EA
Emad Aysha Author, Researcher
about me & arab sf
Books, stories, translations
Articles
Journalism
Forums & Conventions
In the News
Social Media
This is the logo for The Egyptian Society for Science Fiction. The founder and director of the group, an NGO established in 2012, is Dr. Hosam Elzembely. The designer of the logo is Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi, a YA SFF author, translator and graphic artist. (I was the one who introduced him to the ESSF).
About Me & Arab SF
From Academia to art
My proper name is Emad El-Din Aysha, born in the UK to Arab parents in 1974. I always saw myself as a teacher while growing up and my love of knowledge lead me to my PhD in 2001. in International Studies from the University in Sheffield. I hadn't lived my whole childhood in England however so my academic career really began in Egypt as an adjunct assistant professor at the American University in Cairo, and also the British University in Egypt and Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development, teaching everything from sociology to development economics to international law to scientific thinking, entrepreneurship and Arab history. Not to forget pursuing a journalism career along the side, from 2003, to help make ends meet.
Adjunct just means 'part-time'. Then the academic market dried up in 2015 so I switched to my lifelong passion, science fiction, and began write flash then short fiction and getting into the business of translating SF from Arabic to English, which brought me to the Egyptian Society for Science Fiction (ESSF) in 2016. After my first published anthology in 2020, I was able to join the Egyptian Writers' Union, on an affiliate basis, and by then we'd landed a non-fiction deal in the ESSF with McFarland for our first ever English-text, which I co-authored and co-edited. My journalist work has come in handy too, allowing me to popularize Arab SF through reviews ad interviews and roundtable discussions, while my academic background got me slots at international conventions and forums about SF. So its been on the up since then. thanks heavens for unemployment!
Books, stories, translations
fiction and non-fiction
Malaz: City of Resurrection, by Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi
I have a number of novels that I've translated but this is the one I'm most proud of, an Egyptian post-apoc steampunk novel by an author who can rival Kevin Costner and Mel Gibson
Arab and Muslim Science Fiction: Critical Essays, edited by Hosam Elzembely and Emad Aysha
Co-authored and co-edited by yours truly, I have two chapters in a book with 45 chapters, 43 contributors and from 29 countries; from MENA and beyond.
The Digital Hydra and Other Stories, translated to Arabic with reviews essays
Sadly I write and think predominantly in English so I had to get my friends to translate these for me, but I think I hit the mark here with Arab-themed cyberpunk, time-travel and children's stories.
Anthologies that I've contributed to include Palestine+100, The Worlds of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Volume IV, and Gaia Awakens. As for other novels I've translated (not all SF): I'm Just Like You, The Curse of Sobek, The Story of Her Majesty, Message to Earth. For online short stories please see "A Detour in Space", "Code of Conduct", "Ramadan Tidings", "The Revolving Door", "Demigods in Time", "Vitamin for the Soul", "A Frog Pond in Time", "Paid to Remember".
Journalism
Currently I write for The Liberum (formerly The Levant), an online Lebanese newspaper published in English, originally founded by Dr. Haytham Mouzahem and currently owned by Arthur Blok. We cover the whole MENA region as well as global news and topics of interest such as sustainability, literature and online entrepreneurship. My duties include movie and book reviews and interviews of authors and academics.
Previously I'd worked for The Egyptian Gazette, Egyptian Mail, C-Magazine, Mada Masr, Cairo Scene, and Daily News Egypt. But honestly, I've only ever felt a home at The Levant!
