“A Day in the Life” with: Toronto-based Writer Hajer Mirwali

January 28, 2026 Emilea Semancik Arts, Literature

Palestinian-Iraqi poet and writer Hajer Mirwali brings a striking blend of vulnerability and power to her work, exploring themes of identity, gender, and surveillance through a distinctly Arab and feminist lens. Based in Toronto, Mirwali’s debut poetry collection, Revolutions (Spring 2025), examines how language and selfhood evolve under systems of watchfulness and control. A lifelong poet with a passion for visual art, she continues to expand her creative practice across mediums — from live performance and visual collaboration to essays and fiction. Off the page, Mirwali finds grounding in nature, spirituality, and the everyday rituals that shape her artistry.

Hajer Mirwali
Reading in front of close friends and family at the Toronto launch of Revolutions. I was very lucky to have the launch funded by Toronto Lit Up. It was held in Junto Studio in Dovercourt Village – such a beautiful space. I did a polyvocal reading with my sisters for this event, and it was so amazing to feel my work come alive through community.
Hajer Mirwali
Photoshoot with my book when I received my first copy. Thankfully, I had just gotten a manicure.
Online launch of Heaven Looks Like Us, an anthology of Palestinian poetry published earlier this year by Haymarket Books. I’m beyond grateful to have two poems in the collection. Haymarket was one of my dream publishers, and it’s unreal to have my work alongside poets I’ve looked up to for so long, like Mahmoud Darwish and Naomi Shihab Nye.
Fall at York University, where I work a 9–5 admin job. That day, however, I was there to do a reading for the Creative Writing program alongside poet Terese Mason Pierre. This was a full-circle moment for me, since I graduated from that program almost ten years ago and used to go to the reading series as a student. Now I’m on the other side — as the writer!
With my mom and sisters at the in-person double launch of Heaven Looks Like Us and The Gate of Memory, another Haymarket anthology on Nikkei incarceration, written by descendants of the WWII prisons and camps. Photo taken by Yumi Numata. The event was held at It’s OK* Studio on Queen West.
Type Books Junction very kindly organized a group reading and Q&A for Revolutions. I love that they included a photo of Mona Hatoum’s + and –, the sculpture my book is about.
Hajer Mirwali
Complementary book cover vibes with Nanci Lee at a reading we did together in Halifax at Venus Envy, a feminist sex shop and bookstore.
Hajer Mirwali
At Javid Jah’s studio in the Junction, collaborating with him on his project for Falasteen360. Pictured is Javid’s sculpture, Anqa, which he exhibited at MuslimFest in Mississauga this summer.

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Which ‘hood are you in?

I lived in North York for the past five years and very recently moved downtown to West Queen West. I’m so excited for a fresh start, and I think this new environment will help nurture my creativity.

What do you do?

I write poetry, and sometimes fiction and essays. My day job, which unfortunately takes up most of my time and energy, is as a Research Manager at York University. In my current writing life, I’m interested in exploring shame, trauma, and repressed memories. I’m going to manifest it here and say my dream is to write a television screenplay about the sex lives and relationships of young Arab women.

What are you currently working on?

I’ve been touring my book, Revolutions, for the past few months and had a reading with fellow Talonbooks authors, Ryan Fitzpatrick and A Jamali Rad, at Flying Books on College St.

I’ve also been working on a very exciting project with the artist Javid Jah for Falasteen360, an immersive exhibition on Palestinian narratives. Javid is reworking one of his existing sculptures, and it will include remixed poems from my book — the art is made and unmade!

I feel really lucky to be able to revisit my work with this new framework. It’s especially meaningful because Revolutions is a response to a sculpture called + and – by Mona Hatoum, and now the poems are in conversation with another sculpture. I love being able to work at the intersection of different art forms.

Recently, I contributed a poem to my good friend and novelist Sheung King’s project, Displaced Nostalgia: Itch, a performance piece in collaboration with the artist JeeMin Kim. They performed at InterAccess as part of the exhibition Edging the Unscratchable Digital Itch.

Where can we find your work?

You can buy Revolutions wherever books are sold — but preferably from my publisher, Talonbooks, or a local bookstore. I post about my upcoming events and projects on Instagram.

 

About Emilea Semancik 262 Articles
Emilea Semancik was born in North Vancouver. Emilea has always always wanted to freelance her own pieces and currently writes for the Vancouver Guardian. She is also a recipe author working towards publishing her own series of recipe books. You can find her recipes on Instagram. @ancestral.foods

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