Rafeif Ismail is an award-winning emerging multilingual writer and editor based in Boorloo, WA (colonially known as Perth).
Rafeif’s work explores the themes of home, belonging and the so-called ‘Australian’ identity in the 21st century through the lens of a refugee and third culture youth of the Sudanese diaspora. Rafeif’s work has been published in anthologies and literary magazines across Australia and internationally, with a debut novel forthcoming in 2022.
Deeply committed to creating diverse works and spaces, Rafeif is the current managing director of Djed Press, co-editor of Unlimited Futures: Speculative, Visionary Blak+Black Fiction (Fremantle Press & Djed Press, 2021) and a participant in the 2020 AFTRS National Talent Camp (hey Netflix, hire me to write your next big Black sci-fi series or queer Black dramedy!).
Rafeif learned English by reading comic books and relearned her first language (Sudanese Arabic) through poetry. Rafeif saw Black Panther about 28 times in cinema and can stand with the best of them on Doctor Who and Star Trek trivia. Rafeif can be found talking about speculative fiction and other areas of interest on twitter @rafeifismail.
Projects on file
