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Ramsey Hanhan

Sensitive and astute expression of grief and resistance to oppression

Published 3 months ago • 3 min read

Dear Reader,

How can we heal? I ask amid the madness enveloping the world.

“No part of the world has been free from trauma. If we cross-reference our histories, we will find that our traumas are all interconnected. Perhaps what is required is a global collective healing.”

Healing begins with recognition of the extent of the trauma we have experienced, or inherited. The quote above is from a recent essay that has received wide acclaim, in which I delve into the inter-generational trauma in my own family. For this week, the editors of Medium selected it to headline their “Staff Picks”, at the top of the main page, visible to all millions of their members. Last week’s pick was signed “Barack Obama”.

I expand on the topic of healing in a recent interview with Furkhan Dandia (Calgary, Alberta) on the EZ Conversations podcast. In sha’ Allah, you will find it an hour well-spent.

I hope that you’re relaxing and enjoying your summer. With the June release of Palestine Bleeds For You, I’ve been running nonstop between events, podcasts, and interviews. I share a gallery of photos from recent events at local independent bookstores that carry my works. I urge you to make your purchases from such outlets that serve their local communities.

The reviews keep coming in. I am most grateful to Kirk Campbell for his review in Mondoweiss, to Sani Meo and the This Week in Palestine staff for picking it for July’s book-of-the-month, and to author and poet Ashok Subramanian for his review. Many thanks of course to Furkhan Dandia for his thoughtful interview.

With love,
Ramsey Hanhan

FEATURED: ‘Hope is a Practice’

Furkhan Dandia interviews Ramsey Hanhan on the EZ Conversations podcast

“We explore the realities of Palestinian life, social media censorship, the importance of sharing stories that are often reduced to headlines, and why hope is not simply a feeling we wait for, but something we consciously choose to practice every day.”

video preview​

NEW REVIEWS

“Sensitive and astute expression of grief and resistance to oppression”

“PBFY is a gem from the heart of a conscientious and indefatigable author-activist. Its poetry is a sensitive and astute expression of grief and resistance to oppression. In equal measure, its essays offer insights from a Palestinian American’s perspective on the impact of American politics on Palestine, on Palestine’s refraction of our own politics within the broader narrative struggle for Truth, on foundational principles such as Freedom, Equality, and Free Speech, and on the spiritual legacy of the Holy Land.”
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-- Kirk Campbell, Mondoweiss

“An indictment of a global “civilization” that tolerates the systematic murder of children”

RECENT EVENTS

Poetry readings at Red Emma’s in Baltimore, a Palestine event at Sankofa in DC, and (not shown) an open mic night at Backwater Books in Ellicott City, MD.

ESSAYS

Generations of Trauma: The Psychological Map of Palestine’s History

Why history is personal for Palestinians, and how to break free of it

How I Tossed a 27-Year Career into the Recycle Bin

Success will come when you stop looking in the wrong places,

A selection from my Substack, Renegade Living

“A deeply personal human account”

“The testimony of someone whose homeland, identity, memories, friendships, and hopes are intimately connected to the events he describes. And that is where the book begins to matter — not merely as a political document, but as a deeply personal human account. How much suffering can humanity witness before it decides that every civilian life matters equally?”

-- Author Ashok Subramanian

Palestine Bleeds For You

Fomite Press, 2026, 218 pages

The shrieks of warplanes on their way to bomb Gaza provoked Ramsey Hanhan to write. This collection of poetry and essays plumbs the depths of human thought, religion, history, and culture in search of hope amid the world’s criminal silence. In an authentic Palestinian voice, Hanhan sketches the workings of the global machinery of oppression, revealing the centrality of Palestine’s liberation to decolonization, social justice, and environmental justice struggles around the world. “The book I never wanted to write.”

Ramsey Hanhan is a father, scientist, and independent author of two books: Palestine Bleeds For You (2026) and the autobiographical Fugitive Dreams (2022). His short stories, essays, and poetry appear in The Harvard Advocate, Fikra magazine, Scene48, Mondoweiss and other publications. A former physics professor, Ramsey lives near Baltimore, and speaks on Palestine and literature.

Available to talk about Palestine and books.

PO Box 374, Simpsonville, MD 21150
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Ramsey Hanhan

Independent author and speaker. Subscribe to my monthly newsletter for events announcements, upcoming books and other written works, and more.

Ramsey Hanhan (رمزي حنحن) is a father, scientist, and globally-read author of two books: Palestine Bleeds For You (2026) and the autobiographical Fugitive Dreams (2022). His short stories, essays, and poetry appear in The Harvard Advocate, Fikra magazine, Scene48, Mondoweiss and other publications. A former physics professor, Ramsey lives near Baltimore, and speaks on Palestine and literature.

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