ISNA 2009: Islamic Writers Alliance - Booth #1029: book signings, contests, giveaways, and more

June 29, 11:32 PMBaltimore Muslim ExaminerJ. Samia Mair

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Baltimore Muslim Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

This year attendees to the ISNA convention will be treated to something special: Booth #1029 sponsored by the Islamic Writers Alliance (IWA).

What should ISNA attendees find at the IWA's booth? A whole lot, according to S. E. Jihad Levine, Director of the IWA, freelance journalist, editor, and blogger:

a. IWA member books for sale at a special price
b. Coloring contest for the children with prizes
c. Another contest (TBA) with a beautiful, high quality, digital Qur'an as the prize
d. Giveaways
e. IWA catalogue
f.  Meet the Author sessions
g. Book signings
h. IWA membership opportunities

The IWA describes itself as:

an international, professional organization for Muslims involved in the literary arts -- published and aspiring authors, novelists, poets, essayists, publishers, editors, translators, illustrators, journalists, spoken word artists, bloggers, and playwrights. We support one another in our goals as writers, whether it be honing our craft, seeking publication opportunities, or promoting our published works to both the Muslim and non-Muslim world. We are dedicated to writing about, presenting, and supporting positive Islamic fiction and non-fiction reading materials, in all genres, for all ages.

Pamela K. Taylor, who has served IWA in many capacities (Secretary, Publications Officer, Web Administrator, and Director), told examiner.com that this is not the first year IWA has participated at ISNA's Annual Convention.

IWA’s first booth in the bazaar was last year. In previous years, we have also sponsored panel discussions about Islamic Fiction, had a poetry display in the art area, and helped our authors get on the Meet the Author panel. The topic of the first IWA sponsored panel was Writing Good and Evil; the panelists engaged in a lively discussion of how Muslim writers should deal with characters who do bad things, Muslims who err, and so on, with a wide range of opinions being offered. The second panel was on Fiction as Dawah, and the again the panelist had a range of opinions from feeling that Muslims writing fiction needed to deliver a concrete message about Islamic values and to have Muslim characters who were overtly religious in their motivation to the belief that simply showing Muslims in a positive light, having Muslim characters doing what good Muslims are supposed to do is good Dawah. The year we did the poetry display, we had 8 posters with poems from our first Anthology, Many Voices, One Faith.

In 2003 an e-group was started for Muslim women writers to encourage, educate, and support each other in their efforts to publish and promote their work. It soon became clear that a professional organization for Muslim writers and others working in the literary arts was needed.

Eventually, IWA was formed. Over the past 5+ years IWA has expanded to include a website full of resources, published anthologies, writing contests, the free quarterly online magazine Islamic Ink, and more. IWA is now an inclusive organization, welcoming Muslim men and women of all races, ethnicities, linguistic backgrounds, abilities, and creeds. Members have very different backgrounds, talents, genres, and live all over the world.

Members participate in various ways. For example, Mahasin Shamsid-Deen, Assistant Director, has been a member of the IWA Board for over 4 years and has managed the Poetry contests each year, as well as offering steady and wise counsel to the organization. Debora McNichol has been working hard to get 501(C)(3) status. Other Board members Balqees Mohammad, Secretary, and Zabrina bint Abu Bakar, Marketing Director, devote countless hours as well making sure IWA runs smoothly and benefits all. Linda D. Delgado, Financial Officer, has been with the e-group and IWA since their inception and her many contributions, ideas, and inspiration are well known by all members. 

Many of the IWA members write Islamic Fiction, which has been defined as:

This refers to creative, imaginative, non-preachy fiction books written by Muslims and marketed primarily to Muslims. Islamic Fiction may be marketed to secular markets, too. The content of these books incorporates some religious content and themes, and may include non-fictionalized historical or factual Islamic content with or without direct reference to the Qur’an or the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh). The stories may also include modern, real life situations and moral dilemmas. Islamic Fiction may be written in many languages.

Islamic Fiction and other genres of books and cds will be on available at IWA's booth. Some of the book titles are below, along with a short biography of the author.

Linda D. Delgado is a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. Linda is the author of the award winning children's book series, Islamic Rose Books: The Visitors, Hijab-Ez Friends, Stories, Saying Goodbye, Grandma & Hijab Family Activity Book, and two non-fiction books: Halal Food, Fun and Laughter and A Muslim’s Guide to Publishing and Marketing. Linda is also the creator of the Grandma & Hijab-Ez comic strip series and the owner-publisher of Muslim Writers Publishing: a traditional Muslim publishing house in its fourth year with twenty titles published. 

Pamela Taylor is a freelance writer, an award winning poet, and an science fiction and fantasy author. Her work non-fiction appeared in the Muslim media as well as the mainstream press. She writes regularly for On Faith. Her fiction has been published in a variety of magazines and anthologies. Pamela will be selling copies of The Veil, edited by Jennifer Heath-Collum; A Mosque Among The Stars edited by Ahmed Khan, and the first IWA anthology, Many Voices, One Faith.

Alya Nuri is 9-years-old Author and Speaker. She loves talking to kids about understanding Drugs, Alcohol, and Smoking. "This way they know not to do these things. That they learn early on that it is bad for them, and to stay away from it, inshAllaah."  Alya will be selling her series called: Things Every Kid Should Know: Smoking, Alcohol, and Drugs. Her website is http://www.alyanuri.com/.

Amatullah Al-Marwani (In Loving Memory). Amatullah Al-Marwani (penned herself The Mad Rhyming Woman) was one of the founding members of the IWA organization. She was married to Mohamed and the mother of a son, Zaahir and a daughter, Amirah. Sister Amatullah authored the Zaahir and the Camel children’s book series, wrote extensive poetry, created newsletters for her masjid and community and served Allah with a heart full of love. She died April 29, 2005 from leukemia. Her book Star Writers, a creative writing text for Islamic Fiction stories will be for sale at the booth.

