Author Archives: Sonia Sulaiman

Make Writing Prompts with Tarot Cards

There are a lot of prompt books and lists for creative writing but once I discovered how to use a tarot deck, I have never needed any other tool to get warmed up or to break writer’s block. Using a tarot deck to generate writing prompts works by providing just the right amount of structureContinue reading “Make Writing Prompts with Tarot Cards”

Arab Folk Stories from Artas, 1987

Continuing the series of indexes, we have another book by Louise Baldensperger and Grace Crowfoot: Arab Folk Stories from Artas published by Birzeit University. Artas is a village four kilometers south-west of Bethlehem and has a richly recorded folklore. It is home to the Artas Folklore Center. Among the stories themselves there are brief discussionsContinue reading “Arab Folk Stories from Artas, 1987”

Our Favourite Folktales

Today I’m working with one of my all-time favourite folktales, and my favourite Palestinian folktale. Like all Palestinian folktales, it doesn’t have a traditional name and so I call it the Story of Francesco or Francesco and the Carpenter-Rabbi. It has a sequel: Francesco and Azrael, the Angel of Death. That brings us to theContinue reading “Our Favourite Folktales”

From Cedar to Hyssop, Crowfoot and Baldensperger, 1932

From Cedar to Hyssop is one of my favourite books of Palestinian folklore, and certainly one of the least racist. Following this blog for any amount of time will show that finding sources such as this is a rare treat, excepting contemporary works by Palestinians. You have to take the rough with the smooth whenContinue reading “From Cedar to Hyssop, Crowfoot and Baldensperger, 1932”

Legends of Palestine, Vilnay, 1932

Continuing the series of contents from the various works of folklore about and from Palestine, here is the lengthy contents of Legends of Palestine, by geographer Zev Vilnay. His preoccupation with geography is, I think, obvious from his arrangement and selection of tales: The Center of the World The Stone of Foundation The Stone ofContinue reading “Legends of Palestine, Vilnay, 1932”

Tales Told in Palestine, 1904

You can download Tales Told in Palestine by J.E. Hanauer in several formats (including pdf, mobi, epub, and plain text) from the Internet Archive Open Library link here. The following is a list of the tales included in the volume along with categorizations: Anecdotes More or Less Historical The Lions of Saint Stephen’s Gate AtContinue reading “Tales Told in Palestine, 1904”

News and Illustration Concept Art

A quick update on the project: most of my time has been devoted to trying out concepts for the illustrations. There are so many styles that I would like to try but I need the right fit for the work. Some of the sources do have illustrations, but I don’t want to imitate their style,Continue reading “News and Illustration Concept Art”

Legends of Palestine, 1932

Let’s talk a little about Legends of Palestine, by Zev Vilnay. This isn’t a review, per se since the work is out of print. It can still be found relatively cheaply from second-hand booksellers. Mine cost approximately $5.00 CND. It is an English translation of his earlier Hebrew work Agadot Erez Yisrael from 1929. InContinue reading “Legends of Palestine, 1932”

First Impressions and Inquiring Minds

For the first time, I’ve rounded up all of my books of Palestinian folktales in one place. It’s quite an experience. I have longed for just one such book for most of my life. I remember walking through the stacks in university libraries looking for just one and being disappointed every time. Now I own sevenContinue reading “First Impressions and Inquiring Minds”