Arab American Book Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 5 (2011) Winner
Thérèse Soukar Chehade
テレーゼ・スーカル・シェハード
Therese Soukar Chehade
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- Beirut, Lebanon
- Nationality
- Lebanese, American
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Western Massachusetts, USA → Granby, Massachusetts, USA → Beirut, Lebanon (childhood)
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Teacher
- Active Years
- 2010-
- Influenced By
- Virginia Woolf, John Edgar Wideman, Experience of the Lebanese Civil War
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Massachusetts Amherst | — | English / Creative Writing | MFA（創作）／MA（英語教育） | — | United States |
University of Massachusetts Amherst
English / Creative Writing
Degree:
MFA（創作）／MA（英語教育）
Country:
United States
Studied creative writing with John Edgar Wideman
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Arab American Book Award (Fiction) | Loom: A Novel | フィクション | Arab American Book Awards | 受賞 |
Arab American Book Award (Fiction)
2011
Work:
Loom: A Novel
Category:
フィクション
Organization:
Arab American Book Awards
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Loom: A Novel
2010 NovelA novel about the Zaydan family, Lebanese-American immigrants, who are stranded by a blizzard. Over the course of the night the members confront generational differences, immigrant identity, and memories of war and displacement. The story explores interior lives, family tensions, and the struggle to emerge from isolation.
ImmigrationWar and displacementFamilyMemoryIdentity
Bibliography
- Loom: A Novel (Syracuse University Press, 2010)
- Short story 'Red Pistachios' (Big Big Wednesday, 2017)
- Short piece 'Madame Latte' (Taos Journal of International Poetry and Art, 2017)
- Newspaper columns (Daily Hampshire Gazette, 2016–2018)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Delicate, interior-focused proseModern narration that intertwines memory and presentLeisurely pacing that allows character reflection
- Recurring Motifs
- Memories of warFood and domestic lifeGenerational dividesIsolation and renewal
Legacy
An author who sensitively portrays Lebanese-American family life and memory informed by experience of the Lebanese Civil War and immigration. Her debut novel Loom won the Arab American Book Award; she contributes to community through teaching and regional literary engagement.
Quotes
-
Virginia Woolf's 'To the Lighthouse' inspired me to write in my non-native English.
Source: Interview (e.g. Kenyon Review) (2011)
Trivia
- Won the 2011 Arab American Book Award (Fiction) for Loom.
- Emigrated from Lebanon to Massachusetts in 1983.
- Lives in western Massachusetts and works as a writer and English teacher.
- Studied with John Edgar Wideman.
- Has two children.