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Araby, Växjö

I write to be heard

From notes on his phone to the stage at the culture centre. Mohanad on taking up space with words.

Person Mohanad, age 17
Role Upper secondary student and poet
Told in Swedish
Published 2025 · 5 min read

I started writing on my phone on the bus. Nobody knew. It was easier that way.

”When I read my text out loud, I am the one who decides how quiet the room gets.”

A friend signed me up for a poetry night without asking. I was angry for three days and went anyway.

Now I run a writing group for younger kids at the youth centre. Half of them write in Arabic, half in Swedish, some in both inside the same text.

Published 2025 — Ett projekt av Läsfrämjarinstitutet

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