“Ma’salama.” Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 2 April 2011. One of the first things I did when I arrived in the UAE more than two years ago was to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. People here like to throw around the superlatives — largest pearl sold at auction, tallest building,Continue reading “Photo blog 49”
Category Archives: religion
Photo blog 48
“Path.” Wat Arun, Bangkok, Thailand, 16 November 2010.
A Writer’s Notebook: “mentor texts”
I think I might accidentally have started a new novel. It doesn’t look like much in this exercise, I admit, but believe me, it’s frighteningly large inside my brain. I don’t have time for this right now, frankly, and I’m going to have to put this on hold for a while (I might save itContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: “mentor texts””
Small stone, Vol. 2, #7
The fading echo of the muezzin’s adhan blurs into the rising songs of birds awakened from their roosts in the minarets.
Photo blog 36
Small stone #1
It is just after midnight. A new year. Leaning out the window, I notice that the air in the alley smells the same as last year. Looking up into the black sky, the fireworks diminished and the stars blotted blind by the city lights, I realize that this year will not feel real until theContinue reading “Small stone #1”
A Writer’s Notebook: a blank page
`Tis the season for lounging around in sweatpants and drinking cocoa, daydreaming about the looks on the faces of those we love when they open our gifts the next morning. Oh, and writing letters and e-mails to family and friends recapping the year, which is what I’ve been up to. Not exactly Writer’s Notebook materialContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: a blank page”
Photo blog 34
“O Mary, indeed Allah gives you good tidings…”* Christmas trees in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, December 2010. In case you’re curious, I also took a few vertical panoramic photos (the Dubai tree in particular is extremely tall!). Here’s a separate gallery showing those taller photos: * The title of these photosContinue reading “Photo blog 34”
A cross-blog PSA
Not everyone who reads this blog also follows my other blog, Smile! (but really, why not?), so I wanted to post a short note here asking you to visit my other blog for an important message about how to help share a little happiness and cheer this holiday season. You can find the post inContinue reading “A cross-blog PSA”
A Writer’s Notebook: a love story
The scenes below are from a story I’ve been working on for a long, long while. It’s on my computer in a folder labeled “TO FINISH THIS FALL.” Sadly, winter is just around the corner and the end of the year just a few weeks away, and I doubt I’ll find a satisfactory ending toContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: a love story”
Samuel Snoek-Brown 