Bedouin Weaving of Saudi Arabia and its Neighbours - Joy Totah Hilden

Joy Totah Hilden, author of the soon-to-be-published BEDOUIN WEAVING OF SAUDI ARABIA AND ITS NEIGHBOURS took a few minutes to discuss her new book. Joy lived in Saudi Arabia from 1982 until 1994, and while living there, she became fascinated with the women weavers of Arabia. She traveled all over the Kingdom to interview and photograph them and their work. She amassed a great deal of knowledge of the craft as well as an excellent collection of weavings. I first met Joy in 2004 at a conference on bedouin culture in Ithaca, New York, where she taught an engaging and thorough all-day workshop on bedouin weaving. I'm thrilled that her book will soon be out so that western readers will be able to appreciate her extensive knowledge. Joy's website: http://www.beduinweaving.com/.

KHC:  Were you involved in weaving before you moved to Saudi Arabia?
JTH:   Yes. I started with tapestry, then spinning, then with the use of a floor loom and then more variety.

KHC: What was it like to live in Saudi Arabia?
JTH:  I found Saudi Arabia fascinating, as well as rich in culture and the varieties of its people and lifestyles. I thoroughly enjoyed my travels and research there. I was particularly fascinated by the little-known coastal and mountain regions in the Hijaz which I describe in the book.

KHC: How did you structure the book?
JTH:  It covers historic background of the bedouin and how weaving is integral to their lifestyle. Types of weavings that they produce are described, as well as the role of tribal marks in the culture and their appearance in weavings. A long chapter is devoted to portraits of some of the weavers I interviewed and their communities. A chapter on the techniques of spinning, weaving and dyeing describes the processes in detail, with diagrams, drawings and instructions. The chapter on Bedouin weaving of other Arab countries compares relevant information with Saudi Arabaia according to 1) regional contiguity; 2) geographical convergence; 3) survival of nomadic status; 4) impact of politial change and upheaval; and 5) diversified textile production.
KHC: Wow, it sounds fantastic. I'm looking forward to the weavers' portraits.

KHC:  Do you have a favorite weaving in the book?
JTH:   My favorite weaving (photo at left) is on the back jacket as well as inside. It's a small tent divider that I bought at the Nuayriyyah market a couple of hours north of Dhahran in Eastern Saudi Arabia. It was a sprawling outdoor desert market where bedouin sell and buy all kinds of commodities, from tents and animals to rendered butter and spindles. I bargained for it, and was chagrined later when I realized how reluctant the weaver was to part with it at that price, or perhaps at any price. I wouldn't want to part with it! I love its vivid oranges and reds, the beautiful 'sahah' or 'shajarah' patterns in black and white, and the carefully made Cru Coast braids on both fringes.

KHC:  Are you planning any appearances in conjunction with the book's launch?
JTH:   I hope to give readings and slide shows in bookstores, libraries, organizations and schools and at conferences. I will post events on my website, www.beduinweaving.com.

KHC:  When will the book be out?
JTH:   Later this year. I am very happy with my publisher at Arabian Publishing, Ltd., of London. U.S. distribution is being handled by The David Brown Company, www.oxbowbooks.com.  UK and European distribution is by Gazelle, www.gazellebookservices.co.uk.

KHC:  Are the weaving arts in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf being preserved?
JTH:   As my Epilogue states, there are some programs in effect, which tend to adapt the techniques to modern uses. Efforts to maintain traditional techniques and styles are in effect in Kuwait's Sadu House, in Jordan at the Bani Hamida Project, in Israel at the Lakia project near Beersheba. Efforts in Saudi Arabia seem to be made by women's charity organizations organized by women of privilege. The government does not appear to be doing anything at this time. I would like to see them make the effort. There are still women in the region weaving, many of them using synthetic yarns and making smaller pieces than were traditionally made. Since the nomadic lifestyle is disappearing, and commercial products are available, more women are turning to these new ways of working. My personal preference is for weavings made with sheepswool and goat hair and spun in the traditional ways. I prefer the look and feel of them, as well as the color quality. However, it is very hard work, and I can see why it might not fit into the modern, electronic age.

KHC:  Thank you, Joy, for sharing the news of the book; we look forward to reading it and wish you luck with the launch!

Very January

It's sunny and cold - about 20 degrees. With high winds from the north, the windchill dips to 0 and below. This is a vintage January day, without which winter would not be winter. In my mind, January has to feature at least some frozen gales that seem to blow in from the nether reaches of northern Canada. They rattle the tree branches and whoosh around the corner of the house. If you're in Manhattan, you face the arctic blasts full-on, as the wind races itself through the high-rise canyons. Outside of Boston, a dusting of light, dry snow fell as the cold arrived yesterday. This morning, delicate treadmarks criss-crossed the snow in the driveway, as if made by miniature one-treaded tanks. The gales made them. As they flew around the side of the garage, they had rolled pinecones from our big white pines around on the driveway. I'm astounded; in my many years of New England winters, I've never seen this before.

