GREAT SUCCESS FOR THE CERTAMEN IUSTITIAE: EMOTIONS, CULTURE AND YOUTH AS PROTAGONISTS OF THE FUTURE

On Tuesday, October 8, 2025, from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM, the award ceremony for the Certamen 'Verbum Iustitiae' was held at the prestigious ISMA Hall of the Senate of the Republic (Piazza Capranica 72, Rome - Italy), an event dedicated to excellence in justice, culture, and education. 

This annual event celebrates the value of culture, justice, and critical thinking as the foundation of civil coexistence and human development. 

The ceremony saw strong participation from institutional representatives and offered moments of extraordinary intensity and reflection.

Particularly moving were the speeches of the award recipients, who conveyed the depth of cultural and civic commitment that drives the Certamen. Their words, full of awareness and passion, made tangible the vitality of a school and academic community united by the values of knowledge and justice.

The 'Certamen Iustitiae' reaffirms its identity as a meeting point between tradition and innovation, study and dialogue, commitment and civic passion.

- Magistracy: Dr. Claudia Caramanna, Public Prosecutor at the Juvenile Court of Palermo  

- Young Lawyers: Lawyer Francesco Bisceglia, expert in civil law and new technologies;

- Honorary Judges: Dr. Attilio Balestrieri, Honorary Judge at the Juvenile Court of Rome.

University Professors:

- Prof. Giovanni Cordini, Full Professor of Administrative Law, University of Pavia;

- Prof. Giuliano Scarselli, Full Professor of Civil Procedure, University of Siena;

- Prof. Stefano Pagliantini, Full Professor of Civil Law, University of Florence;

Excellence Awards by Sector:

- Criminal Justice: 

Dr. Sergio De Nicola, Deputy Attorney General at the Court of Appeal of Cagliari;

- Civil Justice: Dr. Francesco Lupia, Judge for Civil Enforcement at the Court of Tivoli;

- Administrative Justice: Lawyer Isabella Maria Stoppani, expert in administrative law;

- Protection of Vulnerable Groups: 

Lawyer Marina Meucci, specialist in family law;

- Environmental Sector: 

Prof. Luigi Cerciello Renna, Director of Procurement and Corporate Affairs at Acquedotto Lucano, professor of environmental legislation;  

- Data Protection – Antitrust: 

Prof. Pierluigi Congedo, expert in antitrust law and data security at LUISS University;

An experience that continues to renew itself over time, fueled by the enthusiasm of young people and the dedication of those who believe in the educational value of culture and justice.

Institutional Note:

The "Certamen Verbum Iustitiae" is promoted and organized by the VerbumlandiArtAps Association.  

The initiative aims to enhance classical culture, legal reflection, and interdisciplinary dialogue as tools for personal and collective growth.

The final ceremony took place in the prestigious ISMA Hall of the Senate of the Republic (Piazza Capranica 72, Rome) on 08/10/2025, in the presence of authorities, professors, students, and guests from different regions.

Institutional Awards:

Guest of Honour: Senator Tilde Minasi  

Honor Committee: Lawyer Massimo Rossi, 

Hon. Lawyer Mirella Cristina, Lawyer Eugenio Bisceglia, Dr. Maria Pia Turiello, Dr. Graziano Perria

Lifetime Achievement Awards:

- Juvenile Justice: Dr. Angela Annese, President of the Court of Appeal of Florence, currently on special assignment; 

- Criminal Justice: Dr. Serenella Maria Siriaco, formerly at the Court of Appeal of Naples, Italy’s youngest judge;  

- Criminal Law: Prof. Leonardo Mazza, Emeritus of Criminal Law; 

- Criminal Procedure: Prof. Giorgio Spangher, Emeritus of Criminal Procedure;

- Project Design and Coordination: Lawyer Federico Gentilini, professor and President of the EDUCALS Award;

Young Scholars and Emerging Talents

Special focus was given to the presentation of the project “VerbumYoung – Growing Young Scholars”, promoted by VerbumlandiArtAps Association, a cultural initiative that encourages creativity, inclusion, and talent among the new generations.

