Democracy Now! Audio Palestinian Writer Tareq Baconi on New Memoir "Fire in Every Direction": Part 2
Nov 6, 2025
In this fascinating discussion, Tareq Baconi, a Palestinian queer writer and analyst, shares insights from his memoir, *Fire in Every Direction*. He explores the challenges of growing up between Amman and Beirut, revealing how personal experiences shaped his identity. Baconi vividly recounts his early love, Ramzi, and the impact of familial acceptance on his journey. He highlights the significance of intergenerational memory, discussing how his grandmother's experiences of displacement influenced his understanding of Palestine and shaped his vision for a more inclusive future.
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Writing To Create Presence
- Tareq Baconi wrote to make space for erased narratives and to “write [his] way into being.”
- He aims to force queer Palestinian experience into public discourse so others can see fuller, complex lives.
The Yellow Box Archive
- A gifted yellow box became Baconi's archive holding Ramzi's letters and his grandmother's diaries that travelled with him globally.
- The letters captured a formative teen correspondence and became the basis for reimagining what he had once felt and written.
A Letter That Ended A Friendship
- Baconi told Ramzi he had developed feelings via a letter; Ramzi's mother found it and he was immediately excised from the family.
- The rupture forced Baconi back into the closet for seven years and shaped his later reflections on identity.
