Danny Ramadan

Ahmad Danny Ramadan (Arabic: أحمد داني رمضان; born May 31, 1984) is a Syrian–Canadian novelist, public speaker, and LGBTQ-refugee activist who was born in Damascus, Syria.[1] Ramadan's work focuses on themes of immigration, identity, diaspora and belonging. His debut novel, The Clothesline Swing, won multiple awards. The Foghorn Echoes won the 2023 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction.[2][3]

Danny Ramadan
داني رمضان
Author and activist Danny Ramadan at the Vancouver Pride Parade 2016 Proclamation event.
Author and activist Danny Ramadan at the Vancouver Pride Parade 2016 Proclamation event.
Born (1984-05-31) May 31, 1984
Damascus, Syria
OccupationAuthor, activist
Notable awardsLambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction (2023)
Website
dannyramadan.com

Currently, Ramadan lives in Vancouver, British Columbia with his husband.

Writing

Early work

Ramadan has translated the work of Saudi blogger Raif Badawi to English, released in 2015 by Greystone Books under the title 1000 Lashes: Because I Say What I Think.

Ramadan published two collections of short stories in Arabic while he lived in Egypt. His first collection, Death and Other Fools, was released by Dar Laila in 2004. His second collection, Aria, was released by Dar Malameh in 2008.

The Clothesline Swing

The Clothesline Swing is Ramadan's debut novel in English. Inspired by One Thousand and One Nights, the novel tells the epic story of two lovers anchored to the memory of a dying Syria. One is a Hakawati, a storyteller, keeping life in forwarding motion by relaying remembered fables to his dying partner. Each night he weaves stories of his childhood in Damascus, of the cruelty he has endured for his sexuality, of leaving home, of war, of his fated meeting with his lover. Meanwhile, Death himself, in his dark cloak, shares the house with the two men, eavesdropping on their secrets as he awaits their final undoing.

Cover of the first edition of The Clothesline Swing – Nightwood Editions

In its review, titled "The Sweetest Taboo", Winnipeg Free Press stated the author "has crafted a novel that compels readers to share — vicariously, with his characters — the beauty and history of Syria, the horrors of civil war and the joy, release, and pain of forbidden love." adding that the novel is "an enjoyable if challenging, cultural and historical excursion."[4]

Publishers Weekly called the work "remarkable" stating that "Ramadan's delicate use of imagery links these narratives, allowing them to reverberate with meaning and emotion."[5]

"This debut novel from the Vancouver-based Syrian writer reads as many things," wrote Kamal Al-Solaylee for Canadian magazine Quill and Quire, "a coming-out memoir, a history lesson, a critique of authoritarianism, a narrative about sharing narratives – but above all, it's a requiem for a dying country and people."[6] The Globe and Mail called the novel "sombre, fantastical, violent and tender," adding that Ramadan's "English-language debut is a gay son's conflicted love letter to Syria."[7]

The Georgia Straight called Ramadan's narration "fragmented, poetic, and rich with magic realism," adding that the novel "is a lesson in both artistic mastery and human resilience. And, unexpectedly: joy."[8]

The Clothesline Swing won the Independent Publisher Book Awards' Golden Medal in the LGBT category,[9] as well as the Canadian Authors Association's Fred Kerner Award for Best Overall Fiction Book in 2018,[10] was picked among The Globe and Mail's 100 Best Books 2017,[11] and was number 7 of the Toronto Star Top 10 Books of 2017.[12] It was long listed on the CBC's Canada Reads 2018 contest,[13] shortlisted to the Forest of Reading's Evergreen Award 2018,[14] shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award Gay Fiction category in 2018, and longlisted for Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic.[15]

The Clothesline Swing was translated to Hebrew and released in May 2018[16] as well as French, to be released in August 2019. The book was re-launched in the UK by British Publisher The Indigo Press.[17]

Salma the Syrian Chef
Cover of Salma the Syrian Chef – Annick Press

His children's book, Salma the Syria Chef, was released in 2020 by Annick Press.[18] The picture book tells the story of newcomer Salma whose mother is struggling to adjust to their new life in Canada. Salma decides to uplift her mother's spirit by cooking a traditional Syrian meal for her, with the help of their new friends in the Welcome Home they are living at.

“Salma is deeply relatable in her determination, frustration, and sensitivity, especially in moments when things do not go as planned," wrote Shannon Ozirny for Quill and Quire.[19] The book was also positively reviewed by Kirkus Reviews, who stated, "This beautiful story grasps diversity, exploring resilience, love, friendship, and the meaning of home."[20] Publishers Weekly praised the book's inclusive messages: "Ramadan writes with poetic immediacy about displacement, home, and family."[21]