The young protagonists included:

- Gabriele Garofalo, “Alfiere del Lavoro,” scholar in Christian and Classical Reception Studies  

- Diletta Galeota, 24 years old, law student and national/international equestrian champion  

- Enrico Aru, student of History, Territory and Global Society at Roma Tre University

Among the young musical talents, pianists Chiara and Francesco Policaro-winners of numerous national and international piano competitions-also performed.

"The Certamen Iustitiae" thus reaffirms its identity as a meeting place between tradition and innovation, study and dialogue, civic commitment and passion.  

An experience that continues to renew itself over time, fueled by the enthusiasm of young people and the dedication of those who believe in the educational value of culture and justice.

(By REGINA RESTA - The President of the VerbumlandiArtAps Association approved by the Italian Senate)

Two Poems by Dr. Firdaus Khan

Memories

Some of the memories 
are reserved for those nice moments... 

when on the earth 
the carpet of moonlight spreads all around 
where the flowers with their moisten smell
make the nature more romantic...

and the season of romance blooming everywhere
when the eye-lash gratifying with lusty cheers
and there is an immediate desire of heart
that this time must stop here and now...

and throughout such a moment 
too many centuries be surpassed… 
□

Unknown Season of Love...

When
in the calm and lonely night
a breezing wind sings a song 
of quite unknown season of love...

I do start changing
the pages of my past days
one by one...      

and even more to the introversion
where in the island of memories or
such as like 
once hot summer's afternoon of June
I feel warmth of your that touch  
even now feeling that at this moment...

-Dr. Firdaus Khan

Biography:-
Dr. Firdaus Khan is an Islamic scholar, poetess, author, essayist, journalist, editor and translator. She is called the princess of the island of the words. Master of many languages, including Urdu, Hindi, English, Punjabi and Arabic etc.

She has worked for several years in Doordarshan Kendra, Akashwani and reputed newspapers and magazines of the country. She was animent broadcaster of Doordarshan Kendra and Akashwani, renowned editor in news section of Doordarshan Kendra and famous compere of Akashwani. Beside that she has also contributed her ability in many news channels. She has also written several documentaries, television dramas and radio plays. She writes for various newspapers, magazines, books, news and feature agencies of the country and abroad.

She has been awarded many awards for excellent journalism, skillful editing and iconic writing. She has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy. She has also been participating in the Musashirs and Kavi Sammelans. She has also studied Indian classical music.

She was also an editor of the monthly Paigam-e-Madar-e-Watan. She is an editor in Star News Agency. There are also two news portal named 'Star News Agency' and 'Star Web Media'.

She believes in spirituality and is associated with Sufism. She has written ‘Faham Al Quran’. So that more people can read the Quran, understand and reach the message of the Quran to them.

She also writes blogs. She has many blogs. Firdaus Diary and Meri Diary are her Hindi blogs. Heer is a Punjabi blog. Jahannuma is an Urdu blog and The Princess of the Words is an English blog. Rahe-Haq is her spiritual blog.

She has written a book named 'Ganga-Jamuni Sanskriti ke Agrdoot' based on the life philosophy of Sufi-saints, published by Prabhat Publishing Group in the year 2009. She considers her father late Sattar Ahmed Khan and her mother late Khusushudi Khan as their ideal. She has translated the national song Vande Mataram into Punjabi.

Her poetry have the effect of making anyone her fan.But when she writes on the situation, her words will become more sharp than the sword. While her poetry has love, dedication, spirituality and purity, there are burning questions in the articles, which force the reader to think.

She says about herself-
My words reveal my feelings and my thoughts, because my words are my identity. Because my relationship with words is not a professional one. It is a relationship of heart.

Two Poems by Deepti Shakya

 

CALL OF THE GLACIERS 

The rapidly melting glaciers call out,
O! Human, please stop your cruel attacks,
Why do you commit such atrocities on us?
How long will we endure your fatal activities?

You chose only the ambition of development,
In your greed, you never listened to our pain,
You have no qualms in going against nature,
Aren't you worried about the adverse effects?

How toxic have you made the atmosphere?
Rising temperatures have raised extreme dangers,
Don't you remorse your deeds even a little,
Why don't you stop your dangerous activities?

Can't you see the rising sea levels?
Think quickly, don't turn your heart into stone,
Climate cycle is constantly getting disturbed,
Countless disasters will come, life will be destroyed.

