Saad Abu Ghannam: Writing a Shared Future
Poet and BGU alumnus Saad Abu Ghannam comes full circle, returning to campus to teach creative writing to a new generation. Abu Ghannam blends Arabic and Hebrew, literature and activism, to inspire a new generation of writers across the Negev — and to prove that words can bridge divides.
In 2019, poet and educator Saad Abu Ghannam returned to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, where he earned his master’s degree, as a teacher of Arabic creative writing in the Department of Hebrew Literature.
Abu Ghannam’s literary odyssey began early. As a child in elementary school, he was already captivated by the power of language. He devoured books and listened avidly to radio programs — first in Arabic, then in Hebrew — that ignited his imagination and laid the groundwork for a lifelong passion. “From a very young age, I was drawn to the written word,” he recalls. “I read every book I could lay my hands on. Listening to the Quran and to literary radio programs in my early childhood shaped my creative identity and helped develop my writing skills.”
Abu Ghannam describes his discovery of the Zalman Aranne Library at BGU as a pivotal moment in his development. “The library revealed a magical world,” he says. “A treasure trove of poetry and literature, which I read with great passion.” It was here that he first encountered world literature, primarily in Hebrew translation. Latin American fiction, in particular, made a great impression and opened up new horizons, enriching his understanding of literature beyond the Arabic tradition. At the same time, he delved deeper into both classical and modern Arabic literature alongside modern Hebrew writing.
His academic experience was transformative. “Academic studies gave me the tools to see writing as something that can change a person’s fate,” he says. “It shaped my belief in the ability of a young artist to influence society.” This belief has since become a cornerstone of his work — mentoring writing groups, teaching creative expression, and promoting the transformative power of language.
Before his graduate studies at BGU, Abu Ghannam earned a bachelor’s degree from Sapir Academic College, majoring in Jewish history and political science. As a graduate student in BGU’s Department of Middle East Studies, he focused on Arabic literature that addresses regional political, social, and historical issues. After completing his master’s thesis on representations of childhood in Arabic autobiographies, Abu Ghannam began teaching Arabic literature at Achva College, as well as leading creative writing workshops in his hometown Kuseife, a Bedouin town not far from Beer-Sheva. His first poetry collection, Yellow Evening, was published in Egypt in 2015.
As his poetry gradually gained recognition, Abu Ghannam began teaching writing in Rahat and Tel Sheva as well, through their teacher training centers, and participated in bilingual poetry readings, held in Hebrew and Arabic, across the country. He was a fellow of the 3rd cohort of the Bustan Poetry Incubator at the National Library of Israel in 2018, and in 2020, he participated in the Mandel Program for Cultural Leadership in the Negev. His second bilingual collection, The Wail of Memory, was published in 2023 with the support of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation and the Rahat Community Center.
Abu Ghannam speaks candidly about the challenges he faced, especially at the start of his academic journey. “During my first months at university, I struggled with Hebrew,” he admits. “But that challenge quickly turned into a passion to learn. I read obsessively; Hebrew literature, academic texts, everything I could find. That struggle led to something beautiful: I began writing poetry in the very language I once found difficult.”
Among his literary influences, Abu Ghannam names Hebrew poet Avot Yeshurun, known for weaving Yiddish into his poetry and creatively interrupting the Hebrew language. In Arabic, he draws inspiration from the modern Iraqi poets Adnan al-Sayegh and Saadi Youssef. “From them, I learned to write my own poetic credo — to see my daily life as an endless source of ideas.”
And what is that credo? “That I must share the gift of writing with my community. More personally: I write, therefore I am.”
Over the years, Abu Ghannam has gained not only respect within his community but also a sense of purpose. “At first, this felt like a wild gamble,” he says. “But over time, it became a real journey — one that might help bring about social change, and perhaps even influence the Arabic language in the Negev.”
In the past year, Abu Ghannam has led a unique creative writing workshop that brought together Arab and Jewish students at BGU. Initiated by the cultural entrepreneur and student Yehuda Bawe, the project was made possible thanks to support from the Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and the Student Union, and culminated in the publication of a bilingual collection of original works by the participants.
Saad Abu Ghannam continues to champion literature as both a personal refuge and a tool for cultural dialogue. Through his writing, teaching, and community work, he offers a living example of the power of language to bridge worlds—and to imagine new ones.
Adapted from an article in issue 145 of Aleph-Bet-Gimmel, the University’s Hebrew language magazine. For the original article.
