Story lovers rejoice! It’s time for the #EmiratesLitFest2025. Famous authors from around the world will be flying in to Dubai for a week of mingling with the most wonderful community of book nerds 📚

It’s one of my fave annual highlights of the year!

Of course you should come to my session The Debutants on Fri Jan 31 at 3 pm, but there are honestly so many I’m excited to attend myself. I’ll share a handful below.

Other than that, it was a relatively quiet week for me because my daughter was battling yet another chest infection (are these bugs getting stronger each year, or what?). Stay healthy and safe out there. Wash dem hands.

The weather has been so achingly beautiful that we wanted to spend every (healthy) minute outdoors, but I also used the time to conserve energy ahead of a major event like LitFest.

I’m probably the world’s most extroverted writer (I love to meet new people and hear their stories - people are fascinating), but I do love to balance that with a cup of Earl Grey tea and a great book. Hands up if you’re with me?

See you at LitFest!

READ: WORLD LITERATURE

We’re in for a treat this week because we have a handful of incredible authors visiting for the Emirates LitFest. Here are panels I’ve bookmarked:

• Tearjerker: If you like a good cry and stunning prose, Abraham Verghese’s “The Covenant of Water” is a must read. Check out his two sessions here.

• Poetry: If beautiful words speak to your soul, read Emirati poet Afra Atiq’s latest collection. Her session is here.

• Illustration: Queen of class, Megan Hess, returns to us with another gorgeously illustrated work this year, Fashion in Colour. Her sessions are here.

• Kid at Heart: My son is more excited than I am this year because of epic children’s author Jeff Kinney (Diary of a Wimpy Kid series). His sessions here.

• True Story: Never have I related to a book title more; journalist Hala Gorani’s But You Don’t Look Arab is an eye opening memoir. Her sessions are here.

And of course, the Desert Stanzas and fellow Moxie Anderson’s brilliant All That Glitters murder mystery are set to be surefire crowd pleasers. See you there!

WRITE: IN YOUR MIND

I spend time staring into space quite a bit, but my children have learned that that means ‘mommy is working.’ I often mull over scenes and characters in my mind long before they find their way to the page (or laptop screen, I should say).

It’s a great way to remove distractions and just dedicate yourself to building a world or characters in your mind, even if its just five minutes. To me, it’s a form of meditation.

Last week, I appeared on Accemind Leader Series podcast and thought deeply about insights I can share about my publishing and writing journey. I talk about meditation and much more in the full episode here:

INSPIRE: QUOZ ARTS FEST

Last weekend was a beautiful celebration of food, art and creativity in Al Serkal Avenue. It’s a great place to bump into old friends and make new ones. Loved this immersive art installation.

I bought a gorgeous denim jacket from Rosali Collection with brightly colored Palestinian Tatreez on the sleeves and back, and I discovered an excellent co-working space called TechArc to get some writing done.

Writing/ working from home makes me itch to get out and see new things - Al Serkal always has something going on and I love it!

BROWSE: THESE LINKS

Leave the work emails and social media to read these interesting bits and pieces:

• Oscars 2025 full nomination list (including a Palestinian documentary!)

• This Blake Lively x Justin Baldoni feud is getting so much PR, it’s wild… and hard to relate

• 12 comforting reads to beat the January blues

• From stargazing to detours, 2025’s travel trends

• On Jan 25, all the planets aligned

Countdown to My Novel’s Publication Day:

Thanks for reading! See you next year!

With kindness,

Sara