We are breaking apart and melting, save our icebergs,
Aquatic creatures will become extinct, you will yearn for water,
Control excessive amount of carbon dioxide emissions,
Stop harmful activities, otherwise you will invite a massive catastrophe.

© Deepti Shakya, India 
All Copyrights Reserved.

HOW MUCH I ADORE YOU 

How do I express how much I adore you?
O my beloved, believe me my love is true.

I can't bring the stars and the moon for you,
But together we can see the starry night view,
Your name is printed on the walls of my heart,
Now you have become my life's precious part. 

How do I express how much I adore you?
O my beloved, believe me my love is true.

I can't show you many false rainbow dreams,
In my eye's ocean, you can see surging love streams.
Ask these winds what is hidden in my silence,
My soul yearns so much in your absence.

How do I express how much I adore you?
O my beloved, believe me my love is true.

I can't make many spurious promises to you,
But I'll try to paint your life with golden hue.
For once, listen to my heartbeat's sweetest call,
Life without you feels like an endless downfall.

How do I express how much I adore you?
O my beloved, believe me my love is true.

© Deepti Shakya, India 
All Copyrights Reserved.

Biography: 
Deepti Shakya hails from Uttar Pradesh, India. She is an internationally acclaimed award winning Bilingual Poetess, Artist, and Certified Reiki Grand Master Healer. She writes poems in English and Hindi languages. She has contributed to many International and National Anthologies, International magazines, e-newspapers and e-Journals with her poems. She has been awarded with "Rabindranath Tagore Memorial Literary Honour 2022", "Global Poet 2022", "Alexander Pushkin - W.B. Yeats International Literary Award 2022", "DOCTOR HONORIS CAUSA EN LITERATURA LATINOAMERICANA 2022", "Poet De Pride 2022", "The Christmas Literary Honors 2023", "Sparkling Soul Award 2024", "The Poet of Nature Award 2024", "Global Poet 2024", "Sparkling Soul Award 2025", "Global Poet 2025", etc. She won the "First Prize Trophy & Certificate" in the Artathon organized by UBI, a prestigious global platform, on February 15, 2025. Some of her artworks and photography have also been published in international anthologies, e-magazines and Coffee Table books. Her hobbies include cooking, nature photography, painting, knitting, crocheting, soft toys and flower-making.

A New Book by Houssine Yarti

FROM SHADOW TO SPOTLIGHT: The Evolution of Women’s Roles in Cinema Through the Decades

His current work has just been published by Barcelona Literary Publishing as part of a series on cinema by Houssine Yarti.

FROM SHADOW TO SPOTLIGHT: The Evolution of Women’s Roles in Cinema Through the Decades, the book becomes the third in a procession which began with the CRAFTING OF THE IMPOSSIBLE: A Journey through Visual Effects, which dealt with the influence of technology on the movie making process, and then VIEWFINDER: In the World of Global Cinema, where Yarti made comparisons of the experiences of cinema in America, Europe, the Arab world, Korea and India. This new version places women in the middle of its attention, and it follows the significant changes which the silver screen has undergone during its existence.

Yarti examines the display of women in early films as limited to the stereotypical or supporting role, in many cases connected to the narrow, traditional or sentimentalism of representation, and the path to more complicated and deep images has taken a long.

The book features classic Hollywood films, the European waves of cinema and even Arab and Asian cinema in that the image of women on the screen was in interaction with the social, political and cultural transformation of each period.

The book does not treat cinema as a separate art but as a living document of the society dealing with women: at other moments a mirror that represents a current reality, at other moments a moving force that creates the existing reality. In this regard, the author offers a critical standpoint which sees cinema as a larger cultural trend that covers more than the screen.

Yarti emphasizes that it is not an individual book, but a part of a bigger project, which attempts to treat the issue of cinema as a form of cultural phenomenon that intersects with technology, politics, identity, and collective memory. He also discloses that a second book is also in the pipeline that will be published in 2026, which once again provides support to the continuation of this grand research project.

Ultimately, the author thanks Barcelona Literaria Publishing that has always supported him, his family, friends, and readers and states that every book he presents to them is not just another printed piece of work but it is the experience of shadows and light, of knowledge and passion, of arts, and life.

