Hazawi Podcast

My guest in this episode is Priyanka Taslim. She is a teacher by day and a writer by night. She began as a fantasy writer before writing young adult romance fiction. In the podcast, we talk about her experience as a young writer, and her emphasis on writing Bangladeshi characters, which she didn’t grow up reading. She has a strong sense of stories, so we talk about their elements and what makes a story successful. Also, we talk about balancing day jobs and pursuing one's passion by night. And finally, her new book “The Love Match” which the Kirkus Review says is “candid, textured, and amusing: a novel readers will devour in one sitting.” Out January 3rd, and you can preorder here

Thank you for listening, and keep on creating!

Timestamps:
(00:00:00) Introduction
(00:00:10) When did you start thinking of yourself as a writer?
(00:04:23) What are the top three elements that make a successful story
(00:20:22) How to find a writing community
(00:25:52) The Love Match (the book)
(00:29:26) Writing about the community with empathy
(00:31:45) Balancing day job and writing
(00:36:35) Advice for younger self and representation
(00:43:33) Craft books
(00:48:07) Advice for aspiring writers
(00:51:13) The Love Match is OUT where to get it and stay connected

Follow Priyanka Taslim
Website: priyankataslim.com
Instagram: @bhootbabe
Twitter: @bhootbabe
Tiktok: @bhootbabe

Follow the Hazawi Podcast:
Website: mohamedthewriter.com
Instagram: @hazawipodcast
Twitter: @hazawipodcast
Tiktok: @hazawipodcast

 Thank you for listening, and keep on creating!

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction 
01:20 What's Hazawi?
03:30 Abdulrahman in Yemen
05:50 The Hadhramout Foundation
07:56 First day in the US
19:05 Psychology and Religion, BA
30:40 Penn Graduate School 
36:20 Writing Becomes an Interest
45:00 Western and Eastern Education Systems
49:45 PhD Program
54:15 Criticism leads to Improvement 
56:06 How to be a Better Writer
50:09 Getting to Know George Gopen
01:04:00 Gopen Writing from the Reader's Perspective
 01:18:00 Advice for International Students and those Who Feel Behind

Social Media:

Follow Abdulrahman:
Instagram: @amsbin2022
Twitter: @ambindamnan

My guest in this episode is Sajidah, better known as S.K. Ali. She’s a fiction author. Her book, Saints and Misfits was the 2018 William C Morris Award finalist and was featured in multiple lists of Best Teen Novels of 2017.

Her book Love from A to Z, which we talk about on the podcast, was on several 2019 YA lists, including Kirkus and Entertainment Weekly’s top ten. And her picture book The Proudest Blue was co-authored with Ibtihaj Muhammad, the Olympic fencer, and was listed as a  New York Times Bestseller.

Her latest book, a sequel to Love From A to Z will come out on October 18, titled Loved from Mecca to Medina. It's the most anticipated YA book in October on Goodreads.

You can now preorder it from wherever you get your books or by clicking this link

Our conversation revolved around her growth as a writer, the navigation of the publishing industry after studying it for close to 10 years, her writing process, how to deal with self-doubt, the shift of perspective before and after publishing, and her new book Love from Mecca and Medina. Sajidah has a very solid understanding of the roles a writer play, the writing part, and the business side of things, and she breaks down how to play both. I’m excited about this episode and am sure aspiring writers will find it very beneficial. If you do, please consider leaving a comment on Apple Podcast [link]

Mentioned Links:
Pacemaker

Timestamps:

(00:04:09) Immolation as an aspiring writer
(00:09:38) The Learning Process Cross Fields
(00:13:00) When Do You call Yourself a Writer
(00:15:17) Time After College and Before Publishing
(00:19:24) How to Get Published?
(00:26:26) What It Takes to Become a Writer?
(00:33:20) Craft and Framing Devices to Make Stories Familiar
(00:38:19) Capturing the Muslim Experience and Avoiding Over Explaining
(00:42:50) Who Do You Write For?
(00:45:44) What is Your Daily Writing Process?
(00:49:31) Self Doubt After Publishing
(00:52:05) Advice For Young Writers
(00:53:49) Love From Mecca to Medina

Follow Mohamed:

Instagram: @moethewriter
Twitter: @moethewriter

Follow the Hazawi Podcast:

Instagram: @hazawipodcast
Twitter: @hazawipodcast
Tiktok: @hazawipodcast

Follow Sajidah:
Instagram: @skalibooks
Twitter: @SajidahWrites

My guest in this episode is Ilyas Mao,  an acapella singer, songwriter, composer, and producer. Our conversation took us back to Somalia, where Ilyas was born, to Pakistan, where he spent a few years before moving to Canada. We spoke about artists in the Muslim community, and the needed support. How he discovered his talent and transitioned from making music with instruments to using his own voice. He shared the story of quitting his marketing job after college, driving Uber, to becoming a producer for singers and filmmakers. Finally, he spoke about his new album The Edge of My Mind, a project that took him five years to put together. Ilyas is an artist who uses his art to spread positivity, and the rawness of his music takes one from the end of the tunnel to the light. He also looks out for other artists and uses his platform to help them with their journey.
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Timestamps:

(00:02:34) Acting and Filmmaking

(00:03:50) Mentorship and Boonaa Mohammed

(00:06:35) From Instruments to Vocals

(00:11:44) Using Nokia Phone to Create Music

(00:14:30) Somali and Yemeni Art

(00:27:03) From Marketing Job to Full Time Producer

(00:37:12) Social Media as a Distraction or Promotion

(00:39:53) Advice for Young Artists

(00:44:31) The Album- The Edge of My Mind

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Follow Mohamed:
Instagram: @moethewriter
Twitter: @moethewriter

Follow the podcast:
Instagram: @hazawipodcast
Twitter: @hazawipodcast

Hazawi. حazawi. Stories

In Hazawi Podcast, I will be interviewing Muslim writers, poets, filmmakers, and other creatives to reveal the story behind their craft. I’m interested in exploring the artist's journey, process, and challenges.

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I’ll also be posting articles about my own writing process and current projects on www.moethewriter.com. On the website, make sure to sign up for my newsletter, Hazawi Weekly, to get all the updates, and writing tips, and discover what I’m learning from the books I'm reading.

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Follow Mohamed:

Instagram: @moethewriter

Twitter: @moethewriter

Follow the podcast:

Instagram: @hazawipodcast

Twitter: @hazawipodcast