Lady of the Largest Heart: Remembering Muna Imady
A Damascene Baby Shower (Imbarakeh)
A Damascene Story

Passing down stories from one generation to the next has long been a family tradition in the Arab World. My Syrian grandmother “Tete” not only spun folktales from the dark shadows of the night, but also knitted together memories of the family into wonderful stories. Regardless of how many times they were told by her, they never failed to fascinate us. One favorite of mine was about my father and the notable Christian doctor.
A Damascene Wedding
A Damascene Wedding Shower Amid the War
A Death in the Family
Beirut in a Damascene’s Eyes

As the driver drove down the rocky mountain towards Beirut, a dust storm hung over the city. The driver pointed at it and explained that it was much worse last week, when it had stopped a planned peaceful demonstration in Beirut. I remembered how quiet it was in Damascus when the dust storm covered it with a blanket of yellow dust; no sound of bullets breaking the silence of the night, nor of shells flying over the city
Damascus – February is the Month of Cats: Shbat Shahr Alattat
Poems From Damascus
Reactions and Realities: A Poet’s Perspective, A Visitor’s View

Snow in Damascus

As I stood at my the window watching the big snowflakes falling outside, I remembered how thrilled and excited I felt in the past about snow. Now, ever since the crisis in Syria started, snow no longer fills my heart with happiness. On the contrary, it makes me feel sad for the thousands of Syrian refugees facing the cold in their tents.
The Three Spinners: A Syrian Folktale

I was born in one of the oldest cities in the world to an American mother and a Syrian father who enriched my life and exposed me to different worlds at an early age. Perhaps this helped me become aware of how folk tales reflect in a simple fashion the customs, habits and beliefs of different cultures.
What Will Be, Will Be

Where Were the Shells Fired From?
