The Lives of the Artists

Autorentext

Weam Namou is an award-winning author of 12 books - three novels, one poetry book, the Iraqi Americans Book Series, and a 4-book memoir series about her experience with Lynn Andrews' 4-year shamanism school. For nearly ten years, she has been a journalist for the Chaldean News and is a reporter and ambassador of Arab America. Formerly, she was a columnist for the Macomb and the Oakland Observer, a contributor for the Gazette van Detroit, and a feature writer for the St. Clair Shore Times. She is the ambassador to Arab America, where she is also a regular contributor. Namou received her Bachelor's Degree in Communications from Wayne State University. She studied fiction and memoir through various correspondence courses, poetry in Prague and screenwriting at MPI (Motion Picture Institute of Michigan). She writes for several local newspapers and her essays, articles and poetry have appeared in national and international publications including World Literature Today, Mizna, Gargoyles, Acumen 59 [England], the Transnational [Germany], MultiCultural Review and numerous other literary publications, including a chapbook called Lettre Savage. As the co-founder and president of IAA (Iraqi Artists Association) and Ambassador of Arab America, Namou has given poetry readings, lectures and workshops at numerous cultural and educational institutions such as Madonna University, Wayne State University, Oakland Community College, and RAWI Conference at the Arab American National Museum, and Allied Media Conference. In 2012, she won a lifetime achievement award from E'Rootha. Namou studied Sikkim from one of her teachers, a Native American man who lived with the Tibetan monks. She is a certified Reiki Master, and a graduate of Lynn Andrews' 4-year shamanic school.

Klappentext

Artists have a story, a story that affects their pallets. In Iraqi Americans: The Lives of the Artists, Namou wanted to honor artists of Mesopotamian ancestry by giving them the opportunity to share their incredible stories themselves rather than risk having others to do it for them, as was the case with Layla Al Attar. Layla Al Attar died in 1993, along with her husband, after her house was bombed by a US missile. Iraqi news announced that she was killed since she was responsible for creating the mosaic of George Bush Sr.'s face on the steps of Al Rashid Hotel, over which Iraqis and people from all over the world walked on upon entering. Unfortunately, she is remembered more so by how she died rather than by her incredible talent and the way in which she lived her life. Worse than that, many misinterpret the play 9 Parts of Desire by Heather Raffo to be based on her life. Like Al Attar, the 16 artists in this book are not victims, but victors over their lives, following their passions and finding ways to showcase it despite any and all challenges.