December 2009
At the end of 2009 it is impossible not to reflect on the passing year. It has been a year of inspiration and excitement, some literary successes and of course some failures, but most important, a year of writing and writing-related activities.
Sometimes one makes decisions without knowing whether they are right or wrong. These decisions pave the path that is our life and lead us to unknown destinations. The one I took – to leave my diplomatic career and become a full-time writer – feels like it was the right one when looking at it at the end of this thrilling year. Writing was the easy part. Dealing with the publishing world can be trickier, but I am now fortunate to work with Hakibutz Hameuhad in Israel, and with Reportage Press in the UK.
Crossing Qalandiya – Exchanges Across the Israeli Palestinian Divide, co-authored with Shireen Anabtawi, will soon be out in Israel/Palestine, in Hebrew. It will also be published in English in March 2010, and will hopefully help bridge some of the gaps in understanding each other and ‘the other’. This is my biggest wish for 2010 – may it be a year of peace and co-existence.