Interview With Author Weam Namou
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Born in Baghdad and raised in America, I write about my experiences as an Iraqi American, particularly as a Chaldean (Neo-Babylonians who still speak Aramaic). After graduating from Wayne State University with a bachelor’s in Communication, I began traveling the world and writing. I studied fiction and memoir writing through various correspondence courses, poetry in Prague through the University of New Orleans, and screenwriting and directing through a one-year program at the Motion Institute of Michigan.
I’m an Eric Hoffer award-winning author of 15 books, an award-winning filmmaker of two features, a journalist, poet, and an ambassador for the Authors Guild of America [Detroit Chapter]. Since 2019, I’ve held the position of executive director of the Chaldean Cultural Center, which houses the world’s first and only Chaldean Museum. I've studied with amazing spiritual teachers, including a man from India, a Native American man, and for over a decade, with bestselling author and mystic Lynn V. Andrews.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The title of my recent book is “Little Baghdad: A Memoir About an Indigenous People in an American City.” It’s about my ancestors, the Chaldeans, who are the indigenous people of Iraq, and have for centuries endured oppression, wars, and genocide in their birth land. They found a safe haven in Michigan, which after the most recent attacks on our ancestral villages, has had the largest population of Chaldeans in the world. My city is Sterling Heights, nicknamed “Little Baghdad,” and it has the largest population of Chaldeans in Michigan. Here at every corner you’ll find a produce market baking fresh Iraqi bread in a brick wood fire oven, restaurants with names such as Ishtar and Kabob Eden, and neighbors speaking Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I sometimes use my iPhone to write while I’m on my long walks.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Washington Square by Henry James
Lynn V. Andrews’ Medicine Woman series
What are you working on now?
I’m working on a book called “My Native American Friend” which shares conversations I’ve been having for over two decades with a man from the Oneida Tribe.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Writing and publishing regularly is the best method to promote my books. I find that the more stories and content I create, whether through writing or films, the more visibility and opportunity my work receives.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t compare yourself to others. Follow your own path.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don’t give your power away to anyone, including people in the book and film industry.
What are you reading now?
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laure Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser
What’s next for you as a writer?
Turning more of my books into films.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Dr. Joseph Murphy
Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch
Medicine Woman by Lynn V. Andrews
Writing Spirit by Lynn V. Andrews
Author Websites and Profiles
Weam Namou’s Social Media Links