Available on:

Amazon EN: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FHBBZ4G6

Amazon ES: https://www.amazon.es/dp/B0FHBBZ4G6

Amazon FR: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B0FHBBZ4G6

Amazon IT: https://www.amazon.it/dp/B0FHBBZ4G6

Amazon JP: https://www.amazon.jp/dp/B0FHBBZ4G6

ANGELA KOSTA WINS MULTIPLE AWARDS

ANGELA KOSTA WINS MULTIPLE PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS IN ITALY AND IS APPOINTED HEAD OF PRESS OFFICE OF THE TIBERINA ACADEMY AND THE "WOMEN'S CHAIR" ASSOCIATION REGISTERED WITH THE UNITED NATIONS

Angela Kosta, now well-known in the global literary landscape, has been declared winner in several prestigious international literary competitions held in Italy. In addition, she received the honorary appointment as Head of the Press Office of the Tiberina Academy and the Women’s Chair Association, registered with the United Nations.

GRAND JURY PRIZE – 31st EDITION OF THE NATIONAL AWARD FOR UNPUBLISHED POETRY "OSSI DI SEPPIA"

– On March 1, 2025, in the Municipality of Taggia, Province of Imperia, the 31st edition of the National Award for Unpublished Poetry "Ossi di Seppia" took place. The President of the Award, Municipal Culture Councillor Dr. Chiara Cerri, and the Secretary of the Award, Lamberto Garzia, declared Angela Kosta the winner of the Grand Jury Prize – Section A with the poem: "Resilience".

HONORARY AWARD – 4th EDITION “THE MAGIC OF WORDS”

– On September 14, 2025, in Bonate Sotto (Bergamo), the "International Artistic Literary Movement Group" Association, chaired by Dr. Anna Maria Lombardi, organized the event: Magia Delle Parole- Quello che non dissi mai - The Magic of Words - "What I Never Said", 4th Edition. Angela Kosta was awarded the Extra Competition Tribute Award for her commitment as a Translator and Cultural Promoter on an international level. She also received a medal and an Honorable Mention for the poem "Sculpted Symphony", in memory of the tragedy of the Albanians who disappeared in the Otranto Channel on March 28, 1997.

The event was held under the patronage of the Lombardy Region, Province of Bergamo, Municipality of Bonate Sotto, etc.

Nearly three intense hours were spent in the company of the authors' wonderful verses, in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

In addition to the President, Cav. Dr. Anna Maria Lombardi, the Vice President Dr. Maria Pellino, Mayor Carlo Previtali, and Culture Councillor Mattia Liga were also present. Many participants were awarded, some multiple times, with over 150 attendees from all over Italy, as well as from Kosovo, Albania, France, Germany, Yugoslavia, Romania, and more. During the event, Dr. Chiara Medolago and Carlo Zanutto also gave speeches.

GRAND JURY PRIZE – "IL MELETO DI GUIDO GOZZANO"

– On September 15, 2025, at the prestigious Villa of Guido Gozzano in Agliè (Turin), during the 15th Edition of the contest "Il Meleto di Guido Gozzano", chaired by Lidia Chiarelli, in the category: Foreign Language Authors, Angela Kosta was proclaimed winner of the Grand Jury Prize with her unpublished poem: "The Torment of the Earth."

HONORARY APPOINTMENT: HEAD OF PRESS OFFICE OF THE TIBERINA ACADEMY AND THE “WOMEN’S CHAIR” ASSOCIATION

The Board of Directors of the Tiberina Academy, in the name of its President Cav. Dr. Franco Antonio Pinardi and the Director of the "Cattedra Delle Donne - Women’s Chair", Dr. Antonietta Micali, with the President Dr. Renato Ongania, unanimously resolved to confer upon Angela Kosta the honorary title of Head of the Press Office of the Tiberina Academy and the Women’s Chair (registered with the United Nations).

This honorary role represents an official recognition of Kosta’s valuable contribution and her prominent role within the institutional and communication context.

