Ayelet Tsabari is an Israeli-Canadian author of Yemeni descent whose work explores identity, loss, community, and coming of age. The site was commissioned ahead of the publication of Songs for the Brokenhearted, during a period of increased public visibility. As an Israeli author navigating cultural boycotts, clarity and control over her public identity were essential. The site needed to serve general readers and event organizers across North America and EMEA—while remaining usable and maintainable by Ayelet herself.
The issue wasn’t the lack of content – it was structure and agency. The previous site functioned as a static list of works, offering no narrative hierarchy and no practical way to manage updates. A beautiful site that couldn’t be used would have failed. Just as importantly, the site could not become a space for politicized commentary.
The work needed to speak for itself.
Custom WordPress functionality using custom post types allowed Ayelet to manage events and publications without breaking structure or design.
New work leads. Biography appears early. The full archive remains accessible without overwhelm.
English-only reduced complexity without impacting Israeli readership.
Identity is present, but literature leads.
The homepage and events page best express the strategy—surfacing current work and guiding visitors calmly.
Existing photography and book artwork were used intentionally to preserve authorship and pacing.
AI was not used in this project. The work required editorial judgment and cultural sensitivity best handled through a fully human-led process.
Since launch, Songs for the Brokenhearted has received:
The site provided a stable, dignified platform during increased visibility.
This project reinforced the importance of marketing identity without reducing it to politics, and of building systems that support real, ongoing use.
If you’re working at the intersection of identity, visibility, and complexity –
and want help making it legible, I’d love to talk.
