Rana Hajjar

Cultural Leader • Proactive Previvor Conscious Mother • Aspiring Writer From Jeddah, living in Riyadh Join Al Jalees @jlbookclub Read • Grow • Connect

The Nomad Spirit, with Abdulhadi Azouz

The Nomad Spirit: Lessons from AZ Aerials at CreativeMornings Riyadh CreativeMornings Riyadh welcomed a thought-provoking speaker last Saturday: Abdulhadi Azouz, who spoke on this month’s global theme, Nomad. At Al Jalees, we view and journal these talks through a literary lens as cultural reflections, intersections of creativity, and reminders

Building Creative Communities

Building Creative Communities: A collaboration between Peter Gould’s Like-Hearted Community, Writers in Riyadh, and Huna Last Saturday, I attended an event that explored Creative Communities, co-organized by Writers in Riyadh and Peter Gould — founder of Like-Hearted — who flew in all the way from Australia to be part of this

Not All Who Advise Are Wise

Exploring the Fine Line Between Wisdom and Misguidance in the Mentoring Journey. How to Tell If Guidance Serves You.. We all seek advice. But how often do we ask if it truly serves us? This month’s CreativeMornings Riyadh session opened that very door. 1. The Problem with Well-Meaning Wisdom

Five Must Read Books This Summer!

In light of our Summer Reading Challenge, Al Jalees proudly presents five essential reads for the season — stories chosen not only for their literary intensity, but for their ability to encourage deep thought and meaningful dialogue. Al Jalees believes that reading is your ticket to a path to empathy, depth,

Gigi Arabia & The Rise of Saudi Alternative Music

CreativeMornings Riyadh recently hosted an event exploring Saudi Arabia’s emerging punk and alternative music scene, a cultural space still largely underground and not widely recognized. The session introduced lead speaker Gigi Arabia — musician, entrepreneur, and founder of Heavy Metal Entertainment — to shed light on this growing creative movement. Gigi,

Summer Reading Challenge

Summertime is here, and with it comes the perfect excuse to read more books! This season, Al Jalees Times invites you to join something playful, simple, and purposeful: The Summer Reading Challenge. While The Literary Circle takes a short two-month break, the spirit of our club stays active—wherever you

Summary of To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

What Does it Take To Stand For What’s Right Even if No One Else Does? Written By Niharika Arun, and Rana Hajjar Table of Contents 1. Standing for what's right 2. To Kill a Mockingbird summary 3. Al Jalees summer reading challenge 1. Standing for what'

A Riyadh Pen in London’s High Society

Meet Mariana De’ Carli, the Riyadh-based author behind The Knightsbridge Crowd A bold debut uncovering the world behind London’s luxury Table of Contents 1. Author Spotlight: Mariana De’ Carli 2. Inside The Knightsbridge Crowd 3. Q&A with Author Mariana De’ Carli 4. Purchase Your Copy 5. Final

Revival Reimagined: Culture, Literature, and the Self

Table of Contents 1. The CreativeMornings Talk 2. A Global Conversation: 249 Cities and One Theme 3. Speaker Spotlight: Moath Bin Nujifan 4. Culture & Revival: Why Context Changes Everything 5. Revival in Literature & Philosophy 6. From Maycomb to Riyadh: Reflecting on To Kill a Mockingbird 7. Your Turn:

The Remarkable Atomic Habits

Atomic Habits A Shift in Focus In Atomic Habits, James Clear reframes the idea of transformation. It’s not about motivation or willpower, it’s about systems. He shows us how small, repeated actions compound over time, and how the true measure of success isn’t intensity, but consistency. At

Crossroads: Trusting the Road You Cannot See

Dear Ambitious Readers, When we hear the word crossroads, we often imagine a moment of choice: a life-defining decision, a pivotal turn, a silent pause before an uncertain path. But crossroads are rarely neat or simple. They can be messy, heartbreaking, and hopeful. Is there a prerequisite to a Crossroad

Lyrics and Literature

Dear inspiring readers, Some words we read, others we hear, some we feel, and some remain in our memories forever. Last Wednesday, Beast House opened it’s doors to us as we hosted an inspiring creative pop-up event; Lyrics and Literature. We dove into how music and books intertwine, and

What Happens When We Stop Thinking

Our literary social club in Riyadh gathered to discuss Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. The thoughts exchanged were powerful, sparking reflection on our daily habits, choices, and long term dreams. We highly recommend this book! Here is our analysis on this thought provoking read. In Bradbury’s imagined world, attention

Are You Living in Parallel?

Sometimes, the most powerful stories are the ones that don’t intersect—but echo each other. Whether it’s lives unfolding in different places, or voices telling similar truths in vastly different ways, parallelism reveals the invisible threads that connect us. In art, cinema, and literature, parallels explore identity, contrast

The Month of Resolutions

Resilience in Ramadan The Holy Month of Commitment, Spirituality, and Resolutions Last night, we explored Grit by Angela Duckworth, a book that sparked deep conversations on perseverance, passion, and resilience. It was inspiring to hear insights from a diverse group of readers—both Saudis and expats—who shared personal experiences

Grit and Growth

Grit and Growth The Power of Perseverance   Angela Duckworth's exploration of grit emphasizes that passion and perseverance are key to achieving long-term goals. In her 2013 TED talk and book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, she posits that passion is not a fixed trait but one

Layers and Identity

We Survived January

Journey: A Creative Exploration

Special Edition!

News

Celebrating a Decade!

Thread & Network

Al Jalees Book Club Riyadh Anniversary Decade

Vision

Al Jalees Book Club Riyadh Vision Saudi

Alone vs Lonely

Al Jalees Book Club Riyadh

Reflection

Al Jalees Book Club Riyadh Creative Mornings