Director: Linda D. Delgado (Sister Widad) Assistant Director: Mahasin D. Shamsid-Deen Secretary: Balqees Mohammed Financial Officer: Saba Negash Marketing Officer: Zabrina bint Abu Bakr Legal Officer:Deborah McNichol (serving in a non-voting, advisor capacity)
Each of these elected positions of the Board of Directors is on a volunteer basis.
Work for Hire Positions –
Sister Umm Junayd bint Naeem is the Editor in Chief of Islamic Ink, IWA’s quarterly magazine.
Sister Balqees Mohammed is the WebAdmin supervising the publication and editing of the IWA’s organizational website: www.islamicwritersalliance.net.
IWA Annual Poetry Contest
The IWA’s Annual Poetry Contest for the year of 2010 has officially come to an end, and the judges have submitted their decisions concerning the winners.
The results of the 6th annual Islamic Writers Alliance Poetry Contest is as follows:
IWA Member Category:"Daddy" by Enith Morillo
Adult Category: "Cherry Blossom" byFarah Razeena Abdul-Zahir
Youth Category: "A simple piece of cloth" by Haseena Abdur-Rahman
Judges:
Dr. Mohja Kahf: poet author of "Girl in the Tangerine Scarf" and "Emails from Scheherazad".
Dima Hilal: writer and poet with her work appearing in Aramco, The Poetry of Arab Women: A Contemporary Anthology, edited by Nathalie Handal (Interlink Books, 2001) and Scheherazade's Legacy: Arab and Arab American Women on Writing, (Praeger, 2004).
Karen English: author of several children's books including award winning "Francie", "Speak to me and I will listen between the lines" and "Nadia's Hands".
Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood: British Muslim author of over 40 books on various topics in Islam and developer of a textbook "Islam" used in UK schools for 20 years.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who participated by sending in submissions for the contest, and an extra extension of congratulations to the winners. In addition, we thank the judges for their valuable time and efforts making this project a success.
IWA Poetry & Fiction Anthologies:
The two anthologies, Many Poetic Voices, One Faith and Many Voices, One Faith II-Islamic Fiction Stories, which were published by MWP (Muslim Writers Publishing) in 2009 can be found at various international booksellers as well as the list at Amazon. For more information on both anthologies, which both showcase the many talents of many IWA members, go to the organization’s website: www.islamicwritersalliance.net or directly to the publisher: www.muslimwriterspublishing.com. You may also contact any of the IWA Board members for information on purchasing.
The publisher is offering a generous discount of 40% for retailers off the listed price of $8.95, although there is no offer available for consignment, whether for sales or distribution.
If you are interested in advertising the books on your websites or blogs, please contact Sr. Zabrina, IWA Marketing Officer, to attain the new IWA logo/banner and jpg with text for the anthologies.
Although the IWA is not officially participating this year in the annual ISNA convention, a generously willing member who agreed to take donated copies of the IWA Anthologies as well as books of the MWP listing containing IWA authors represented it. Due to agreement by IWA Board members to the proposal set forth by MWP owner & publisher, Sis Widad, all such books (including the IWA’s Anthologies) were offered at this convention for a discount of $1.00 on each book.
501C3 Non-Profit Status & Administrative Measures
As of September 11, 2009, the IWA achieved non-profit status, and is now officially known as Islamic Writers Alliance, Inc.
Measures are to resume soon for application of IRS qualification, which will mean that we will be eligible to receive tax-exempting donations.
A special note to all IWA Members and Associates: as valued members of the organization, we would like to remind you that the organization’s website is your website. We welcome your suggestions or comments on anything you think could stand improvement. Please feel free to send your comments directly to the IWA’s new WebAdmin at: balqees.mohammed@gmail.com, or to any of the other Board members, or even in the main egroup which is available for organizational communication between all members and associates.
An important reminder for all IWA Members and Associates who have a business outside of the organization, a fairly new feature we have added to the website is the “Business Directory”, in which is listed all IWA Members and Associates who wish to be listed, including a short synopsis of their business, as well as any contact information. The business itself does not have to be writing-related. It is simply a listing of those members and associates who are in business for themselves.
Any Members and Associates who are already published are also eligible to have their work represented in the “Books and More” section, where we present a jpg image of the book cover (or magazine, newspaper, or recorded message, etc.), as well as linking to a relevant website where the viewer can learn more about how to purchase the articles.
Lastly, but of course not least, is the section where Members have their own private page listed, a free service provided for our dues-paying members, where they may list a short bio of themselves and their work, as well as a CV-type report of their work, awards and credits, plus of course contact information. This is an excellent venue of free advertisement provided for dues-paying members, so if you have anything to update, please be sure to send in your information to the Director for future application to your page on the website.
Islamic Ink
Islamic Ink, the IWA’s free online magazine which is published and distributed quarterly, is yet another excellent venue which showcases IWA talent. The editor-in-chief is an IWA member. All content, whether editorial, news and all literary contributions are from IWA members. Subscription is free, so don’t miss out on this opportunity to enjoy yet another excellent aspect of the IWA. Past editions as well as information on how to subscribe can be viewed at the IWA’s website: www.islamicwritersalliance.net. Just link onto the page for Islamic Ink.
