Taha Muhammad Ali is a revered Palestinian poet whose work is driven by vivid imagination, disarming humor, and unflinching honesty. As a boy, war forced his family into exile, but rather than turning to a protest poetry of black–and–white slogans to convey this loss, he creates art of the highest order. His poems portray experiences ranging from catastrophe to splendor, each preserving an essential human dignity.

So What includes Arabic en face and introductions by co-translators Gabriel Levin and Peter Cole. As Levin notes, "It is hard to think of another Palestinian poet of Muhammad Ali's generation who writes with such intimacy while skillfully modulating between the personal and the public spheres of life."