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Muslim Writers Collective

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Muslim Writers Collective (MWC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting storytelling in the Muslim American community.[1] The organization holds monthly open mics across the country featuring spoken word, poetry, comedy, music, and other art forms.[2][3][4]

History

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The Collective was founded in 2014 by Hamdan Azhar and Ayisha Irfan in New York City.

MWC emerged from a heightened post-9/11 context and is composed predominantly of millennials who are either university age or young professionals and are the children of Brown and Black immigrant parents.[5] According to a Vice magazine article published in 2016, "At a time when Islamophobia has reached new virulent and violent heights, MWC provides a space for young Muslims to honor their humanity."[4]

MWC has held events in over a dozen cities in addition to New York, including Boston,[6] Chicago,[7] Dallas,[8] Oakland,[9] Seattle,[10] Washington, D.C.,[11] Toronto,[12] and Lahore,[13] routinely drawing hundreds of attendees.

Themes

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Stories shared at MWC include topics such as heartbreak, family, and what it means to grow up Muslim in post-9/11 America.[4]

Notables

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References

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  1. ^ "Muslim Writers Collective". Muslim Writers Collective. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  2. ^ Chiaet, Julianne (October 12, 2014). "Defying Stereotypes, Young Muslim Writers Find Community". Daily Beast. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  3. ^ Akbar, Ahmed Ali (December 16, 2014). "21 Kick-Ass Muslims Who Changed The Narrative In 2014". Buzzfeed. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d Stahl, Aviva (February 22, 2016). "Reclaiming What It Means to Be Muslim, One Open Mic at a Time". Vice. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  5. ^ Ali, Nadiya (April 2022). Refusing Internment, Reclaiming Vitality, And Moving Past The Bargain Of Recognition: The Case Of A Muslim Creative Counterpublic (Ph.D. thesis). York University. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  6. ^ Shenoy, Rupa (March 3, 2016). "Creating a Secular Space for Muslim American Storytelling". WGBH. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  7. ^ Reid, Kerry (August 29, 2019). "The Muslim Writers Collective pushes boundaries while building 'Empathy'". Chicago Reader. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  8. ^ Myong, Elizabeth (November 14, 2022). "New Dallas group lets Muslim writers hone their craft and make connections". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  9. ^ "Bay Area Muslim Writers Collective". Bay Area Muslim Writers Collective. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  10. ^ "Muslim Writers Collective Seattle". Muslim Writers Collective Seattle. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  11. ^ Pukas, Anna (May 30, 2018). "Iftar at the White House: Trump's recipe for reconciliation in Ramadan". Arab News. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  12. ^ Hakim, Shireen (November 12, 2018). "Do We Really Need More Creative Spaces For Muslim Women Writers?". Muslim Girl. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  13. ^ Ahmed, R Umaima (May 1, 2016). "'Pakistan is a lot more than these negative stories we read'". The Nation (Pakistan). Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  14. ^ Hackman, Rose (September 29, 2015). "'You can't make us be foreign': young Muslim leaders who were shaped by 9/11". The Guardian. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  15. ^ "Amani". Muslim Writers Collective. September 26, 2016. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  16. ^ "James Yusuf Yee at Muslim Writers Collective". Muslim Writers Collective. November 25, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2023.