The Markaz Review

What The Markaz Review does

The Markaz Review is a nonprofit literary and cultural publication founded in May 2020, focused on Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) literature, arts, and culture. It operates as a dual-headquartered entity with editorial presence in Los Angeles, USA and Montpellier, France, and is registered as a French nonprofit association (SIREN #90191821900022); its US-side activities run through MPV as fiscal sponsor. The publication serves SWANA writers, translators, and the global diaspora reading public, with editorial output delivered in English, Arabic, and French.

Core products include a bimonthly literary magazine featuring fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and essays from SWANA voices (current issue: TMR 60, the Hawar / Kurdish Issue), a weekly newsletter, multilingual book clubs, the Markaz Prize for creative writing, an online store, a media library, and an author directory. Branded anthologies such as "Stories from the Center of the World" (with City Lights Books) and "Sumud: A New Palestinian Reader" extend the editorial brand into print distribution.

The business model is donation-based with no paywall and no disclosed subscription or advertising line. Operating capital is sourced from grants by Open Society Foundations, Hawthornden Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Barjeel Art Foundation, Anna Lindh Foundation, and MPV fiscal sponsorship, supplemented by bookstore and membership partnerships (CLMP, City Lights Books, Saqi Books). The organization runs on a small team of 1-10 employees under editorial leadership including Editor-in-Chief Lina Mounzer (appointed June 2026), Publisher/Editor-at-Large Jordan Elgrably, Managing Editor Lara Vergnaud, Executive Editor Rana Asfour, and Arabic Editor Mohammad Rabie.

Name

The Markaz Review

Legal name

The Markaz Review

Website

https://themarkaz.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Markaz Review is a nonprofit literary publication founded in May 2020 that curates SWANA literature and culture in English, Arabic, and French, serving global diaspora writers, translators, and readers through a bimonthly magazine, newsletter, book clubs, prize, and anthologies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Literary Publishing

akta.pro primary industry

Research Monographs & University Press Publishing (MPAJABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Conference Proceedings & Research Reports Publishing (EDAGAFAL)

Keywords

• Literary magazine
• SWANA literature
• Cultural criticism
• Themed issues
• Nonprofit publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Montpellier

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Support: Tax-deductible contributions from individual readers and supporters. The organization accepts donations via PayPal and check payments. U.S. supporters can donate through MPV (Media Alliance) with TMR in the memo line. European and MENA supporters can donate by check to The Markaz, a French nonprofit association.

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

No substantive source content was provided in the input. The Markaz Review is referenced as a literary publication; a detailed description of its offerings cannot be extracted without supporting source material.

Product overview

The Markaz Review is a bimonthly literary and cultural publication platform offering a portfolio of products including literary publications (fiction, essays, poetry, reviews), a free weekly newsletter, an author/artist directory, book club offerings, a store, media library, events, and the Markaz Prize. The core offering is the bimonthly magazine published in English with multilingual content (Arabic, French), featuring current issues like TMR 60: Hawar on Kurdish culture. The platform serves as a vehicle for SWANA (Southwest Asia and North Africa) voices, underrepresented in global media.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Published landmark anthology 'Stories from the Center of the World' on 5th anniversary
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CLMPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity of Literary Magazines and Presses - featured in CLMP member spotlight, June 2023.
• City Lights BooksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublished 'Stories from the Center of the World' anthology through City Lights, a landmark 5th anniversary publication.
• Saqi BooksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublished 'Woman Life Freedom' press release through Saqi Books.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Granta: Leading literary magazine known for themed issues on places and ideas. Comparable in editorial model (themed issues, original writing) but with broader global scope and a print-commercial orientation.
• n+1: Literary and intellectual magazine publishing essays, fiction, and criticism. Comparable to TMR as a nonprofit literary publication engaging cultural and political themes, though with broader Western intellectual focus.
• The Paris Review: Established American literary quarterly publishing fiction, poetry, essays, and interviews. Comparable in format (themed issues, original literature) but with broader non-regional focus and larger institutional reach.

Direct peers

• ArabLit: Online publication covering Arabic literature in translation and the literary scene. Closely comparable to TMR in audience, subject matter, and digital-first, donation-supported operating model.
• Mizna: Journal of Arab/SWANA art, literature, and culture published in the US. Directly comparable as a small nonprofit SWANA-focused literary and arts publication with themed issues and community programming.
• Banipal: Magazine of modern Arab literature in English translation, publishing fiction, poetry, essays, and interviews. Directly comparable to TMR's mission of amplifying SWANA literary voices in translation.
• Guernica: Independent magazine of art and politics publishing essays, fiction, and interviews. Comparable to TMR as a nonprofit, donation-supported literary publication engaging global political and cultural themes.
• The White Review: London-based arts and literature magazine publishing fiction, poetry, essays, and interviews. Comparable to TMR as an independent, themed-issue literary publication with community programming and limited headcount.
• Words Without Borders: Online literary magazine publishing international literature in translation, with explicit focus on underserved regions including the Middle East. Closest direct peer to TMR given shared digital-first, donation-supported, multilingual model and SWANA programming.

Emerging players

• Africa Is a Country: Independent digital publication covering culture, politics, and art from and about the African continent. Comparable to TMR in mission to platform underrepresented regional voices through digital-first, donation-supported journalism.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheMarkazReview
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCDHi86-9a-ejg2l32-T68qQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/themarkaz.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-markaz-review
• Instagraminstagram.com/markazreview

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Markaz Review