Ignorance Is Bliss 1
Experts, self help gurus and advice peddlers … they are selling us conflicting things. In the end nobody knows anything. Ignorance is bliss.
I.
Pillars of Light (Book Review) 2
A seriously good novel. Serious because it clearly was well researched down to most meticulous details. Good because it retains the intimacy of what treads through the human heart. Akka or Acre is under siege by the christian crusaders. On one hand you have the residents of the beleaguered city […]
Towards 2016
After drinking a cup of hot chocolate last night, I found this at the bottom of it. I predict a 2016 full of love. I wish you all a year where you find yourself busy doing what you adore, surround by people your heart delights in their company. I hope […]
Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka : Book Review 2
Realizing the clever humor ins The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka allows me to analyze the story in a fresh way.
book review: Heartburn Nora Ephron 7
Heartburn Nora Ephron and mashed potatoes …. a match made for a disaster.
Book Review :: My Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante left me desiring. New shoes I wanted. Forth I sprung like a warrior with a credit card on a mission to find matching footwear for a story. For how could you write a novel that involves shoe making yet not describe the shoes. What […]
Book Review :: Eyrie
Words explode into the air, leaving behind velocity rings worthy of your favorite Pikachu. The force of the acrobatics is contradicted with gentility of the landing. Soft as a feather. Soft is the feather of these words. Soft and cuddly, I want caress the sentences. I reread lines and luxuriate […]
Frankenstein in Baghdad :: Book Review 1
A review of Frankenstein In Baghdad by Ahmad Saadawi and the sad absence of womanly presence in a novel.
North and South :: Book Review
Every once in a while I read something that is so good it makes my heart pound with excitement. I find myself resisting the urge to stand on top of a roof top and yell “This Novel is Amazing, Read it Right Now”. In 2014, I read many good books, […]
The Story of a New Name – Book Review 3
My experience with The Story Of A New Name by Elena Ferrante and hot dog socks.
Top 10 Magical Moments from my Europe Trip 3
During a trip to Switzerland and Italy I curate the most memorable moment in my Europe trip.
Switzerland’s Obsession with Polka dots
I have been in Switzerland for a few weeks and everywhere I look I see polka dots. Let me illustrate with a few examples. A Polka dot park at EPFL in Lausanne Polka dot fountain spotted at Pierre Gianadda Foundation in Martigny. This one moved in circular motion […]
How to Name a Novel 1
After months of agonizing search for the right name for my novel, the answer comes from a most unexpected source. Here is a list of dreadful names that my novel nearly got called: Maladjusted Realism Hyphenated Realism Amalgamated Realism Hyphenated at the Seams Maladjusted at the Seams Same but Different […]
Storytelling and Writing
Long long time ago in the Middle East, before there was TV or Radio, men would go to the coffee shop to listen to the storyteller. These professional storytellers knew how to stretch a tale into multi-evening events that kept their audience captivated night after night. Since Graffiti Hack is […]
Story in the Globe and Mail
On feb 11th I managed to publish a story about the Graffiti Hack writing process in the Globe and Mail You can read the full text here.
Gratitude :: The story behind my book launch party
Since I published Graffiti Hack, incidents of serendipity have been popping up in my life. Things that fall in my lap on their own that had I planned for I would have never attained. Most of these are on the personal side and I can’t reveal too much, but this […]
Graffiti Book Launch Party Video
To all who couldn’t be there physically but were on my mind, I hope this will allow you to share in the experience nevertheless
Graffiti Hack Book Launch Party
You are warmly invited to celebrate the publication of Graffiti Hack: A Novel by Elen Ghulam Join your friends, get your hot-off-the-press copy of the book, nibble on some munchies, and revel in the music of flamenco. Elen Ghulam will be there to sign books, answer questions, offer a short reading […]
Adventures in Video for a Blogger in Love with the Written Word
Dressed in black on white, words on a page dance in my imagination forming elegant shapes. I love movies. I love video games. I love music. I love the visual arts. Yet, nothing can top the intimacy formed when perusing letters congealed into a hidden story of inward reflection. It […]
Best Novels from all around the World
Take a trip around the world by reading a diverse list of novels. Here is my list of best novel from all around the world.
To Lure a Hedgehog 3
To be an Arab living in the west is to be sentenced to a lifetime of caressing a hedgehog. I get pricked by spines of misunderstanding. No matter what I say it gets twisted into an extreme. I shoot a nurf gun, the slightest touch startles , out come the […]
Book of Love :: Music Video
The book of love is long and boring Read from the book of love you must Music and Vocals by Barbara Browning http://soundcloud.com/barbarabrowning Cover of Stephin Merritt’s song by the same name
The Story Behind my Novel 1
In 2003, while the US was bombing Iraq, yet again, my employer sent me to Washington DC to attend a work related conference. The irony of sending an Iraqi to the capital city of the US at that particular time escaped my boss. My state of distress was well disguised […]
Book Review :: Correspondence Artist 1
A novel that wants to make love to the whole world. A novel that reveals its secrets in quiet whispers that will make your ears strain against the page. A novel that has no plot yet tells a story. A novel that repeats the same scenario, over and over, but […]
Increase me in Knowledge 1
“Write what you know” I heard it said before. Hmmmm! …… I disagree. At age 19, I immigrated from the middle-east and found myself in an in-between state. Wet from the all immersive experience of being deeply embedded in a culture; dry as a cracker observing new set of social […]
How to find your soulmate? 3
The search for a soulmate is not always romantic or elegant, but for some reason, in my family, it always involves a book.
I am ready : Inspirational Poems
Sometimes you need a poem to give an extra push for what you are doing. One to add to the list of inspirational poems.
Carnival By Rawi Hage:: A Book Review
The Carnival by Rawi Hage is a story of marginalization. Like a spider’s web – delicate intricate yet forceful in capturing its prey.