The Cyphers Award is offered to the Syrian poet Maram Al-Masri, to whom this number of Cyphers pays a special tribute. Maram al-Masri writes in Arabic and French; her work explores the agony and the adventure of exile and the sharp edges of the female condition in an especially humane and piercing voice. 

From time to time, CYPHERS offers an award with a modest cash value, in particular recognition of a poet’s contribution to international literature. This gesture of appreciation is funded by friends of the magazine who wish to remain anonymous.