Activism

In a Vice Media interview in 2016, Ramadan talked about the underground work he used to do to support and sometimes house queer individuals while he lived in Damascus.[22] He later elaborated on this experience in a 2018 interview and stated "I turned my house [in Damascus] into an underground LGBTQ centre... it was actually quite the loving community until I was arrested for it."[23] Ramadan mentioned in a separate interview to The Media Line, that he was arrested at the airport by Syrian officials and held for six weeks. After his release, he was declared a persona non grata by the Syrian government and as a result he immigrated to Lebanon as a refugee in 2012.[22][24] Eventually, Ramadan was granted asylum in Canada, and in September 2014 he immigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia.[25] By 2015, Ramadan already began working at Qmunity, a queer resource center in British Columbia.[26] Around the same time Ramadan was working for Qmunity, he started volunteering for the Rainbow Refugee Society which describes itself as, "a Vancouver based community group that helps individuals seeking refugee protection in Canada based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression (SOGIE) or HIV status."[27] While volunteering at the Rainbow Refugee Society, Ramadan helped organize and support the sponsorship of Syrian refugees.[28] Since May 2015, Ramadan has also run an annual fundraiser known as An Evening in Damascus. The goals of the fundraiser are to introduce the community to authentic Syrian culture and heritage, build a safe space for Syrian Queer and Trans refugees to celebrate their identity, offer opportunities to foster friendship and integration between Syrian Queer and Trans newcomers and LGBTQ2+ Canadian community members, and fundraise for private sponsorships.[29][30] Through the fundraiser, Ramadan has raised over $150,000 for LGBTQ-identifying refugees, and he has helped 23 individuals obtain refugee protection in Canada.[29] Ramadan speaks publicly about issues related to gay Syrian refugees, and he has expressed his views as a speaker at conferences and conventions such as TedxSFU, Qmunity's IDAHOT Breakfast, the Liberal Party Convention, and Six Degrees Conference.[29] Ramadan used to write a bi-weekly column for Daily Xtra between 2012 and 2016, covering topics such as what it's like to live as a refugee in another country, and how to integrate LGBTQ refugees into Canadian society.[31][32]

Since November 2016, Ramadan has served as Director-at-large for the board of Vancouver Pride Society, and as of 2019, Ramadan now serves as Director for the board of the Rainbow Railroad.[29][33][34]

In 2016, Ramadan was honored as the grand marshal of the Vancouver Pride Festival for his work supporting LGBTQ-refugees and newcomers.[35][36] In 2017, he was awarded the Social Activist StandOut Award by the Vancouver Pride Society for his social-activist work.[37] That same year he was also picked as one of the 25 Top Immigrants to Canada by Canadian Immigrant.[38] In 2018, he was a recipient of the 2018 Bonham Centre Award from the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies.[39]

Awards and honours

The Clothesline Swing was picked among The Globe and Mail's 100 Best Books 2017[11] and was number 7 on the Toronto Star's "Top 10 Books of 2017".[12]

Salma the Syrian Chef was named one of the best picture's books of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews[40] and School Library Journal.[41]

Awards for Ramadan's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref
2018 The Clothesline Swing Canada Reads Longlist [13]
Fred Kerner Award for Best Overall Fiction Book Winner [10]
Forest of Reading Evergreen Award Shortlist [14]
Independent Publisher Book Award for LGBT+ Fiction Gold [9]
Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction Shortlist [42]
Sunburst Award for Young Adult Longlist [15]
2019 Salma the Syrian Chef Nautilus Book Award for Children's Books Winner [43]
Nautilus Book Award: Special Award for Best of Children's Winner [43]
2020 INDIE Award for Picture Books, Early Reader Winner [44]
Middle East Book Award for Picture Book Winner [45]
2021 ALSC Notable Children's Books Selection [46]
Blue Spruce Award Finalist [47]
Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize Finalist [48][49]
City of Vancouver Book Award Finalist
2023 The Foghorn Echoes Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction Winner [2][3]

Publications

Books
  • Ramadan, Ahmad Danny (2017). The Clothesline Swing. Nightwood Editions.
  • Ramadan, Ahmad Danny (2022). The Foghorn Echoes. Viking Penguin Random House.
  • Ramadan, Danny (2024). Crooked Teeth: A Queer Syrian Refugee Story.

Salma books
  • Ramadan, Danny (2020). Salma the Syrian Chef. Illustrated by Anna Bron. Annick Press.
  • Ramadan, Danny (2023). Salma Makes a Home. Illustrated by Anna Bron. Annick Press.
  • Ramadan, Danny (2023). Salma Writes a Book. Illustrated by Anna Bron. Annick Press.
  • Ramadan, Danny (2024). Salma Joins the Team. Illustrated by Anna Bron. Annick Press.

Essays

Short story collections
  • Ramadan, Ahmad Danny (2004). Death and Other Fools (in Arabic). Laila.
  • Ramadan, Ahmad Danny (2008). Arya (in Arabic). Malameh.

Translations
  • Badawi, Rafi (2015). Schreiber, Constantin (ed.). 1000 Lashes: Because I Say What I Think. Translated by Ramadan, Ahmed Danny. Greystone Books.

