Alhamdulilah, the three poems which I submitted to the Australian Muslim Artists Competition 2013 have been selected for publication!
I remember carefully looking through my archive of poetry, some finished, some unfinished. I wanted to submit poems which resonated with me, and with the themes most relevant to Australian Muslims. The poems I chose to submit (Bone Marrow, Cannibals and Utopia) had to do with themes of immigration, displacement, small community politics, and refugees. Very Aussie Muslim.
Here’s part of the email which I received last night:
We are pleased to announce that you will be one of the artists featured in the AMA publication.
This publication will be the first dedicated art book featuring Australian Muslim Artists and we are looking forward to sharing this diversity and talent.
I’m thrilled and grateful to be part of this amazing venture. Art and literature builds bridges between souls and communities, and the Islamic Museum of Australia will be an invaluable contribution to the landscape of Australian art and literature. To think that I’m part of this is so exciting!
I’d like to thank my family and friends for their support, and for Allah Most High’s literal Divine Concern for me. I couldn’t have done this on my own. The life of a poet and writer is fraught with rejection, so a strong support network makes all the difference.
I have a special thank you for Maryam Chahine, my good friend in Jordan and an amazingly talented poet. Jazakillah khayr, Maryam, for believing in me before I did 🙂 You gotta read her poetry. In the words of 21st century slang – she’s totes legit. Her poem Aren’t You Hot In That Thing? is one my absolute favourites. Enjoy!
Raidah Shah Idil 
A beautiful congratulations to you, Raidah! I’m so happy for you, dear! I knew you could do it! Persistence pays off as I keep saying like a broken tape recorder 😉 What a beautiful outlet and means of showcasing your work. Alf mabrook and may Allah grant you more and even better. I remember reading those poems when you were still living here in Jordan. “Bone Marrow” is my favorite of the group!
And thanks so much for your kind words on my writing! You brought a smile to my heart! My heart is wearing a big smile now 🙂 As you said, it means so much to a writer, and you’ve been one of my greatest supports in writing. I’m still working on my novel and I keep going because of your encouragement and motivation.
Keep us updated and if you get any pictures, I’d love to see them : ) Sending a big hug your way from your sister here in Jordan!
Aw jazakillah khayr, my dearest Maryam! Ameen to your duas. Haha sounding like a broken tape recorder is perfectly fine by me 😉 You were right, after all, about persisting. I’ll keep you posted. Keep writing your novel, and I pray that the world sees it soon. Let me know anytime you need encouragement. The life of a writer is fraught with the peril of procrastination and self-doubt, and inshaAllah, I’ll always be part of your support network!
Thanks so much dear Raidah! Your words of encouragement are more than you can imagine! Thanks for always being a good friend and wonderful anchor through the ups and downs : )
Dear Raidah, I am a student from Austria, for a literature course I am writing an essay about Muslim immigration to Australia and how it is depicted through literature. Upon doing research on the internet I came across your blog and your poems and was wondering whether I could use your poems about immigration and if yes, where I could find them? Did you already publish those three poems? It would be a great help to me, maybe you could respond via e-mail? Looking forward to hearing from you,
Best regards, Verena Junghans
Dear Verena,
What a lovely surprise! I’ll be in contact shortly.
Take care,
Raidah
Greeting of peace. Congratulations on the AMA publication. I was searching through the net for Muslim writers networks and find that there are not too many Muslim fiction writers and poets (atleast not in the public forums). As an amateur writer/poet myself in my free time, I would like to network with other writers and help contribute to this aspect of the Muslim community. Most writings of Muslims seem to be confined to non-fiction. Anyways, being another selected AMA writer awaiting publication, this might be a wonderful opportunity to find other writers and connect. Wasalam.
Abdullah
Salams, thanks for stopping by, and congratulations on your upcoming publication. What medium is your submission? I agree, there aren’t many resources out there for fiction-oriented Muslim artists/writers. Maybe the AMA can provide an online space?
My submission was in poetry as well. InshaAllah I will wait for the AMA publication to come out and then perhaps reach out to all the writers/poets to see if there is something that can be done to help foster our growth. Wasalam.