Alia Yunis

June 7, 2009

The Night Counter One of The Chicago Tribune’s Hot Summer Reads

All my life I have written down on forms “Chicago” when asked for birthplace. So this is particularly sweet for me. Not that I know Chicago well–I’ve only been there once since we moved when I was five. But I’ve always thought I was lucky to be born in such a cool city, despite my Continue reading

Author, Books, Publishing
June 4, 2009

Making Movies in Abu Dhabi

This spring my students have won several awards for their films—-national awards, not international, but we haven’t tried that yet. It’s my first year teaching them, and it’s the first year they make short narrative films and documentaries that are not tour guides to the UAE. The results, good and bad, have been a surprise Continue reading

Abu Dhabi, Arabs, Arts and Culture, Film, Middle East
May 30, 2009

The Best View Of The Ski Slope In Dubai is at…

Dubai has now become the international destination for indoor wonders, but the Atlantis, Palm Jumeriah, the Burj Dubai (tallest building in the world), the seven star Burj Al-Arab, and all the other more recent developments don’t seem to come as close to the excitement that people seem to have at seeing modern Dubai’s first wonder, Continue reading

Arabs, Arts and Culture, Dubai, Food, Lebanon, Middle East
May 27, 2009

From Publisher’s Weekly…The Night Counter’s First Review

“In this captivating debut, Yunis takes readers on a magic carpet ride….[A] sometimes serious, sometimes funny, but always touching tale of a Middle Eastern family putting down deep roots on U.S. soil.” —Publishers Weekly Continue reading

Arabs, Arts and Culture, Author, Books, Lebanon, Middle East, Publishing
May 23, 2009

Who Says We Ain’t Got No Culture Here?

When I decided to move to Abu Dhabi, one of the frequent comments I got was how could I move to such a cultural wasteland. This from my friends and acquaintances in L.A., which may seem ironic to some of you who have the same perception of L.A. However, just as L.A. is a lot Continue reading

Abu Dhabi, Arabs, Arts and Culture, Middle East
May 19, 2009

Cartier Comes To Campus

Today I could have put my name in for the raffle on campus, but I felt that I’d be taking away something from a student if I were to win (not that I’ve ever won a raffle). And I’m not sure I needed the prizes: four Cartier handbags, not the $20,000 plus alligator skin one Continue reading

Abu Dhabi, Author, Middle East

Abu Dhabi, Jewelry
May 13, 2009

Tabouli: Derogatory or Funny? (Plus Some Tips)

Tabouli has been my number food group since coming here–easy, healthyish, and familiar, in that I stop by the Lebanese Mill to pick it up, and it’s just one of those places where everyone knows your name. But I can’t say that tabouli inspires enough passion in me for a song, as it does these Continue reading

Arabs, Food, Middle East
May 6, 2009

The Differences Between Abu Dhabi and LA, or the lack thereof

Ever since I left Los Angeles nine months ago, I’ve been saying to myself, “That’s something I should blog about.” Now that the opportunity has reason, I can’t think of any of those somethings. In fact, there has never been a time when this writer has been left so wordless. I even left this Continue reading

Abu Dhabi, Arabs, Author, Books, Food, Los Angeles, Middle East

Abu Dhabi, Los Angeles

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.