IWA Administrative News:
IWA Catalog-Due to a high percentage of IWA membership apparent non-interest and a no-show of support for this project, the Catalog which the IWA has put together in the past as a marketing tool for the organization as well as individual members listed in it has been discontinued until further notice when more support is offered in favor of this project. The IWA Board made the decision to discontinue this project based upon a poll presented to the IWA membership, followed by continuous prompts by the board members for the IWA members to vote and air their preference.
Young Authors’ project-This project was also ceased by the board, based upon lack of participation in it at this time. If, in the future, interest and support sparks once more for this project, the Board may re-implement it at that time.
Islamic Ink-Due to programming bugs and problems with her computer, the Editor-in-Chief of Islamic Ink informed us of unavoidable delays in publication of the summer 2010 of the organization’s online free magazine.
Marketing Officer-Due to her involvement in international activation campaigns, and the possible refractions it may cause upon the IWA due to her involvement in both arenas, Sr. Zabrina A. Bakr offered her resignation as Marketing Officer. The Board accepted her resignation as finding her reasoning valid. We thank her for her service to the organization. The position has been opened now for candidates to volunteer.
IWA Member & Associate News & Accomplishments:
Sr. Saara A. Ali, IWA member, reports that she interviewed the well-known author Yahiya Emerick on her blog http://muslimkidsbooks.wordpress.com/2010/06/07/meet-the-author-q-a-with-yahiya-emerick/. This interview not only looked at the talented works of Br. Yahiya, but it also served to highlight many issues important to Muslim publishing in the world today and for the future.
Saara also reviewed books of two IWA members; Maryam Mehded Sinclair's book, "A Trust of Treasures" and Linda D. Delgado's "Catch Me If You Dare" (located on smashwords.com)
Sr. Saba Negash, IWA Financial Officer, reports that she had some articles published recently in the Muslim American Girls Magazine.
Continuing in her efforts in promoting reading for families, she is promoting a Summer Read-a-Thon at her website: www.familyreads.weebly.com. She has also added some new books to the reading shelf, as well as a page dedicated for boys.
Sr. Susan Baaghil, IWA member and award-winning artistic photographer, is proud to announce the completion and release of her latest book: Crafts of the Arabian Peninsula, which is a collection of more than 286 artistic photographs of crafts and the craftsmen (and women) of the Arabian Peninsula, accompanied by artistic descriptive narrative informing the reader not only of the various traditional crafts and the talented men and women who created them, but of the history of how the crafts developed and the various regions.
A labor of love which took her over two years to complete, traveling to all regions of the Arabian Peninsula by car, helicopter and plane, taking her even to the most remote region of the desert in the Empty Quarter, she has carefully and meticulously tried to bring together within the 300 pages of this book a colorful and enlightening view of the various traditional crafts of every region and tribe.
With the help of professional Arabic-English translator, Sakeenah Quiker, the book has been translated from its original Arabic and is available in the new English translation for those non-Arabic speakers to benefit from. Upon the first release, the book went up for auction, with the first sale donated to the Saudi Cancer Society, and gaining also praise and recognition from Hillary Clinton.
The first artistic and cultural project of this kind centering on this region, this book enlightens the reader to the culture and history of the region as well as the artistic crafts. Although one may notice an obvious emphasis upon the Bedouins and their crafts, the author has tried to highlight truly every craft from every region and major tribe throughout the Arabian Peninsula-crafts which have carried on through many generations, passed down hand by hand from grandfather (and grandmother) to their sons and grandsons (and daughters and granddaughters).
Sr. Pamela Taylor, IWA member, award winning poet and freelance writer, is proud to announce a recently negotiated contract with On Faith of The Washington Post which has culminated in the honor of achieving her own named blog. This promotion of status with the publication gives her the option of writing whatever she wants without having to follow the format of an assigned question, giving her of course more control over her own column.
During the month of June 2010 author and publisher, Sr. Linda D. Delgado aka Widad, wrote and published to her blogs the following stories and articles.
Rym Umar – Sleuth Extraordinaire: Chapter 1: Rym’s Not So Excellent Idea; I will be writing additional chapters to this not so short IF story.
NEWS FLASH-PHOENIX AZ – a humorous flash fiction short story - Best Friends – written especially for Muslim brothers in the youth/teen age range.
Mama’s Steamer Trunk – teen and adult reading level short story
Linda D. Delgado wrote and published on the Islamic Fiction Books blog Two non-Fiction Articles that discuss Islamic fiction. The titles of the two articles are:
Ever Wondered Why It’s Hard To Find Islamic Fiction Books?
What Can YOU Do to Help Support Muslim Authors and Their Work?
Linda D. Delgado also created at the Islamic Fiction Books blog www.islamicFictionBooks.wordpress.com a Recommended Summer Reading List of Fiction and Non-fiction Bookswritten by Muslim Authors in response to reading about other Muslim recommended reading lists with predominately mainstream or secular books listed that promote mainstream books to Muslims for reading.
The new mystery-detective adult fiction novel, Catch Me If You Dare written under the pen name, L. D. Alan, received four reader reviews at Smashwords and Amazon.com
Linda D. Delgado is a Muslim revert, author of the award winning Islamic Rose Books series, owner and publisher of Muslim Writers Publishing, and the Director of Islamic Writers Alliance Inc. www.MuslimWritersPublishing.com
Sr. Enith Morillo, IWA member, is the honored winner of the prestigious IWA Annual Poetry Contest for 2010, IWA member category, with her poem entitled "Daddy". She dedicates this distinguished award to her father, who suffers from Parkinson's disease.
