Dear Reader, Reserve your copy of Palestine Bleeds For You ahead of its worldwide June 9 release. What’s inside? Scroll to the end for the official book description, but along the way make sure to pause and read snippets of the reviews, take a tour inside via a couple of linked essays, or watch my interview on the Sumud Podcast, which episode aired on May 15, 2026 – commemorated in Palestine as the 78th anniversary of the Nakba. Order ahead from the author’s Linktree “ One of the most...
17 days ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, Drum roll ready? As promised, you are among the first to see the unveiling of the cover for my new book, Palestine Bleeds For You. Mark your calendars for an anticipated June 9 book release, worldwide. Ramsey Hanhan, Palestine Bleeds For You (Fomite Press, 2026) About the cover art: The mind-numbing barrage of horrific images from Gaza has led me to embrace calligraphic art, harmonizing with Palestine’s aniconic Islamic cultural heritage, and a reminder of the enduring power of...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, While the world fights, I write. I won’t bore you with my assessment of the war. You can read it here, Iran War Balance Sheet. Instead, this newsletter is dedicated to celebrating the women of Palestine and the Palestine movement, starting with a short story honoring my mother published in Scene48. Inaugurating a series of posts featuring books by Palestinian women authors, you get a review of Lisa Suhair Majaj’s Geography of Light. I also review Abby Martin’s movie Earth’s...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, “In a world of automata, being human is revolutionary.” It is a formidable feeling to finally see the first layout of my long-awaited second book. Reading it brought back the years of blood and tears with which it was written. “The book I never wanted to write.” Many thanks to my publisher from Fomite, Donna Bister, for an excellent layout and for bearing with my last-minute additions “We all must understand Gaza to survive in this new world. We cannot go back to the same blinded...
4 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, A new year accentuates the uncertainty we live. The future is wide open. We do our best, but it never ceases to surprise. I concluded 2025 in mourning. My publisher, Marc Estrin of Fomite Press, passed away in August. Amid the train of lives lost that year, and the flurry of events surrounding the non-ceasefire, my grief for this personal loss was deferred. Marc Estrin, co-founder of Fomite press, novelist, cellist, puppeteer at Bread and Puppet Theater, and activist in...
5 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, It is a blessing to have a voice at times like these. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I recognize, with deep gratitude, all those who hear and enable this voice, including you, dear readers. You may have noticed my retreat from social media. I am now on chapter 25 of my romantic novel, which has morphed into a dystopian sci-fi set in the digital age. Thankfully, I have also participated in many Palestine-related events, the recordings and photos from some of which I share below....
7 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, How does it feel to be a Palestinian American at this time? What are the implications of the ceasefire for Palestinians here and in the Middle East? Join me tomorrow at noon on Midday with Tom Hall, WYPR-Baltimore, 88.1 FM or online. You can also catch me in person Saturday at the Palestine Youth Movement’s fundraiser picnic, ‘Gaza is the Compass’ (Arlington, VA). I will be tabling, so it’s a good opportunity to pick up your signed copy of Fugitive Dreams. In this newsletter, I...
8 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, “Palestine lives!” I write in an 800-word essay published in Scene48 magazine in Haifa earlier this month. “Our brightest light in this enveloping darkness is our own century-long history of struggle; to keep Palestine alive, to unite, to forge our collective dream.” In this issue of my newsletter, while the genocide continues, I celebrate Palestinian culture and its ceaseless resistance to erasure, and affirmation of life. In that spirit, I share highlights from the Al-Bireh...
9 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, ‘How do you cope?’ I sometimes get asked. ‘How do you function, with everything that’s going on in Palestine and the world?’ Truth is I don’t. I try. I do what little I can. I plan only for plans to be derailed by the morning news. It looks like nothing is changing. Hopelessness hovers near like a vulture. Then I hear from one of you. A compliment here, an argument there. It doesn’t matter which. I see a constant stream of new readers engaging – new people interested in learning...
11 months ago • 2 min read