A MESSAGE OF LOVE AND HOPE TO THE WORLD - LEE HEE KUK

[Lee Hee Kuk]

[Angela Kosta]

It is a great honor for me to write a congratulatory message on the publication of the Korean translation of Perla d’Amore (Pearl of Love), the poetry collection of the esteemed poet Angela Kosta. Born in Elbasan, Albania, the poet has lived in Italy since 1995. Over the past thirty years, she has published twenty-eight volumes of poetry, novels, and fairy tales, many of which have been translated into various languages. Her works have been introduced to the world through translations into more than forty languages, appearing in literary journals and newspapers across Europe, the United States, Asia, and Africa. In 2023, she was honored as “Best Translator” by OBELISK, a literary magazine in Tirana, for her outstanding translation of Nobel Prize laureate Giosuè Alessandro Giuseppe Carducci.

Confronting the pain of wars and conflicts—both in her homeland and around the globe—along with the urgent crises of climate change and environmental destruction that threaten humanity’s future, she has consistently called for fundamental change through her writings. Her works resonate as messages of hope delivered to the world. With a spirit of sharing that seeks to benefit humanity, she has devoted herself to translating and disseminating the works of outstanding poets from around the globe. She has also actively collaborated with international media outlets in the United States, Germany, Bangladesh, Türkiye, Tajikistan, and beyond, thereby contributing greatly to global literary exchange.

Her tireless efforts—which include translating and presenting the works of more than 170 distinguished writers, including my own, as well as actively introducing over 600 poets and 85 artists in domestic and international literary platforms—constitute a shining journey. Through these noble endeavors, she has advanced the development of world literature, fostered mutual understanding and respect, and deepened the spirit of sharing. For this, I extend my enduring gratitude, admiration, and respect.

Finally, I earnestly pray that Albania, the poet’s homeland, which has long groaned under the pain of conflict, will soon cast off its darkness and, like a rising sun, be reborn as a land of prosperity and blessing under a bright and majestic sky.

By: LEE HEE KUK 

Senior Vice President of Korean Association of World Literature

Ashraf Aboul-Yazid: His Life and Works

Ashraf Aboul-Yazid is a novelist, poet, traveler, journalist, and author of literature for young readers as well as travel writing. He has worked in cultural journalism for more than three decades and was named Cultural Personality of the Year in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation (2012). He received the Manhae Grand Prize in Literature in 2014 (South Korea), won the Arab Journalism Award for Culture in 2015 (United Arab Emirates), and was awarded the Gold Medal at the Eurasian Literary Festival in Istanbul (2021).

He currently serves as Secretary-General of the Congress of African Journalists (CAJ), is a member of the Egyptian Writers’ Union, editor-in-chief of the Silk Road Literature Series and Silk Road Today platform, and coordinator of the World Poetry Movement (WPM) in Egypt. He was President of the Asia Journalists’ Association (2016–2024) and editor-in-chief of the Arabic edition of AsiaN (Asia News Network), 2012–2024.

Aboul-Yazid has authored and translated 44 books spanning fiction, poetry, travel literature, biography, translation, and children’s literature. His works have been translated into English, German, Spanish, Turkish, Korean, Persian, Sindhi, Serbian, Russian, Azerbaijani, and Malayalam (Kerala, India).

He began his journalistic career while still in secondary school at Al-Qalyubia, a semi-monthly newspaper then edited by journalists Mohamed Zaazaa and Mohamed Al-Attar. He later joined the editorial team of Al-Manar, a monthly cultural magazine under the editorship of Dr. Amir Iskandar, as an editor and translator. Afterward, he moved to Saudi Arabia to teach English (1991), then to Oman as a translator, editor, and art director for Nizwa magazine (1992). Returning briefly to Egypt, he worked as a cultural editor for Reuters News Agency in Cairo (2000), and as managing editor of Adab wa Naqd magazine (2001), before joining Al-Arabi magazine in Kuwait as senior editor (2002–2016).

Following his tenure at Al-Arabi, he moved to South Korea where he was elected President of the Asia Journalists’ Association and became responsible for the Arabic section of its online platform (AsiaN) and print magazine (Magazine N).

During his years at Al-Arabi, Aboul-Yazid also created, presented, and directed his own cultural television program titled “The Other”, aired on Al-Arabi TV in Kuwait. The first season was broadcast daily during Ramadan, while the second season aired on Kuwait’s First Channel. The program featured leading intellectuals, writers, artists, media figures, and diplomats, primarily from beyond the Arab world or from those building bridges across cultures. His choice of title reflected his vision of dialogue as a means of discovery and cultural exchange.

