MSI Press Blog

  Today's book back story is about the (today) timely book,  Syrian Folktales   by Muna Imady . From the publisher: Muna Imady, sister of Omar Imady and daughter of Elaine Imady, both of whom have published through MSI Press, was a teacher of English in Damascus, collector of recipes, and recorder of Syrian folktales that she gathered at the feet of her grandmother. These tales have captured the attention of readers all over the world. Unfortunately, Muna unexpectedly died from heart surgery a couple of years after the book was release, and her next book, Damascus amid the War , was published posthumously.  Book Description: This delightful book relates folktales from various regions of Syria. Each folktale is located on a regional map and is accompanied by a local, related recipe.  The stories in the book have been adapted to theater by a regional company in Massachusetts.  They live beyond the boundaries of time, as does now the book and its author. CONTE...

  excerpt from  Damascus amid the War  (M. Imady) --     Pre-war Poems 11-20 11. Mending With gold and silver threads, my dreams I mend. Patch up the grey thoughts, then embellish them with bright hopes. ***        12.  The Field of Hope In the field of my mind, I weeded out the fears, sowed seeds of hope, then watered them with tears of joy. ***   13.  The Mask The sad look faded out. The pale mask shriveled and shrunk. Then, suddenly, it dropped. Undisguised, fingers danced upon the bare flesh with grace. Lips twisted and curled. Then, cautiously, drew a happy face! ***   14. The Shadow A laugh! A carefree laugh rang in my ear. Arms excitedly flapped in the air. Feet danced – lively – down the street. Gazing at the reflected figure -on the pavement – to my surprise I realized it was me! *** 15.  How How hard must I try to break through the iron bars? How far must I go To reach a silver star? How mad s...

  Today's blog post is the next in the series of book back stories and is the story behind Road to Damascus by Elaine Imady (who, coincidentally, is the mother of two other MSI Press authors, Muna Imady and Omar Imady . In response to the publisher's request for some insight into the writing of her book, Elaine Imady wrote -- Actually, I think my book "Road to Damascus" quite thoroughly answers the question as to why I wrote it.  I have three children, eleven grandchildren and fourteen greatgrandchildren.  None of them would exist today if Mohammed and I had not met that crucial December 15th, l955, and all of them are curious about their family history.  I  wrote the book partly to satisfy their curiosity and additionally to counteract the many books about the dreadful results of Western women marrying Arabs and suffering as a result. Book Description: Recommended by US Review of Books and First Runner-Up in the Eric Hoffer Awards legacy compet...

  excerpt from  Damascus amid the War  (M. Imady) --     Pre-war Poems 1-10 1. Spring Cleaning                                           Secretly,                                           I tiptoed into                                           The dark chambers              ...