Corey Habbas, a Muslim revert since 2000 and freelance writer, has had her writing published in various online and print journals, newspapers, and magazines. Her short stories and articles for children have been featured in Learning Through History Magazine and Skipping Stones. Corey has won several awards for her poetry including prizes from the IWA and Qalaam. In 2006, her poetry won the Andalusia Prize for Literature. Her book The Runaway Scarf, a color illustrated Islamic Fiction book, will be available at ISNA.

Fawzia Gilani-Williams was born and raised in Walsall, England. She works as the principal of An-Noor Private School in Windsor, Ontario. She is the author of more than 20 children's books, including The Lost Ring and Husna and the Eid Party. She lives in Oberlin, Ohio with her husband Robert, and daughter Muslimah.

Freda Crane Shamma has been active in developing Islamic schools curriculum in three continents including North America. She is presently working for FADEL (Foundation for the Advancement and Development in Education and Learning) in Cincinnati, preparing an anthology of Muslim writings for middle school which can be integrated with the Islamic based social studies/history class and the Islamic studies class. Her book, which is co-authored with Sarah Conover, Ayat Jamilah: Beautiful Signs: A Treasury of Islamic Wisdom will be available at ISNA.

Habibullah Saleem has been a professional educational consultant for the past forty years and is currently a motivational speaker in elementary and middle schools. Habibullah teaches children math and phonics through poetry, theater, sports metaphors, crayon metaphors, word plays, songs, rhymes, and rhythm. His new book, Power Poetry For Wide Awake Youth, which will be available at ISNA.

Irving Karchmar has been a writer, editor, and poet for many years, and a darvish of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order since 1992. He is the author of Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel, and also writes the popular Darvish blog.

Jamilah Kolocotronis is the author of seven books, including the non-fiction work, Islamic Jihad, her first novel, Innocent People, and the five-book Echoes Series. Silence, the final installment in the Echoes Series, has been recently published and will be available at the 2009 ISNA Convention. Her website is: www.jamilahkolocotronis.com.

Maryam Mahmoodian is the author of a teen Islamic Fiction novel, Muslim Teens In: Pitfalls and Pranks, which will be available at ISNA. Maryam Mahmoodian is a Muslim-American, born and raised in the US with an Iranian father and an American mother. She currently works as a family physician in Lincoln, Nebraska, where she lives with her husband.

Mehded Maryam Sinclair is an award-winning storyteller and has been writing and telling stories for thirty years. Her book Miraculous Happenings in the Year of the Elephant, an illustrated dramatic telling of events behind Surah Fiil, the Elephant chapter of the Holy Qur'an, and its audio version will be available at ISNA. Her CD The Bowing of the Stars; Moments From the Life of Yusuf, peace upon him, also will be sold. To read more and hear samples: www.nuralqasas.wordpress.com.

Najiyah Diana Helwani is a teacher and freelance writer whose published credits include poetry and magazine and newspaper articles. She will be selling her teen Islamic Fiction novel Sophia's Journey: Time Warp 1857, which is the first book in a planned historical fiction series and her first published Islamic Fiction novel.

Nazaahah A. Amin is an aspiring artist/writer/designer. In 1997, Nazaahah published her first book Let’s Practice Our Deen: A Handbook for Young Muslim Women. She published her next book, a children's book, Jannah's Story, in 2007. In 2008 she authored and self-published her second children's book Khalidah's Khimar.

Saaleha Bhamjee will be selling her book The Beautiful Names, a color illustrated non-fiction book. She began her writing career as a columnist for the South African print magazine – the Muslim Woman. Her writings have appeared on Islam Online, An Nisaa magazine, The Straight Path Magazine, Al Qalam newspaper, the New Orleans-based Iqra, as well as the UK-based Muslim Weekly. She has had poems appear in the Muslim Voices Anthology 2006.

Shirley Gavin Anjum is the illustrator of several MWP book covers and book interior art including The Islamic Rose Books Series, Grandma & Hijab-Ez Family Activity Book, Star Writers, The Beautiful Names, Ripples and The Gift, as well as Teacher Study Guides for a number of MWP titles. You can see some of Shirley's work at her website: www.zatoon.com. 

Zabrina A. Bakar is an international motivational writer and columnist in both print and online media across the globe, among others the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Egypt and Brunei Darussalam. She is the author of the National Bestseller Islamic Motivational Book-Life Open Secret Book Series. She blogs at http://wisdomthruwords.blogspot.com/.

Zaipah Ibrahim is the author of a teen - young adult Islamic Fiction novel, The Gift, which will be available at ISNA. She was an English lecturer (1990 – 2001) at Sultan Zainal Abidin Religious College, Malaysia. She now owns a tutorial center and devotes her time to operating the tutorial center, writing books, and teaching English. Other Books written by Zaipah include: Islamic Word Games (Book 1 & Book 2). Her website is http://www.geocities.com/fajrlib/Fajr_Library.html.

Zohra Sarwari is an Author, Professional Speaker, Life and Business Coach. She loves inspiring Muslims to do their best for the sake of Allaah (swt). And "to make every moment count, and I pray that I can do that in different ways, from my writings to my cd's, vidoes and live events, inshAllaah." Zohra's books, 9 Steps to Achieve Your Destiny and Imagine that Today is YOUR Last Day, will be available. Her website is http://zohrasarwari.com/index.html.

For more info: Islamic Fiction books and authors