The Things I Would Tell You: British Muslim Women Write

by Sabrina Mahfouz (Editor)

Overview

From established literary heavyweights to emerging spoken word artists, the writers in this ground-breaking collection blow away the narrow image of the 'Muslim Woman'. Hear from users of Islamic Tinder, a disenchanted Maulana working as a TV chat show host and a plastic surgeon blackmailed by MI6. Follow the career of an actress with Middle-Eastern heritage whose dreams of playing a ghostbuster spiral into repeat castings as a jihadi bride. Among stories of honour killings and ill-fated love in besieged locations, we also find heart-warming connections and powerful challenges to the status quo.From Algiers to Brighton, these stories transcend time and place revealing just how varied the search for belonging can be.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780863561511
Publisher:	Saqi Books
Publication date:	03/20/2017
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	532 KB

About the Author

Sabrina Mahfouz is a British Egyptian playwright, poet and screenwriter. She was awarded the 2014 Fringe First Award for her play Chef and her first play, Dry Ice, was directed by David Schwimmer. Her poetry has been performed and produced for TV, radio and film, including in the recent Railway Nation: A Journey in Verse on BBC2. Mahfouz has an essay in the award-winning The Good Immigrant and has published eight works of drama with Bloomsbury. She lives in London.

Table of Contents

Introduction 7; Fadia Faqir, Under the Cypress Tree 15; Amina Jama, Home, to a Man and other poems 30; Chimene Suleyman, Cutting Someone's Heart Out with a Spoon 37; Us 44; Aliyah Hasinah Holder, Sentence and other poems 48; Kamila Shamsie, The Girl Next Door 55; Imtiaz Dharker, The Right Word and other poems 74; Triska Hamid, Islamic Tinder 81; Nafeesa Hamid, This Body Is Woman 85; Ahdaf Soueif, Mezzaterra 96; Seema Begum, Uomini Cadranno 114; Leila Aboulela, The Insider 117; Shazea Quraishi, Fallujah, Basrah and other poems 154; Shaista Aziz, Blood and Broken Bodies 161; Miss L, Stand By Me 166;Aisha Mirza, Staying Alive Through Brexit: Racism, Mental Health and Emotional Labour 170; Hibaq Osman, The Things I Would Tell You and other poems 175; Azra Tabassum, Brown Girl and other poems 185; Selma Dabbagh, Take Me There 191; Last Assignment to Jenin 196; Asma Elbadawi, Belongings and other poems 205; Samira Shackle, My Other Half 209; Sabrina Mahfouz, Battleface 218; Hanan al-Shaykh, An Eye That Sees 238; Biographies 247; Credits 255

Editorial Reviews

‘Bursting with insight, humour and searing honesty. Essential reading’ Riz Ahmed

‘The first story I read moved me to tears, the poems made me up my game and the essays were a much-needed education’ Hollie McNish, Guardian Best Book of the Year 2017

‘A lively, varied anthology … Strong, impassioned voices speak out from the pages.’ The Guardian

‘Like The Good Immigrant, it gives a platform to people who don’t find it easy to get published, showcasing the variety of work these women produce’ Stylist Magazine ‘Best Books of April’

‘Paints a vivid and complex picture of the lives, concerns, creativity and realities of Muslim women living in the UK today … important, and timely.’ openDemocracy

‘At times sensual, humorous, piercing and heartbreaking, The Things I Would Tell You is an absorbing read. It is also important, and never more relevant than now.’ The Skinny

‘A beautiful and haunting collection ... provides a vital but fleeting glimpse into the lives of the unheard.’ For Book’s Sake, 4* review

‘Outstanding collection...The scope of the book is vast, depicting and voicing British Muslims’ multifaceted identity.’ The List, 4* review

‘Earnest, warm, fiery’ The National

‘This exquisite collection is full of energy, experimentation, honesty, beauty, fury, heartbreak and laughs … Defiantly multicultural’ Nikesh Shukla

‘Important and timely’ Eimear McBride

From the Publisher