References
  1. "Danny Ramadan brings struggles of LGBT refugees to light". Cbc.ca. May 15, 2015. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  2. "2023 Winners". Lambda Literary. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  3. Schaub, Michael (June 12, 2023). "2023 Lambda Literary Award Winners Are Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  4. Arnold, Gord (June 24, 2017). "The sweetest taboo". Winnipeg Free Press. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  5. "Fiction Book Review: The Clothesline Swing – Publishers Weekly". Archived from the original on November 29, 2020.
  6. "The Clothesline Swing – Quill and Quire". May 23, 2017. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021.
  7. Colbert, Jade (May 12, 2017). "Review: Eamon McGrath's Berlin-Warszawa Express, Ahmad Danny Ramadan's The Clothesline Swing and Ami Sands Brodoff's In Many Waters". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  8. "Ahmad Danny Ramadan honours resilience in The Clothesline Swing". Georgia Straight Vancouver's News & Entertainment Weekly. June 7, 2017. Archived from the original on May 28, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  9. "2018 Medalists Categories 1–42". IPPY Awards. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  10. "2018 Fred Kerner Book Award Winner and Shortlist". Canadian Authors Association. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  11. "The Globe 100:These are the best books of 2017". The Globe and Mail. December 14, 2017. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  12. "The Star's top 10 books of 2017". The Toronto Star. December 22, 2017. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  13. "The Canada Reads 2018 longlist is here! | CBC Books". CBC Books. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  14. "Forest of Reading". www.accessola.org. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  15. "2018 Sunburst Award Longlist! | The Sunburst Award Society". www.sunburstaward.org. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  16. גונן, יוענה. ""נדנדת חבלי הכביסה": זיכרונותיו של פליט הומו מסוריה הפכו לאגדה אכזרית". הארץ (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  17. "The Clothesline Swing". The Indigo Press. May 2, 2019. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  18. Salma the Syrian Chef, Picture Books. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  19. "Salma the Syrian Chef". Quill and Quire. January 27, 2020. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  20. "Salma the Syrian Chef". Kirkus Reviews. January 25, 2020. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  21. "Children's Book Review: Salma the Syrian Chef by Danny Ramadan, illus. By Anna Bron. Annick, $18.95 (40p) ISBN 978-1-77321-375-0". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  22. Berman, Sarah (July 26, 2016). "Meet the Gay Syrian Refugee Who's Leading Vancouver's Pride Parade". Vice. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  23. "Q&A: Ahmad Danny Ramadan on the unique experiences of LGBTQ refugees". This Magazine. February 27, 2018. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  24. "Syrian, Gay, Refugee: Author Tells Media Line of Trials and Tribulations (with VIDEO)". The Media Line. May 14, 2019. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  25. "Gay Syrian refugees start new lives in Vancouver". CBC News. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  26. "Welcome to the team, Danny!". QMUNITY. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  27. "Helping LGBTQ+ Refugees Resettle in Canada – Rainbow Refugee Vancouver". www.rainbowrefugee.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  28. "Ahmad Danny Ramadan". Canadian Immigrant. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  29. "Bio". Ahmad Danny Ramadan. April 20, 2016. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  30. "Why Damascus?". An Evening in Damascus. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  31. Ahmed Danny Ramadan (October 18, 2013). "Contributor Profile". Daily Xtra. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  32. "Ahmed Danny Ramadan". Xtra. Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  33. "Our Board". www.rainbowrailroad.org. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  34. "Vancouver Pride Society :: Screens". Vancouver Pride Society. Archived from the original on May 14, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  35. Johnson, Chris (October 21, 2016). "Gay Syrian refugee leads Vancouver Pride parade". Washington Blade. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  36. "Cafe Politics: Vancouver Pride Grand Marshall hosts 'Evening in Damascus' LGBTQ refugee fundraiser". Metro. July 22, 2016. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  37. "StandOUT! Awards and LOUD scholarships honour Vancouver's outstanding LGBT individuals and allies". The Georgia Straight. June 30, 2017. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  38. "RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants of 2017 announced! | Canadian Immigrant". canadianimmigrant.ca. Archived from the original on October 31, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  39. "Bonham Centre Awards Gala 2018". my.alumni.utoronto.ca. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  40. "Best of 2020". Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  41. Beaver, Ramarie; Olson Fakih, Kimberly; Scott, John; Tran, Allison (November 23, 2020). "Best Picture Books 2020". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  42. Boureau, Ella (March 6, 2018). "30th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced". Lambda Literary. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  43. "2019 Grand/Gold Winners". Nautilus Book Awards. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  44. ""Salma the Syrian Chef" is a 2020 Foreword INDIES Winner". Foreword Reviews. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  45. "Picture Book Honorees | Middle East Book Award". Middle East Outreach Council. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  46. "Notable Children's Books: 2021". Booklist. March 15, 2021. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  47. "Blue Spruce Award™ Winners and Nominees 2002–2022" (PDF). Ontario Library Association. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  48. Porter, Ryan (April 8, 2021). "Eight shortlists announced for BC and Yukon Book Prizes". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  49. "Michelle Good, Billy-Ray Belcourt among 2021 BC and Yukon Book Prize finalists". CBC Books. April 16, 2021. Archived from the original on July 7, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2023.

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