His creative roots—nourished by reading and writing, painting and travel—shaped his multidimensional literary career. Aboul-Yazid’s earliest award came in 1989, when one of his vernacular poems was selected among the top ten entries in a British Council poetry competition in Cairo. Later, he was honored in Bisceglie, Italy, for his poetry at the Mediterranean Peoples Festival (2004). Dubai Cultural Magazine honored him twice, as both poet and journalist (2009 and 2013). Tatarstan recognized him twice: first by naming him Cultural Personality of the Year (2012), and later through the Writers’ Union for his translations of Abdullah Tukay’s works (2013). Other distinctions include the Naguib Mahfouz Shield for Creativity from the Egyptian Embassy in Kuwait (2014), the Arab Media Forum Award in Kuwait (2015), the Patron of Culture Medal from the African Writers’ Union in Ibadan, Nigeria (2022), the Ambassador of Culture Medal and Sultan Baybars Medal from the Commonwealth Cultural Foundation, Kazakhstan (2023 and 2024), and the World Writers’ Organization Medal in Abuja, Nigeria, for his contributions to translation (2024).

He was also awarded the Sawiris Prize for Children’s Literature in Cairo (2023) for his novel My Cat Writes a Book, granted honorary membership by the Egyptian-Korean Development Association in Seoul (2024), and was named Africa’s Poet of the Year at the Silk Road International Forum in Dubai (2025).

Works of Ashraf Aboul-Yazid

Novels

• Shamawes, Ain Publishing House, Cairo, 2008

• Backyard Garden, Mashariq Publishing & Distribution, Cairo, 2011

• 31, Mashariq Publishing & Distribution, Cairo, 2011

• Al-Turjuman (The Interpreter), Bettana, Cairo, 2017

Poetry Collections

• Whisper of the Sea, Private Edition, Cairo, 1989

• Shells, Private Edition, Cairo, 1996

• Memory of Silence, Al-Jadeed, Beirut, 2000

• On the Path of Death, Kaf Noon, Cairo, 2001

• Memory of Butterflies, Gharib Library, Cairo, 2005

• Poems, Silk Road Literature Series, Al-Nasher Publishing, Cairo, 2024

Travel Literature

• Biography of a Traveler, Heaven Publishing, Cairo, 2008

• A River on a Journey, Kitab Al-Arabi Series, Kuwait, 2015

• Caravan of Moroccan Tales, Al-Mutawassit Publications, Milan / Rihlat Al-Afaq, Abu Dhabi, 2017

• Damascene Days, Khutut wa Zilal Publishing, Amman, 2021

Translations (from English into Arabic)

• Me and Surrealism: The Secret Confessions of Salvador Dalí, Dubai Cultural Book Series, Dubai, July 2010

• Ten Thousand Lives, by Korean poet Ko Un, Dubai Cultural Book Series, Dubai, 2012

• The Far Off Saint, by Korean poet Cho Oh-Hyun, Al-Ghasham Publishing & Translation, Muscat, Oman, 2013

• A Depressingly Monotonous Landscape, by Indian poet Hemant Divate, Silk Road Literature Series, Mashariq Publishing, Cairo, 2016

• Riding a Cloud to Search for You, by Korean poet Manhae, Silk Road Literature Series, Mashariq Publishing, Cairo, 2019

• The Grace of Stem Cells, by Dr. Jeong Chan Ra, Bettana, Cairo, 2019

• Four Poets on the Silk Road, by Konstantin Kedrov, Margarita Al, Sergei Biryukov, and Ashraf Aboul-Yazid, Cairo, 2022

• Four Hakka Poets from Taiwan, by Wu Chin-Fa, Chang Fang-Tzu, Tu Pan-Fang-Chi, and Tseng Kuei-Hai, Silk Road Literature Series, Al-Nasher Publishing, Cairo, 2023

• They are the Daughters of Siraya, by Miao-Yi Tu, Silk Road Literature Series, Al-Nasher Publishing, Cairo, 2023

• The Sixth Floor and Other Stories (Stories from Azerbaijan), by Meykhosh Abdullah, Silk Road Literature Series, Al-Nasher Publishing, Cairo, 2024

