The Ache of Healing

Christine Maalouf Abi Najm is an award-winning poet, singer, songwriter, published author, and journalist. She is fluent in English, Arabic, and French and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising and Marketing, as well as a Master's Degree in Journalism. Early in her career, she wrote a weekly column for the Al Mouhajer online newspaper in New York. A passion for music drew her to play piano and she wrote her first song with her piano teacher, Erick Nickerson. She has released many songs, including "This Pure Love", "Lots Of First Times", and "My Ignorant Heart", which have earned awards and accolades from the "Song Of The Year" songwriting competition. She is an active member of the Songwriters Association of Washington, DC. Having been affected by her father's death during the war in Lebanon, she wrote and published a book called "Arajeeh" in Arabic, which means "Swings" in English. "Arajeeh" is a compilation of poetry and prose surrounding a girl named Nour, who grew up facing war, hardship, and love. It won an award for outstanding poetic writing from the World Lebanese Cultural Union. She went on to become the President of the WLCU and currently holds this title. She moved to the United States in 2006, and now resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and their two children. She is a philanthropist and is involved with multiple organizations, such as St. Jude's Research Hospital, Moawad Foundation for children's education worldwide, and St. George for quality healthcare.