa” Exhibition with paintings that express the Palestinian identity. She has published several books in children’s literature, and in her paintings, she leans to the manual style, using various color materials such as, watercolor, pastel, collage, with the addition of digital touches that enhance the beauty and uniqueness of the work.
A Bat Hovering Above My Head
About the Author: Hanaa’ Osama Ahmad is a Palestinian writer from Gaza. She studied Arabic literature and is currently working as an expressive arts facilitator at Tamer Institute. Hanaa’ is interested in children’s literature and has worked with children for many years. “A Bat Hovering Above My Head” is her first storyboard published in this field.
About the Illustrator: In the small city of Al-Tayba, Mays Farid was born holding the love of tales and colors in her heart. As a child, Mays would watch the birds fly, and listen to the stories of grandmothers about the sea, desert, and mountains. Mays grew up, and with her, grew a dream of drawing Palestine as she saw it: A land that embraces the sky, tales that walk among people, and animals that whisper their secrets in the ear. Mays studied Visual Communication Arts in Jerusalem, and she met artists from different places, which enriched her colors and deepened her tales. Today, Mays holds her pen and colors to weave illustrations that tell a story of a people, joining legacy with nature, and imagination with love.
Story Synopsis: When a bat hovers over our head, and our bodies tremble, the voices and faces of our beloved ones appear, their hands extend to us, to revive hope and colors. This is the story of Zeyad and the children.