Children’s Literature

• Children from My Arab Homeland (poetry), Al-Arabi Al-Saghir Book Series, No. 170, Kuwait, November 2006

• The Story of a 5000-Year-Old Artist (History of Egyptian Art), National Center for Child Culture, Supreme Council of Culture, Cairo, 2006

• Korean Tales (translated folktales), Al-Arabi Al-Saghir Book Series, No. 188, Kuwait, May 2008

• Arab Travelers (biographies of travelers), Al-Arabi Al-Saghir Book Series, No. 196, Kuwait, January 2009

• Shurali: The Tale of the Woodcutter and the Wicked Spirit of the Forest, translated epic by Tatar poet Abdullah Tukay, Al-Arabi Al-Saghir Book Series, No. 210, Kuwait, March 2010

• An Underwater Postman (a poetic story), Al-Arabi Al-Saghir Book Series, No. 218, Kuwait, November 2010

• The Goat and the Lamb, translated epic by Abdullah Tukay, Al-Arabi Al-Saghir Book Series, Kuwait, 2013

• My Cat Writes a Book, Shagara Publishing, Cairo, 2020

o Nominated for the Sheikh Zayed Book Award (Young Adult Literature), 2020

o Winner of the Sawiris Prize for Children’s Literature, 2023

• My Father is a Mapmaker, Young Adult Fiction, Bayt Al-Hikma, Cairo, 2025

Studies and Biographies

• Biography of Color: Studies in Contemporary Fine Art, Egyptian General Book Authority, Cairo, 2003

• Memoirs of a Traveler: Sheikh al-Azhar Mustafa Abdel-Razek’s Journey to Europe (Critical Edition), Rihlat Al-Afaq Series, Abu Dhabi, 2008

• Sheikh Mustafa Abdel-Razek Traveling and Residing (Critical Edition), Ain Publishing, Cairo, 2009

• Youth’s Folly (Critical Edition of Al-Shabab newspaper by Bayram al-Tunsi), Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, 2008

• The Silk Road: An Illustrated Cultural Encyclopedia, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, 2013

• Women’s Noon… The River of Art (Biographies), Hilal Book Series, 2013

• Naguib Mahfouz: The Narrator and the Painter, Egyptian General Book Authority, Cairo, 2018 (Translated into English and Serbian)

Professional Career

• Member, Egyptian Writers’ Union

• Vice-President, African Writers’ Union, representing North Africa (2025)

• Secretary-General, Congress of African Journalists (since 2024)

• Editor-in-Chief, Silk Road Literature Series, Cairo (since 2016)

• President, Asia Journalists’ Association, South Korea (2016–2024)

• Editor-in-Chief, AsiaN Arabic (2012–2024)

• Senior Editor, Al-Arabi magazine (2002–2016)

• Cultural Correspondent, Reuters News Agency, Cairo (2001–2002)

• Managing Editor and Art Director, Adab wa Naqd magazine, Cairo (2001–2002)

• Managing Editor and Art Director, Nizwa magazine, Muscat (1998–2001)

• Editor & Translator, Arab Agency, Muscat (1992–1998)

• Editor & Translator, Al-Manar magazine, Cairo (1990–1991)

Awards and Honors

• Cultural Personality of the Year, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation, 2012

• Manhae Prize in Literature (South Korea), 2014

• Arab Journalism Award in Culture (UAE), 2015

• Naguib Mahfouz Creativity Shield, Egyptian Embassy, Kuwait, 2015

• Jury Member, Costa Rica International Song Festival, 2018

• Jury Member, Kazan International Muslim Film Festival, Republic of Tatarstan, 2021

• Coordinator, World Poetry Movement (Egypt), 2021

• Medal of Popular Culture, Egypt, 2021

• Gold Medal, Eurasian Literary Festival, Istanbul, 2021

• Medal of Best Patrons of Literature, African Writers’ Union, Ibadan, Nigeria, 2022

• Gold Medal, International Elite of People’s Diplomacy, Kazakhstan, 2023

• Sawiris Prize for Children’s Literature (My Cat Writes a Book), Cairo, 2023

• Poet of the Year (Africa), Silk Road International Forum, Dubai, 2025

(PREPARED BY MARIA TERESA LIUZZO FROM ITALY)