Alia Yunis

Here and There All At Once

Islam/Muslim

November 3, 2010

Muslims Wearing Things

I miss living in the US every day for many reasons, but among the things I don’t miss are the shallow debates on TV that pretty much follow the line of “Muslims: Terrifying or just really scary?”–usually a heated debate book ended with some heart pounding intro and outro musak– like these are one of… Continue reading

Author, Books, Islam/Muslim, NIght Counter Reviews and Press

Cloths, Muslims, The Night Counter
October 28, 2010

Get Out of My Face, You Donkey

Ruhi min wiji, ya hamra. Budrabik kef, these are the two phrases that my preadolescent nephews in Virginia would say to me every chance they got when I hung out with them this past month. Every time they said them, more animated with each rendering, they would start howling with little boy laughter. Get out… Continue reading

Arabs, Arts and Culture, Islam/Muslim, Middle East

Arabic, Cursing, Love of Bad Language, Swearing
October 21, 2010

Zayed University Film Festival In San Francisco

There has been more than one time me in my life when the call to prayer has been a comfort to me, and that includes at 4:30 a.m. yesterday when I had to walk to my car in the dark to go get to school in time for “The Best the Zayed University Film Festival”… Continue reading

Abu Dhabi, Arabs, Arts and Culture, Film, Islam/Muslim, Middle East
October 20, 2010

Horse Power and the Abu Dhabi Film Festival

Everyone says the UAE has only two seasons, hot and hotter. But there is a far better season, the film festival season. The Abu Dhabi Film Festival kicked off last week and is now going strong with 170 films from around the world. Tops on my list to see are Miral, Carlos, Kingdom of Women,… Continue reading

Abu Dhabi, Arabs, Arts and Culture, Film, Islam/Muslim, Middle East
July 16, 2010

THE PAPERBACK RELEASE OF THE NIGHT COUNTER THIS WEEK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Emily Lavelle (212) 572-8756 elavelle@randomhouse.com PRAISE FOR THE NIGHT COUNTER: “[Yunis] weaves a colorful tapestry…rich in character and spirit.” —Entertainment Weekly “Wonderfully imaginative…poignant, hilarious…The branches of this family tree support four generations of achievement, assimilation, disappointment, and dysfunction.…Their stories form an affectionate, amusing, intensely human portrait of… Continue reading

Arabs, Arts and Culture, Author, Books, Islam/Muslim, Lebanon, Los Angeles, Middle East, Publishing

Novel, Random House Press Release, The Night Counter, Three Rivers Press
February 24, 2010

A New Mosque in an Old Thai Village

It’s pretty hard to find a person on Thailand’s resort island of Koh Samui that isn’t waiting to pounce on tourists, promising them even more paradise for a price, guaranteeing them his prices are “same, same” as the other guys. On my recent trip there, the only place that didn’t happen was in Ha Thanon,… Continue reading

Arts and Culture, Islam/Muslim

Muslim Village, Thailand

About Alia

Alia Yunis is a writer, journalist and filmmaker. She is currently producing and directing “The Golden Harvest,” a feature length documentary about how olive oil has shaped the Mediterranean culture, cuisine and history for 6,000 years, through war and peace. Her debut novel, The Night Counter (Random House) has been critically acclaimed by the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, and several other publications. It was also chosen as a top summer read by the Chicago Tribune and Boston Phoenix. The Boston Globe has called it “wonderfully imaginative…poignant, hilarious.” Alia was born in Chicago and grew up in the U.S., Greece, and the Middle East. She has worked as a filmmaker and journalist in several cities, especially Los Angeles. Her fiction has appeared in several anthologies, including The Robert Olen Butler Best Short Stories collection, and her non-fiction work includes articles for The Los Angeles Times, Saveur, SportsTravel Magazine, and Aramco World. She currently teaches film at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi.