Trying to Explain What Knafeh Is

Andrew Calis Wins a 2023 Zócalo Poetry Prize Honorable Mention Award

Black and white close up of Andrew Calis facing the camera with a grin.

Andrew Calis (pictured) wins a 2023 Zócalo Poetry Prize honorable mention award for "Trying to Explain What Knafeh Is." Courtesy of Andrew Calis.

Every year, we award the annual Zócalo Poetry Prize to the poem that best evokes a connection to place. Zócalo is pleased to recognize four honorable mention submissions this year, which we will publish over four Fridays in celebration of U.S. National Poetry Month.

Andrew Calis is a Palestinian-American poet, teacher, and father. His work has been published in America, Dappled Things, and Presence, and elsewhere. His poem “Arab Men Don’t Cry, My Father Says” was recently nominated as “Best of the Net.”
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