The Twenty-Ninth Year Lib/E

Hala Alyan's The Twenty-ninth Year explores a period of intense transformation and upheaval, where memories of family, past loves, and the echoes of other lands intertwine with the present. Through wild, lyrical verses, Alyan examines the complexities of physical and interior migration, detailing the profound impact of displacement on both mind and body.

This collection navigates a landscape stretching from war-torn cities in the Middle East to an Oklahoma Olive Garden and a Brooklyn brownstone, charting journeys from alcoholism to recovery, and from a single woman to a wife. Alyan's poetry offers a vivid catalog of heartache, loneliness, and joy, providing an education in seeking home and self amidst disparate identities.