Ceasefire! Spring and the Rebirth of Love

Dear Reader,

“Spring is our proof that radical, revolutionary change is possible, and very quickly.”

This comes from my opening remarks at a “Poetry for Palestine” event, two nights before New Years’ Eve:

“I invite you to look at Spring.

Trees lay bare for what seems like forever,
then buds sprout,
and again it seems like forever,
but you wake up one morning and you see flowers of every color,
and the next week it’s green all over, and bird-songs fill the air.

Yet it happens in the most gentle way:
each leaf opens up on its own,
but synchronized –
Collectively!”

Whereas the news of a ceasefire brings hope, Gaza's road to recovery and rebuilding is long. A little over a year ago, Gaza was a thriving city where a million children lived and played and went to school. Now, it’s little more than rubble. The orphans and child amputees, who number in the tens of thousands, will carry their scars for the rest of their lives. The psychological trauma all children experienced will linger for decades, if not generations.

It is important that we keep the movement that has gathered around the cause of justice coalesced and growing. The ceasefire is only the beginning of recovery, and the struggle for freedom and justice continues.

I am honored to have recited a few of my poems at three recent sold-out shows: Poetry for Palestine, Turathna, and Buteekh Open Mic. I share two videos and links to photos from each event. It was heartening to see 80-100 people attend each (and different crowds, too) – a sign of the broad support and growing collective action.

May 2025 bring you happiness and deliver peace and relief to the world. Enjoy the three additional photo tours from the Bethlehem area. You do not want to miss the letter I share at the end from a friend in Gaza.

Thank you for your support throughout the incredibly difficult past year.

With love,
Ramsey Hanhan

EVENTS

Poetry For Palestine

Organized by Howard County for a Free Palestine

Read Photo Story

Turathna

"A night of culture and resistance" organized by the Palestine Youth Movement and the PSL (DC) to raise funds for Middle East Children’s Alliance

View Photo Story

Playbill for the Open Mic organized by Buteekh and held at the Palestine House of Freedom to raise funds for Know Thy Heritage

PHOTO ESSAYS

***How to read my Medium posts without a paid membership.***

BONUS

A LETTER FROM GAZA

“Do not stop celebrating. Celebrate for yourselves, but also for us. Remember us, for we too once celebrated. We had beautiful moments. Please, remember.”

Read Letter

Ramsey Hanhan is a Palestinian American author and public speaker. He is author of an autobiographical novel, Fugitive Dreams, and his short stories and poetry appear in The Harvard Advocate, Fikra magazine, and elsewhere. Ramsey was formerly a physics professor noted for his computer models that describe and predict complexity in nature. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and resides in Maryland.

Fugitive Dreams. “Tell me more about the Israelis,” whispers five-year-old Ksenya to her dad on a visit to her grandparents in Palestine. Sameer immediately feels a weight descend upon his shoulders. How to tell her the truth without “its bloodied shadow staining the course of her life?” Join Sameer on a personal journey through the last five decades of the Palestinian experience.

https://fugitivedreams.us

Available to talk about Palestine and books.

PO Box 374, Simpsonville, MD 21150
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Ramsey Hanhan

Ceasefire! Spring and the Rebirth of Love