Upcoming re-release of "In My Past Life I was Cleopatra" • Amal Awad

Upcoming re-release of In My Past Life I was Cleopatra

27 November 2025—In the last year, I’ve taken back the rights to my non-fiction books. I decided that I would release them all again – updated and connected by cover art. While each work has a particular focus, they are interconnected. Each book has my own story, experiences and explorations as the central thread. And each book has Palestine in it – a living, breathing world and its people.

I have never shied away from Palestinian narratives in my works. In Beyond Veiled Cliches, we meet Palestinian women fighting for justice. In Fridays with My Folks, we get to know my Palestinian migrant parents, a genuine migrant “success story”, but also examples of how home is a place within us. And In My Past Life I was Cleopatra I interrogate my own spiritual, religious and cultural inheritance as the daughter of Palestinian migrants in Australia.

We tell stories to reflect on life. To make sense of it. To connect. These books remain highly relevant but they are also valuable.

I had no idea that what I was writing was not just a record, but an archive.

I am in love with this beautiful new cover for Cleopatra, by the incredibly talented artist Nourie Flayhan (@nouriflayhan on Instagram).

Stay tuned for the re-release of Cleopatra!

Amal Awad

Amal Awad is a writer, director and performer. She has contributed to such publications as The Guardian, The Sydney Morning Herald, ELLE, Meanjin and Frankie, and has produced and presented for ABC Radio National. Much of her work involves social and cultural commentary, with a particular focus on women’s issues and popular culture.