Good Day, Dear Friends  

Happy Spring to you & yours!  I hope this season of rebirth finds you in fine form and your own personal projects are blooming :)

Much has happened in the past six months (since my last update) with the book finding its way in the world.  Highlights included an invitation to participate at a literary festival in India, I’ve heard from a bookstore in Singapore which is…

Dear Subscribers, Readers & Friends:

I trust that in the past couple of months, the 400 or so of you who have pre-ordered a limited edition hardcover book or Kindle version have, by now, received your copies and I do hope you are enjoying them! 

If for some reason, you have not yet received your supporter copies, it's possible that you have to confirm your address in your account. Please…

Great news!  When last I spoke to my editor, 2 days ago, she notified me that some subscriber copies have already been dispatched, and people should start receiving them any day now — probably, this week!

Again, please, feel free to share pictures or impressions of the book, once your copies arrive :)

Also, just in moments ago, some support from my alma mater, George Washington University…

Dear Co-Partners-in-the-Dream, 'Epics' is Here :)

Just a little over one year after submitting my manuscript of 800 aphorisms, "Where Epics Fail", I received this exciting note from my editor, earlier today:

I'm delighted to let you know that an advance box of special editions of Where Epics Fail have landed in the office! I've attached a few photos though they really don't do the…

Dear Friends,

I apologize for the very long wait (it’s also the longest I’ve had to wait for a book of mine)!  My hope is that, when you receive your subscriber copy, you will see why it took as long as it it did & appreciate the high quality of the book production.

Above, is a sneak peak of the book cover, clothbound & with gold foil (also, a first for me, of my 6 books, so far :)

Another…

I'm thrilled to learn, over the weekend, that a short selection of my aphorisms from Where Epics Fail has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, by Tiferet Journal.

Tiferet publishes high-quality poetry, prose and art that further meaningful dialogue about what it is to be humane and conscious in today's often divisive world. 

It's gratifying that excerpts from 'Epics' are receiving such recognition…

Dear Readers,

By way of background, Idries Shah was my first proper introduction to Sufism — not as an art form (think of the great Persian poets, Rumi and Hafez), but as an art of living. 



So, it’s especially humbling, now, to be invited by Shah's foundation to submit aphorisms from 'Where Epics Fail' and do this short interview. 



I hope you enjoy the read,

Yahia 



https://idriesshahfoundation…

Nearly 5 months later, I return to talk on the radio with the seriously playful Caroline Casey, of The Mythological News Service :) 

In this zany, hour-long conversation, we discuss: my visit to Egypt (after nearly 12 years away), the art of aphorisms, as well as the role of belief and literature in an Age of Intolerance. 

I also read an excerpt from my cover story for the November issue of…

First of all, thanks, for your patience! Work on the book cover begins next month and I will make sure to share that once it’s ready.

Meantime, here’s a book reading from Where Epics Fail, in Austin, where I was recently invited to take part in the Texas Book Festival:        

https://youtu.be/KSTALhlYUN8

I hope you enjoy it and wish you well with your own adventures, Yahia

Hello, Friends

I hope you've been doing well and enjoying the summer.

A belated, hearty welcome to new book supporters, since last I posted, and here's latest press coverage to share with you:

Among film and sport achievements making Egyptians proud, in 2017, I'm honored to see my 'Epics' included: http://m.cairoscene.com/Buzz/15-Achievements-Egyptians-Have-Made-in-2017-Thus-Far

Also,…

The Visionary Activist Radio Show - Coyote Network News. Listen here



The Saga of Aphorisms - New Indian Express. Read here

"Lababidi's soon-to-be published aphorisms may prove to be the most relevant literature of our generation... His Egyptian upbringing exposed him to our timeless and pervasive 'amsal shaabiyya' (proverbs and sayings), which spurred his interest in a very social form of poetry and philosophy. It is well known that Arabs, and Egyptians especially, can be very clever with language...

Passed down from…

Deeply grateful for this great coverage of my new book, by PBS NewsHour's Elizabeth Flock:

"The aphorisms in “Where Epics Fail” exhort us to pay attention, believe we can make a difference, keep our hearts open in the face of pain, take responsibility for our actions, avoid ego and do the hard work that comes with sticking to ideals."

Here, is the link to read the full article:

http…

A short press piece on why I chose my new book title, Where Epics Fail, and what I hope to achieve through it: 

http://2paragraphs.com/2017/05/where-epics-fail-yahia-lababidis-new-aphorisms-collection-on-unbound/

I hope you enjoy this little article, dear book backers (last I checked, around 170 souls!) and, if so, that you might share the link with folks you know who might appreciate …

1st Book Review of "Where Epics Fail" in HuffPost =)

May 8: HuffPost are promoting 1st book review of *Where Epics Fail* in their books section! Read, here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/where-epics-fail-yahia-lababidis-magnum-opus-so_us_5908af86e4b05279d4edc003

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We did it, 100% of funding reached!

My book, Where Epics Fail, will be published, thanks to all 112 backers who…