WCM-Q alumnus launches debut novel

Dr. Anas Abou-Ismael

Class of 2010

Class of 2010 alumnus Dr. Anas Abou-Ismael has published his first novel, entitled A Melody of Tears: Sorrows of Syria. Written over two years, the book tells the story of Waleed and Sireen, a young Syrian couple whose burgeoning love for one another is threatened by the eruption of the country’s devastating civil war. 

Working an average of 80 hours each week on his internal medicine residency program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, meant Dr. Abou-Ismael had to squeeze in writing sessions during quiet rotations and at weekends. But he was determined that his busy schedule would not overwhelm his lifelong love of the written word. 

Prior to writing the novel, Dr. Abou-Ismael’s poetry was featured in Paint the Walls, a collection of poems published by WCM-Q. He cites Dr. Thurayya Arayssi, associate dean for medical education, and former WCM-Q professor Dr. Peter Fortunado, as sources of inspiration for him as he developed as a physician and as a writer.

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