Since 2012, through disaster and upheaval, Rusted Radishes: Beirut Literary and Art Journal has been publishing the most exciting literature and art from the Arab world, forging meaning from the current moment. The journal has evolved from a local Beirut-based English-language publication to a bilingual platform in Arabic and English and one of the Arab world’s most vital spaces for contemporary literature and art. Through our annual print issues, open-access webzine, and special editions, we bring together established writers and emerging voices shaping the cultural and literary landscapes of our region and diaspora.

What began as a small initiative is now a living archive: more than a thousand works have been published across our open-access webzine and our annual print issues, each one speaking to the moment in poetry, prose, art, graphic narrative, and multimedia forms. Our growth has come from a thriving community of editors, writers, and artists in Beirut and the region as well as several creative collaborations with sister platforms and institutions.

These partnerships have allowed us to deepen our engagement with urgent questions: How do we translate pain in the most painful times? What does labor mean in collapsing economies? How do we address shame, illness, money, and war without simplifying or surrendering to despair?

At the heart of this massive undertaking is our mission of nurturing writers through the role of the editor—not as a gatekeeper, but as a companion in the creative process. Our editors spend long hours in dialogue with writers, helping shape each piece with care. This ethos also inspired our podcast series, Hazf wa Idafa, which explores the craft of literary editing, opening up the conversation in the Arab world.

Our journal is built on the labor of volunteers—editors, designers, translators, digital content managers—who give their time and hearts to keep this space alive. We are grateful for the support of the American University of Beirut, which has provided funding for the printing costs of the annual special issue as well as event funding; and for the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) for four years of funding to expand our Arabic section as a source of contemporary Arabic literature.

However, sustaining the journal as a whole to pay the people who keep it alive depends on the community it serves.

In moments of devastation—Lebanon’s economic collapse, the port explosion, Israel’s ongoing attacks on Lebanon and genocide of Palestinians—Rusted Radishes has remained a space for meaning-making in the Arab world and beyond.

If you believe in our mission, we invite you to support Rusted Radishes to reach our first fundraising goal for the year: $35,000

Your contribution helps us continue. Your solidarity makes this possible.

To learn more about us, check our webzine at www.rustedradishes.com.

How will we use $35,000? To pay people!

1. Building on our annual issues which presciently address urgent contexts, most recently themed Sea Change (2019), Health and Illness (2021), Money (2023), Labor & Idleness (2024), and Pain (2025), we will publish our forthcoming themed issue in print and online. Funds will go toward paying contributors, editors, digital content managers, and designers.

2. Keeping our webzine as a current source of literature, art, and critical writing, we will publish one webzine piece per week for the next year. Funds will go toward paying contributors, editors, digital content managers, and designers.

3. We will hire a media manager to boost our networking and outreach and promote our contributors.

Local contributions*:

$1-29 receive recognition in our next issue and online.
$30-49 receive our latest print issue: Pain. Make a donation before Thursday, June 26, and be the first to receive a copy at our launch!
$50-99 receive our latest print issue + a notebook, delivered to you.
$100-149 receive the last 2 issues available + a notebook, delivered to you.
$150-200 receive your choice of 3 items (print journal/notebook/digital).
$200+ We will reach out to you!

*For local/Beirut contributions, in addition to making a donation at this online campaign, you may also donate offline at any BOB Finance branch in Lebanon by mentioning fundahope and the specific campaign ID (ID # 2914) at the counter.

International contributions:

$1-29 receive recognition in our next issue and online.
$30-99 receive the digital version of our latest issue: Pain.
$100-149 receive a copy of our latest issue, Pain, delivered to you.
$150-200 receive a copy of our latest issue, Pain, delivered to you + the digital versions of the latest three issues: Money, Labor & Idleness, and Pain.
$200+ We will reach out to you!

All contributions will be recognized in our next issue and online and receive our infinite gratitude as well as more of our labor toward literature and art from the Arab world!