Amy MacKinnon Discusses TETHERED at AAUW

Last week our local Hingham Area Branch of AAUW hosted author Amy MacKinnon, a resident of nearby Marshfield, at a discussion of her debut novel, TETHERED. It was a fascinating evening. There were about 25 in attendance. Nearly everyone seemed to have read the book twice. I certainly did; it's that kind of book. There is so much happening on several levels, that once you know the ending, you need to work back and see how it all went down. Her writing is tautly understated, which adds to the tension and mystery of the characters. The book is set in Brockton and Whitman, old towns south of Boston. While Amy has carefully drawn them with a sad grittiness, she also captured the last traces old-fashioned gentility and the fragile web of community and caring that holds on through the years and generations. During the discussion, Amy shared many facets of her writing process with us. It's clear that her reporter's experience has brought her face-to-face with unusual characters and troubling social issues. It reminded me of how Charles Dickens was exposed to the gritty underside of London and went on to write about it brilliantly. Amy does the same thing. And though the book is set near Boston, its themes are universal. TETHERED has struck a chord with readers around the world. As of now, it has been translated into ten languages. I look forward to Amy's second novel, and have no doubt it will be even more intriguing.

Desert Campfire Video

Just came across a wonderful video on YouTube of some bedouin musicians in the Jordanian desert near Wadi Rum singing, playing oud and drumming around a campfire at night. It's so atmospheric. It pulls me into the world of A CARAVAN OF BRIDES. It reminds me of nights spent in the Moroccan desert in a campfire circle playing music and singing. Enjoy! The video was filmed by and posted on YouTube by 'Tillytuck'.
To view the clip, click on the words below, or the title of this post.
Bedouin Campfire Music in Wadi Rum

First Snow of Season - Happy Anniversary

It's a wonderful morning to be snowed in at home. It's the Sunday before Christmas. A blizzard is blowing. I've a pile of books to read (book reviews due very soon), and lots to think about and write. Homemade oatmeal is just about ready. The cat is spending his day purring and sleeping. In New England, we've had a lengthy Indian summer - and just a week or so ago it was 70 degrees and sunny. This rousing Nor'easter is more fitting.

The blanket of white is a tribute to my parents' wedding, 67 years ago. They were married on a snowy December night in Iowa in 1942. My mother wore a white velvet gown. White mums and pine boughs decorated the church. They were wed by candlelight. In 2002, their 60th, we four children wrote haikus in their honor, and my father responded in kind. Here are my personal favorites.

Atop the altar,
Candelabra on each side,
White chrysanthmums.
- Sister Jo

And now, the future.
Those we love, will love again.
Draw us in today.
- Brother Mark

Driving through Canada,
Every day a picnic lunch,
My, it's EL-E-GANT.
- Brother Eric

Sixty years tonight,
Began your loving journey.
This full moon is yours.
- Me

Anniversaries,
It is hard to keep a count.
Sixty seems very good!
- Father

A CARAVAN OF BRIDES

In the last few months I've trimmed and polished the manuscript, and made many improvements suggested by a wise reader.
The book's new working title is A CARAVAN OF BRIDES, with a possible subtitle of THE LAST STORYTELLER OF JEDDAH. Those two were the front-runners in a survey of trusted readers and advisors. The two were tied for the lead, but the women, who are my target readers, felt drawn to A CARAVAN OF BRIDES. My writers group also voted for that title.

Thank you readers and friends who weighed in on the working title question.

Zoe Ferraris' next book - "City of Veils"

I'm very excited to learn more about Zoe Ferraris' sequel to FINDING NOUF, her award-winning literary mystery set in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Her next book is CITY OF VEILS. Nice title! It will take the reader from Jeddah deep into the Empty Quarter. Her website is gorgeous, (click on my entry title to visit it). I'm looking forward to her book tour, hoping she'll come through Boston.

This week I was invited to a book group discussion of FINDING NOUF. It was interesting to hear reactions to the characters and plot twists; the things the readers 'bought' or didn't 'buy' about the plot. What's fun about a mystery set in the Kingdom is that everyone seems to be fascinated with how social rules might allow or restrict the progression of the plot. While each person had his or her favorite scene, the scene in the coat market was in everyone's top three. One reader believed the book was more properly categorized as a tragedy. As for me, I loved the humor that lurks just under the surface in FINDING NOUF. It reminds me of the laughs we had living there. Unusual things happen in Jeddah, and eccentric people live there. In fact, I think Jeddans are proud of the unusual characters in their midst. And they have a great sense of humor, which of course makes them quite endearing.

Murder mysteries aren't supposed to be all fun, and certainly Zoe's books deal with serious social issues. However, they are full of quirky cultural twists that make us rethink our assumptions about how Arabs and Muslims live.