Haneen Alshujairy is safe in the US and seeking asylum

Laura Straub and Mark Wallace ask Haneen

http://www.falconsonthefloor.com/p/excerpts.html

Joe Hall and Joseph Riippi ask Haneen

updates here:

http://www.falconsonthefloor.com/p/excerpts.html

Stephanie Barber, Chris Toll, and JA Tyler ask Haneen

http://www.falconsonthefloor.com/p/excerpts.html

Michael Kimball asks Haneen Alshujairy

Michael Kimball: 

What was it like to be a 13-year-old girl and leaving Baghdad in the midst of a war?

Haneen Alshujairy:  

The leaving part was not the scary part to be honest, the worst part was the nights of the war itself; going to bed not knowing if I'll wake up the next morning or not was the scary part. I was just like you said, thirteen years old, so my imagination took the best of me. You can only imagine the thoughts that were going through my head each time I heard the sound of a bomb going off. The first night I thought we were all going to die and freaked out! like REALLY freaked out!

I remember my mom giving us kids some candy. She gave me Twix, she thought it would help somehow. Funny thing is I still can not eat Twix till this day. Don't think ever will.

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For Edward Mullany, Paula Bomer, Matthew Simmons, and more, visit:
http://www.falconsonthefloor.com/p/excerpts.html

Edward Mullany asks Haneen Alshujairy

Edward Mullany: 

Is there one thing you fear most, or more than other things?

Haneen Alshujairy: 

I think the thing that comes on top of my list is FISH.

I know it’s weird and kind of funny too, but it’s very real. I’m telling you, Edward, I can not look at fish. Not even if it was drawn on a tuna box. And here’s why: When I was little my family and some friends of the family all went on a trip to a very nice place in Iraq, it was a small beach with a big lake that families go to during the summer time. All of my family were sitting on the beach chatting with the other families when I decided to collect rocks from the bottom of the lake, not knowing how to swim. I ended up slipping on some very slippery rocks beneath my feet and I drowned. I don’t know how long I lasted under the water or what I saw when I drowned but all I know is once they took me out it was the start of a fish-phobia – as I like to call it  – that caused/still causing me some really embarrassing moments at fish markets, aquariums or mom’s refrigerator.

If you know any people with fish phobias please let me know, I’d love to meet them!

Zach Dodson asks Haneen Alshujairy

Zach Dodson

What's your top score in fruit ninja? Mine's 1384, in arcade mode, but it was a very lucky game after a LOT of wasted time.

Haneen Alshujairy

The best score I got playing fruit ninja was 305. Not so good, I know but ask me about Angry Birds, and I’ll give you a headache talking about my accomplishments playing that game.

http://www.falconsonthefloor.com/p/excerpts.html

Mike Young asks Haneen Alshujairy

Mike Young

My name is Mike, and we're Facebook friends! Justin Sirois emailed some folks asking them if they'd like to ask you one question about your life, and I said yes, that sounds fun, so here goes. What is one thing you miss from your daily routine as a kid that you wish were in your daily routine as an adult?

I am asking this because it's Spring outside in Baltimore and I just got coffee, but I realized walking around that there used to be this 3-foot high park wall that I would walk on while walking home from school as a kid, and I miss not having any walls to walk on anymore.

Haneen Alshujairy

We are Facebook friends! And I love your profile picture! Always thought it was taken out some Hollywood movie. The thing I miss the most is riding my pink bicycle. I had one as a kid and every time I rode it I had this feeling of owning the street near my home. Amazing feeling!


http://www.falconsonthefloor.com/p/excerpts.html

Paula Bomer asks Haneen Alshujairy

Paula Bomer:

What is the thing you miss most about Iraq?

Haneen Alshujairy:

The thing I miss most about Iraq is my home. I grew up in a very friendly neighborhood, and our house was in the center of a fairly long street, at one end of that street was my primary school and on the other end was a small food store that sold candy, potato chips, and all kinds of yummy stuff. I miss all that. and right at this moment I’m missing some delicious Iraqi Kebab!



All of the questions will be posted here:


http://www.falconsonthefloor.com/p/excerpts.html

Matthew Simmons asks Haneen Alshujairy

Matthew Simmons:

What was happening in Iraq on the day you were born?

Haneen Alshujairy:

Interesting question! I asked my father if anything cool happened on the day I was born, and he could not remember! he just said: “khosh sana chanat” Iraqi for “it was a good year”.

But I’m not gonna your question unanswered so I’m relying on Google now and I just found something for you, it was.. wait for it...  Qussay Saddam Hussein birthday! hah.

So on the day I was born Saddam’s family was celebrating.


All of the questions will be posted here:


http://www.falconsonthefloor.com/p/excerpts.html

signing and remailing the Al Mutanabbi Street and MLKNG SCKLS broadsides back to Newlights Press

Understanding Campaign on Pilot Books

Thank you, Pilot Books!

http://www.pilotbooksseattle.com/wordpress/?p=1220

Justin and Haneen on Baltimore Brew

Thank you, Elizabeth Suman of Baltimore Brew!

http://www.baltimorebrew.com/2010/10/19/understanding-campaign/

message from Haneen

HERE

Haneen Alshujairy interviewed on Outside Writers - Understanding Campaign

HERE.

Urbanite Mag calls the Understanding Campaign “… [a] big-hearted and ingenuous Web-based campaign.”

“This human connection was the alchemy by which Sirois and Alshujairy began to make meaning of their separate lives brought together by the conflict in Iraq. Such a relationship begins with small steps, sometimes one word at a time.”

LINKHERE

by Michael Corbin

first story from MLKNG SCKLS

Haneen FINALLY got my package in the mail

Happy, happy, happy. We thought it was lost.

Package:

(Real) Chuck Taylors (but Salts ate one of the laces)
Three copies of MLKNG SCKLS
Mix CD

best part of the email:

"my dad took one of the copies [of MLKNG SCKLS] and put it in his car to brag to his friends about his daughter's name on it"

The Understanding Campaign t-shirts are in!!

Very limited edition of the first run.
Smalls and mediums. $18.00

things are revving up

Look for guest artist, designers, and celebrities contributing to the Understanding Campaign. The list is growing.
.
Aaron Draplin (draplin.com)
Post Typography (posttypography.com)
Phu X. Pham (phuongxpham.com)
Dahr Jamail (dahrjamailiraq.com)
.
More soon...