My benefactor Mr Arthur Blok, executive editor-in-chief
Academic contributions
- “WORLDS TO CONSUME – A Dialogue on the Value and Place of Food in Building Sci-Fi Worlds”, Beladi, 6 July 2021,
- “The Story of Egyptian Science Fiction… and my Late Night Contribution!”, UtopIQa, April 2021,
- “Egypt as a Test Case for Gender in Arabic Science Fiction”, SFRA Review, Vol. 51, No. 1, Winter 2021
- “In Conversation: Passing the Baton of Egyptian Science Fiction, Post-Arab Spring”, Vector, British Science Fiction Association, 24 August 2019
- “Trouble in La La Land: Arab Utopian Science Fiction in Comparative Perspective”, MOSF Journal of Science Fiction, 3(3), 21/12/2019
- “MULOSIGE Syllabus: Science, Literature and Development in the MENA Region”, a syllabus compiled by Emad El-Din Aysha, Zahra Jannessari-Ladani and Jörg Matthias Determann
- “In protest: the sci-fi contribution to Arabic resistance literature”, Monthly Review online, posted 26 June 2019
- “SF in Iran”, an interview of Farzin Souri, Strange Horizons, 9 February 2019
- "A GERMAN WITH A PULSE ON ARAB’S SCIENTIFIC FUTURE!”, Eksentrika, 18 July 2018
- “Crossing the Threshold of Egyptian Science Fiction: The Half-Humans, where Star Wars meets Sindbad’s Seven Journeys”, Islam and Science Fiction, 19 March 2018
- “Media Reviews – Star Trek Beyond”, Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA) Review, 319, Winter 2017
Newspaper items
The list would go on forever. Best bet is to check out my sci-fi corner on the recently launched Liberum, which also has all my old articles
from The Levant. For a catalogue of my older exploits see my Journalism section on Academia.edu, especially my Egyptian Mail and Gazette work. See also my contributions to Daily News Egypt. Mada Masr and Cairo Scene are sadly down and C-Magazine and Egypt Oil & Gas don't have author pages.
Extra contributions
I have SF-related essays in these books - Out of this World: Science Fiction in Translation From the Cold War to the New Millennium, by Rachel S. Cordasco, and Behind the Plots, edited by JD Russell. I'm also a regular contributor to Islam Sci-Fi, Arablit.org and Eksentrica.
Forums & Conventions
That may not look like me but it's definitely me. I popped up in the discussion with my friend Ahmed - “Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Futurism in Arabic Literature: A Conversation with Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi”. see the Youtube link please.
Without bragging, participated in grand total of 9 sessions, one as a moderator, and two were about me. For a total list please see my program guide page.
Moderated two sessions - "Mysticism in Science Fiction" and “Restoration as a Theme in Contemporary Egyptian Science Fiction”
Islamic Perspectives on Exotheology
made one presentation at this online conference, “Exotheology in Contemporary Egyptian Science Fiction – A Comparative Appraisal”
Made a joint presentation with Rebecca Hankins surveying Arab, Muslim and Afrofuturist SFF, covering over joint features and cumulative impact on global SFF
was on on four panels, “1001 Years Later: What’s Up with Arabian Fiction” (as Moderator), “Lost (or Gained) in Translation?”, “Sufi, Arabic, and Italian SF” (as Moderator), “Unsolved Historical Mysteries”
Participated in the Experimental Writing Panel
Was in one panel - “The Many Flavors of Worldbuilding: Food in SFF”
Mentions
“A Detour in Space” listed in Utopian Literature in English: An Annotated Bibliography From 1516 to the Present
Ahmed Salah Al-Mahdi
The Preface to the English edition of Reem: Into the Unknown was written by me
For this reader, the overlay of Arab culture onto the Israeli project, was the part of the book I found most uplifting.
The writings of Dr. Aysha bring together two key elements… scientific theory, such ideas as traveling through space and colonizing other planets, or travel through time to ancient civilizations, cyberpunk, robotics and other issues. … his knowledge of history and its details, particularly Arab and Islamic history
Interviews
A comprehensive overview of my McFarland book published with Arablit.org
A blog article conversation on SF with Dr. Layla Azmi Goushey
Al-Masaa Al-Arabi
An interview in Arabic about yours truly with an Egyptian newspaper
Darius Luca Hupov
An interview by the editor of Galaxy 42, published by Islam News
Mohamed Nazreen Shahul Hamid
An interview with Dewan Sastera, Malaysia
in the (online) news
Reviews
Layla Azmi Goushey
A review of my short novella "Lambs of the Desert"
SFF Reviews on my Palestine+100 story "Digital Nation"
Hadani Ditmars
Middle East Institute on my Palestine+100 story "Digital Nation"
Layla Azmi Goushey
On my Palestine+100 story "Digital Nation", published in The Levant
Layla AlAmmar
Commentary on Palestine+100 in addition to my story "Digital Nation", MOSF Journal
social media
I'm afraid I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to social media. I grew up when fax machines were a big deal. And this coming from me, a sci-fi enthusiast!
Facebook (this includes the ASIAN & AFRICAN SCI-FI, Escatopia
and the ESSF facebook pages), Twitter, Instagram
Another way to reach me are through these two platforms which also contain biographical information about me and source material/publications:
Academia.edu, Linkedin
Last but not least some author pages for your discretion. Not as extensive but useful nonetheless:
Amazon, Islam Sci-Fi, Goodreads, ESSF Wikipedia page,