The media colleague Reem Al-Afif recently published her first short story collection “A City Gazing at the Sun,” which includes twenty-six very short stories written in a style blending symbolism and experimentation. The endings vary between open, allowing readers broad space for contemplation, and closed, carrying direct messages. The collection addresses a wide range of social, political, economic, and contemporary technological issues, as well as topics concerning women and children, with a strong presence of material heritage inspired by popular proverbs. Academic critic Prof. Dr. Bassam Qattous wrote in the collection’s preface that it lies between documentary realism and surreal absurdity, with realistic protagonists whose dreams resemble ours but who resort to dreams akin to nightmares when confronted with reality. The cover features a distinctive painting by visual artist Omar Al-Badour.

The author expressed deep thanks to the Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts director Ayman Samawi for sponsoring the printing and publication, and to others who supported the work. “A City Gazing at the Sun” is not just a collection of stories but an open invitation for readers to explore realms of thought and imagination and to examine human and societal issues from new perspectives.