Author Spotlight Q&A: Hasan Namir
Today we are introducing a new author Q&A series! As part of our 20th anniversary celebrations, we’ll be sharing spotlight features on our authors. We are endlessly thankful to our authors for trusting us with their words. First up is Hasan Namir, author of Umbilical Cord and War/Torn. We hope you enjoy! Follow along throughout the year for more author spotlights to come.
B*: What does being part of the Book*hug author family mean to you?
HN: I feel very privileged and honored to be part of the Book*hug family. Working with Hazel and Jay has always been rewarding. They are the most wonderful publishers, very caring, very attentive, and they always want the best for the books. They allow me to work with the editors of my choice and it’s been amazing working with them. I feel right at home and always have. My first poetry book War/Torn was passed on by a few publishers and at one point, I felt hopeless and I was sad that my book would never be published. Jay and Hazel saw something in it and they agreed to publish it, fulfilling my dream. They made me feel so special and they gave me all the resources that I need freely. I’m forever grateful.
B*: Can you share another title from the Book*hug catalogue that has left a lasting impression on you as a reader?
HN: I had the pleasure of reading and blurbing As the Andes Disappeared, a powerful vivid and poetic book about the immigrant experience.
B*: When we see more large publisher consolidations and huge conglomerates dominating the marketplace, what does it mean to you to be published by an independent publisher like Book*hug Press?
HN: I personally enjoy working with an independent publisher because they are willing to take a risk on books that may not be seen by the bigger publishers. Independent publishers like Book*hug Press and many others are enthusiastic in telling our stories. I feel very thankful that we are given these spaces to allow us to express our own voices in an authentic way. I will always support independent publishers and books published by them. Happy 20th anniversary Book*hug and cheers to many more!
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Hasan Namir is an Iraqi-Canadian author. He graduated from Simon Fraser University with a BA in English and received the Ying Chen Creative Writing Student Award. He is the author of God in Pink (2015), which won the Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Fiction and was chosen as one of the Top 100 Books of 2015 by The Globe and Mail. His work has also been in media across Canada. He is also the author of the poetry book War/Torn (2019, Book*hug Press), which received the 2020 Barbara Gittings Honor Book Award from the Stonewall Book Awards, and the children’s book The Name I Call Myself (2020). Hasan lives in Vancouver with his husband and child.
