عزة الوكيل

مصر

Born and lives in Alexandria. Translated some of her modern poems from their original Arabic into English, and was able to reach an English speaking audience.

Published three books:
First book: Untraditional Woman 1999 (امرأة غير تقليدية)
Second book: First Seasons Of Love 2000 (أول فصول الحب)
Third book: The Distance 2022 (In English language)

Wrote her thoughts
In "Sayidaty" Family magazine (مجلة سيدتي)  between 1992 till 1996 in a weekly column named "Words for him" (كلمات إليه)

Published her poems and articles in different Arabic magazines and news papers. Her translated poems were also published in The Poetry Anthology: A Generation Defining Itself "In Our Own Words X", The Black and White Review "Private", in both English and Arabic languages and in several internet websites: Arabesques review, Other Voices Poetry, Poetry Repairs.

Published her writings in several Arabic websites: Nashiri, Al Rabetta, Anhaar,Al Nadawi

Playing piano, reading, painting and watching movies are also her hobbies

The authors' website: https://azzaelwakeel.com/

Goodreads Author Page:

Launched a YouTube Channel in May 2022 where she publishes her poetry in a form of video-poem

E-mail: egyptian_azza@yahoo.com

A Sample of Azza's poetry
translated by the poetess from the Arabic language

Voice Of A Poetess By: Azza El Wakeel

The oriental female has been promised
To be the puppet of a man
Her existence can only be achieved
By being someone's spouse
She's denied and considered incomplete
Unless she's married to a man
Or a semi-man
Live in his shadow in silence
In the orient, girl's tongues
Are circumcised in their childhood
Their voices buried in their throats
Girls in the orient are confiscated from fiction
Dreams exacted from their minds
Women creators in the orient
Are unfortunate, no place for them
Poetesses are ranked as rebellious
Unashamed, stripped from timidity
Outside the path of the herd
Some hidden under covered names
Others gambled by writing in day light
Revealed veils from their faces
Oriental women creators
Are accused of expressing their feelings
Of daring declaring their dreams publicly
Every poetess some men doubt her talent
That there must be a man
Writing or correcting her lines
Every poetess some men question her purity
She must have paid a price
In return of publishing her words
Every poetess some men search
The secret of her inspiration
Is she someone's wife?
Writes only for him?
Or is she playful?
Her words diffuse scent of adventure!
Every poetess in the orient sometimes encounters
Semi-men controlling the publishing world
They invite her to access the world of literature
Through the road of indecency
Ignore her in their offices as an authoress
Welcome her in their beds as a prey
Since she unleashed her fantasies
Didn't bury her pen
She's considered lawful
They're careless about her ideas and writing style
Not interested in the inner music in her texts
But are captured by the idea
Of identifying her underwear
Sneaking to her warm bed sheets
Flirting with the off-springs of her thoughts
In the orient,
When a poetess reveals her feelings
A gallows is erected for her
An investigation is opened
With every love poem she writes
She remains a subject of amusement
Followed by slur and innuendo
And the same question
To whom does she write?