website years_active birth_place nationality parents birth_date image article_title name occupation
http://www.suzykassem.com 1999 -- present toledo , ohio , united states american dr. mother -rrb- sami kassem -lrb- father -rrb- seham kassem -lrb- 1 december 1975 file : suzy-kassem . jpg suzy kassem
 suzy kassem writer philosopher , film director , poet , author ,
suzy kassem

suzy kassem -lrb- سوزي قاسم , born december 1 , 1975 -rrb- is an american writer , film director , philosopher , author , and poet of egyptian heritage .
her book , `` rise up and salute the sun '' , a collection of philosophical short stories , poetry and essays , amassed a cult following shortly after its release in the us market -lrb- 2011 -rrb- and egypt -lrb- 2010 -rrb- .
the book has been described as `` a mix between khalil gibran 's `` the prophet '' and paulo coelho 's `` the alchemist '' . ''
in addition to writing , kassem has worked as a music video and commercial director for over nine years in hollywood .
she is also `` a director and writer for kids ' films , most notably harmony parker . ''
the film stars madison davenport , who as the main title character `` harmony '' , is given an old music box for her seventh birthday and quickly discovers how the vibrational power of music can transform situations of conflict into peace .
in 2009 , kassem was set to direct a $ 12 million project in cairo entitled `` dimou il bahr '' -lrb- sea of tears -rrb- , but the film came to a halt after she `` tangled unsuccessfully with egyptian authorities over her script about disenchanted youth fleeing ` suffocation ' in their homeland . ''
following the halt in production , kassem focused on writing , with work published in the new york times '' , about.com style channel , and `` counterpunch '' magazine .
a graduate in business , filmmaking , and creative writing , she has studied at the university of toledo , university of california , and harvard university .
during her youth , she attended la garenne international school and aiglon college in villars , switzerland .
