Joshua Hersh Biography Joshua Hersh is a journalist who has covered the Middle East since 2009. His writing has appeared in the New Yorker, the New Republic, and the Huffington Post, among other publications. See Work ESSAYS The Poet of Atmeh By Joshua Hersh In the throes of Syria’s civil war, one elderly farmer finds a new calling in verse. REPORTING / Fall 2014 The Lessons of Atmeh By Joshua Hersh , Illustrations by Danijel Žeželj In one of the harshest camps for refugees of the Syrian conflict, even the best intentions can backfire.