Zaher Omareen is a Syrian researcher and writer who has published articles and short stories in the Arab and English press. His short story “First Safety Maneuver” won a prize awarded by the Danish Institute in Damascus and by the 2012 Copenhagen Festival of Literature. Read More He has worked on independent cultural initiatives in Syria and Europe, and co-curated exhibitions on the art of the Syrian uprising. He studied media, journalism, and theatrical and dramatic arts in Damascus, and holds a MA in media and cultural studies from Sussex University. He is a PhD candidate in contemporary documentary cinema and new media at Goldsmiths College, London, and is completing Tales of the Orontes River, a collection of short stories drawn from the collective memories of the 1982 Hama massacre. Zaher recently co-edited and published Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline (Saqi, 2014) which discusses the artistic and culture outcomes of the Syrian uprising.