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!