When Huda Al-Marashi met Hadi, the boy she would ultimately marry, she was six years old. They were both American-born children of Iraqi immigrants, who grew up on opposite ends of California. Huda had always wanted what American girls had—stolen kisses, romantic dates, and a surprise proposal—believing that as long as she had a grand love story, no one would question if her marriage had been arranged. But when her ideals clashed with the wishes and traditions of her parents, she and Hadi had to find their own way to reconcile their dreams and straddle two cultures.
Huda would go on to write a memoir detailing her relationship with Hadi—the first Muslim-American memoir dedicated to the themes of love and sexuality. Huda and Hadi’s story brilliantly circles around a series of firsts, chronicling two virgins moving through their first everything: hand holding, first kiss, and first sexual encounters. First Comes Marriage is an almost unbearably humanizing tale that tucks into our hearts and lingers in our imagination, while also challenging long-standing taboos within the Muslim community and the romantic stereotypes we unknowingly carry within us that sabotage some of our best chances for finding true love.
Join Huda in conversation about the difficult and rewarding process of navigating love and expectations while straddling two cultures, and get a tender and honest look into the life of an extraordinary woman.
Huda Al-Marashi is the author of the memoir First Comes Marriage: My Not-So-Typical American Love Story. Her other writing has appeared in the Washington Post, the LA Times, al Jazeera, the VIDA Review, and elsewhere. She is the recipient of a Community Partnership for Arts and Culture Creative Workforce Fellowship and an Aspen Summer Words Emerging Writer Fellowship. She lives in Encinitas, California with her husband and three children.
show less
Huda would go on to write a memoir detailing her relationship with Hadi—the first Muslim-American memoir dedicated to the themes of love and sexuality. Huda and Hadi’s story brilliantly circles around a series of firsts, chronicling two virgins moving through their first everything: hand holding, first kiss, and first sexual encounters. First Comes Marriage is an almost unbearably humanizing tale that tucks into our hearts and lingers in our imagination, while also challenging long-standing taboos within the Muslim community and the romantic stereotypes we unknowingly carry within us that sabotage some of our best chances for finding true love.
Join Huda in conversation about the difficult and rewarding process of navigating love and expectations while straddling two cultures, and get a tender and honest look into the life of an extraordinary woman.
Huda Al-Marashi is the author of the memoir First Comes Marriage: My Not-So-Typical American Love Story. Her other writing has appeared in the Washington Post, the LA Times, al Jazeera, the VIDA Review, and elsewhere. She is the recipient of a Community Partnership for Arts and Culture Creative Workforce Fellowship and an Aspen Summer Words Emerging Writer Fellowship. She lives in Encinitas, California with her husband and three children.
When Huda Al-Marashi met Hadi, the boy she would ultimately marry, she was six years old. They were both American-born children of Iraqi immigrants, who grew up on opposite ends of California. Huda had always wanted what American girls had—stolen kisses, romantic dates, and a surprise proposal—believing that as long as she had a grand love story, no one would question if her marriage had been arranged. But when her ideals clashed with the wishes and traditions of her parents, she and Hadi had to find their own way to reconcile their dreams and straddle two cultures.
Huda would go on to write a memoir detailing her relationship with Hadi—the first Muslim-American memoir dedicated to the themes of love and sexuality. Huda and Hadi’s story brilliantly circles around a series of firsts, chronicling two virgins moving through their first everything: hand holding, first kiss, and first sexual encounters. First Comes Marriage is an almost unbearably humanizing tale that tucks into our hearts and lingers in our imagination, while also challenging long-standing taboos within the Muslim community and the romantic stereotypes we unknowingly carry within us that sabotage some of our best chances for finding true love.
Join Huda in conversation about the difficult and rewarding process of navigating love and expectations while straddling two cultures, and get a tender and honest look into the life of an extraordinary woman.
Huda Al-Marashi is the author of the memoir First Comes Marriage: My Not-So-Typical American Love Story. Her other writing has appeared in the Washington Post, the LA Times, al Jazeera, the VIDA Review, and elsewhere. She is the recipient of a Community Partnership for Arts and Culture Creative Workforce Fellowship and an Aspen Summer Words Emerging Writer Fellowship. She lives in Encinitas, California with her husband and three children.
read more
Huda would go on to write a memoir detailing her relationship with Hadi—the first Muslim-American memoir dedicated to the themes of love and sexuality. Huda and Hadi’s story brilliantly circles around a series of firsts, chronicling two virgins moving through their first everything: hand holding, first kiss, and first sexual encounters. First Comes Marriage is an almost unbearably humanizing tale that tucks into our hearts and lingers in our imagination, while also challenging long-standing taboos within the Muslim community and the romantic stereotypes we unknowingly carry within us that sabotage some of our best chances for finding true love.
Join Huda in conversation about the difficult and rewarding process of navigating love and expectations while straddling two cultures, and get a tender and honest look into the life of an extraordinary woman.
Huda Al-Marashi is the author of the memoir First Comes Marriage: My Not-So-Typical American Love Story. Her other writing has appeared in the Washington Post, the LA Times, al Jazeera, the VIDA Review, and elsewhere. She is the recipient of a Community Partnership for Arts and Culture Creative Workforce Fellowship and an Aspen Summer Words Emerging Writer Fellowship. She lives in Encinitas, California with her husband and three children.
show less
Date/Times:
California Institute of Integral Studies - CIIS
1 Upcoming Events
1453 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
The Best Events
Every Week in Your Inbox
From Our Sponsors
UPCOMING EVENTS
Great suggestion! We'll be in touch.
Event reviewed successfully.