Memorial Reading for Haas Mroue 1/10 Oakland

from "4th of July Poem"

freedom is out there growing
on the cornfields in Iowa
the orange groves of Florida
and the vineyards in California
freedom ripens in the rays of our poetry
and the shade of our skin

we harvest our freedom daily
fruit
by
fruit

Haas Mroue


Dear Poets and Friends,

On October 6, 2007, we lost our beloved Haas Mroue to
a sudden heart attack. At his passing, Haas was
writing and traveling in Beirut, Lebanon. In early
December, our beloved’s friends and family hosted a
memorial in Haas’ home of Port Townsend, Washington to
celebrate him in all his different lights. For those
of us who knew him, Haas was many things: a teacher, a
glass of red wine, a reassuring voice over the
telephone, a poem on the page. Haas’ natural
inclination was to travel—to take flight. As a man
of many homelands, Haas often came to the Bay Area to
teach, read, and write with many of our local poets.
The last time Haas flew into Oakland Airport he threw
his open arms around the familiar body that greeted
him and whispered, “It’s so good to be home.”

So to our friends throughout the Bay Area and
California (and beyond) we call out to you to assist
us in celebrating Haas in an evening featuring his
poems and our tributes. There is no structured way to
mourn, grieve or even rejoice in the glow of a life
lived well. Instead we will do what poets do and we
will return to the poetry. We will return, like Haas,
home.

Please join us for a reading of selected poetry from
Haas Mroue’s Beirut Seizures performed by friends of
Haas Mroue and Poetry for the People’s extended family
of poets. A video introduction of Haas given by June
Jordan will introduce the evening’s activities.

Memorial Poetry Reading for Haas Mroue
Thursday, January 10th
Eastside Arts Alliance
2277-2289 International Blvd.
Oakland, CA
www.eastsideartsalliance.com

Doors open at 7:45pm
Program begins at 8:00pm
Donations at the door are encouraged.

We hope to see all of you there and please feel free
to forward this to any and all who were touched by
Haas Mroue's poetry and life. Feel free to print out
the attached flyer for this memorial reading as well
as the original obituary from the Port Townsend
memorial.


click image to enlarge


Haas Mroue, Former CU Boulder CWP Student, Passes

Sad, sad, sad. Very sad news tonight. I just heard from Marcos at Poetry For the People, that one of my former students and mentees, Haas Mroue, died in Lebanon, where he was born, of a heart attack - at 41. Haas was an exceptionally talented writer. He wrote poetry, novels, short stories, screenplays, plays, essays and travel articles for Frommers and others. He was an incredibly lovely person - in all ways. He was well loved and will be missed tremendously. Haas was a student in my undergraduate class, and was so advanced that I moved him to my graduate poetry workshop, where he excelled, and I recruited him for the graduate program which he joined the following semester. While in my workshop, Haas wrote the powerful and moving collection of poetry, BEIRUT SEIZURES, which was published in '93.

I last saw Haas years ago in San Diego, and so I had been thinking of him heavily this last trip there last week. I wondered if he was there and would come to the reading. Yes, he was there. Haas moved to Port Townsend, Washington after San Diego, where he found a home.

It is bittersweet to think of him rediscovering his home in Lebanon after so long in exile. Haas, you will always have a home in our hearts. More later, when my eyes clear.

Haas Mroue (Haseeb Haseeb Mroueh) Obituary:



click image to enlarge