I recently published a memoir entitled Crossing Borders: The Search for Dignity in Palestine for the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel, what for Palestinians marks the 75th Commemoration of the Nakba, Arabic for Catastrophe. My memoir is a personal exploration of the history and culture of a land two people's call home. From the moment I first set foot there nearly 40 years ago, I have witnessed the disconnect of how power can privilege some people over others. I have worked tirelessly to make a difference on the ground ever since through academic work, a family restaurant, and activism, until I realized that telling my personal story was the most powerful testimony to the reality on the ground. Since its publication, I have been writing essays and poetry in the hope of moving past the current cycle of death and destruction so both Palestinians and Israelis can re-envision a future where all people between the River and the Sea can live with dignity.

Crossing Borders: The Search for Dignity in Palestine. Mineral Point, WI: Little Creek Press, 2023.

“Yalo.” Creative Wisconsin Anthology, Wisconsin Writer’s Association. October 2021. 

“Encounter.” Write City Magazine. September 27, 2015. Canaan Fair Trade Impact Study: 2005-2011. Lead Investigator. 

Burqin, Palestine: Canaan Fair Trade, 2012. 

Transforming Education for Peace: A Volume in Peace Education. Jing Lin, Edward J. Brantmeier, and Christa Bruhn, eds. Charlotte, SC: Information Age Publishing, Inc, 2008. 

“Higher Education as Empowerment: The Case of Palestinian Universities.” American Behavioral Scientist 49, 8. April 2006. 

“Higher Education as Empowerment: The Case of Palestinian Universities,” in Education, Social Development, and Empowerment among Indigenous Peoples and Minorities: International Perspectives. Conference Proceedings edited by D. Champagne and I. Abu-Saad. Beer-Sheva, Israel: The Negev Center for Regional Development, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 2005 (also available in Arabic). 

The Power of the University: Palestinian Universities as Vehicles of Social and Political Change. Doctoral dissertation. Madison: University of Wisconsin, 2004. 

“Beyond the Headlines: Building Bridges Through Education.” Guest Columnist. The Badger Herald. March 6, 2003. 

“Higher Education in Transition: Current Realities in Palestinian Universities,” in Palestinian American Research Center (PARC) Newsletter. Spring 2001. 

The Palestinian Dialect of Al-Jalama: A Phonemic Study. Master’s thesis. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1993. 

In addition to expanding the reach of the message of hope and dignity by sharing excerpts from my memoir through interviews, book readings, literary events, and speaking engagements, I would like to broaden the conversation on the future of Israel and Palestine through conversation, essays, and poetry as well as my other passions of food and photography. I have other book project ideas I am exploring that interconnect history, food, identity, and culture.