Faleeha Hassan (born 1967) is an Iraqi poet living in New Jersey.[1]

Early life and education

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Hassan was born and raised in Najaf. She was a precocious reader as a child, but her schooling was interrupted in 1980 when her middle school was closed for the Iran–Iraq War.[1] She would eventually earn a masters in Arabic Literature from the University of Kufa in 2006.[1][2]

Career

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Hassan began teaching high school in 1988.

In 1991, she became the first woman in Najaf to publish a book of poetry, I Am a Girl.[2] In 2012, she became the first woman in Iraq to publish a book of poetry for children " A Dream Guard " She fled Iraq after her name appeared on a militant group's death list in 2011.[2][3] She fled first to Eskişehir in Turkey, then to Afyonkarahisar, where she insisted her children be allowed to attend school in order to stay warm.[3] After working with the United Nations office in Ankara, She was accepted into the United States by a Roman Catholic charity.[2][3]

Awards and honours

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  • World Association of Arab Translators and Linguists (WATA)
  • The Najafi Creative Festival for 2012
  • The Prize of Naziq al-Malaika 2008
  • The Prize of al-Mu'temar for poetry 2010
  • The short-story prize of the Shaheed al-Mihrab Foundation
  • Phoenix International Festival of Arts and Culture. 
  • The judges from Holland traveled to Iraq to award her the prize, 2010.
  • Srbrun Poveilu “ silver medal“ from Mesopotamia cultural center Belgrade– Serbia 2018
  • Pulitzer Prize Nomination 2018 
  • Pushcart Prize Nomination 2018 
  • Pushcart Prize Nomination 2019  

Books

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  • Because I Am a Girl (1991)
  • A Visit to the Museum of the Shadows (1998)
  • Five addresses for my friend the sea (2000)
  • Even after while (2008)
  • Splinters(2008)
  • Lack of the Happiness Cells (2008)
  • Mom's Poems(2010)
  • Water Freckles (2010)
  • A Dream guard (2012)
  • I Hate My City (2013)
  • Let's Strongly Celebrate My Day (2015)
  • If Columbus did not discover America (2015)
  • SWALLOW (2016)
  • We grow up at speed of war (2016)
  • Lipstick (2016)
  • Mass Graves (2018)
  • When I drink tea in a New Jersey (2018)
  • Breakfast with Butterflies (2019)
  • A Butterfly's Voice (2020)
  • War and Me (2022)

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Iraqi poet Faleeha Hassan: Forged in war, fueled by hope" by Graham Dudley. NonDoc. 6 June 2 2016. Accessed 27 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "Faleeha Hassan, 'the Maya Angelou of Iraq,' Wields a Mighty Pen" by Kate Morgan. Oprah.com. Accessed 27 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "My Life as a Refugee" by Faleeha Hassan. Empty Mirror. Accessed 27 May 2020.
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