american muslim identity
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Four Writing Truths, Sort of
finish something. Anything. Just finish. Let that crappy first draft be crappy. Let your characters be half-formed things. Let the dialogue suck. You are at least halfway there if you finish. You won’t have everything figured out. No one does. Repeat after me: my worth as a writer doesn’t depend on a brilliant first draft
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Ask A Muslim Anything!
Thank goodness for local independent bookstores, especially Scuppernong Books in Greensboro, N.C. Scuppernong is brave and mighty; braver than some of our current politicians who want to close doors (and borders) to all things Muslim. The bookstore is providing space for everyday, average folks to meet everyday, ordinary folks who happen to be Muslim during a…
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Rain
It had rained for five days. Hard, like a rage spilling into the earth. I had my mountaintop writing residency waiting, the one with scenic hiking trails and early hints of fall foliage. To be honest, the rain made me mad. “Maybe,” my son said, “…maybe the rain is coming to wash your old stories…
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A Summer, Some Stories
What a summer! The summer began with my son’s return from the Middle East. He got off that airplane now man-size and full of wit and sarcasm. I’m happy to be a mom again. Having a 13-year-old eight grader keeps me relevant. I now know more than I ever imagined about YouTube and gaming. This season was abundant…
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Storytelling!
Finally. My stories are coming to life. Sort of. In you are anywhere near Chapel Hill, NC on September 12, 2015, please come out to The Monti’s season opener where I take the stage and expound on Danger! I’m honored to be part of a NC storytelling tradition, and I think I’ll look great on…
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Thursday Thoughts: Women and Our Bodies
This is true for many women: making peace with our bodies is the final frontier. Our bodies remain fallow, long after our minds and scholarship have bent towards feminism, or other revelations. We allow the wrong lovers, the wrong stories, to plow into our bodies, repeatedly. Until the day we don’t.
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Contested Whiteness: True Tales of a White Muslim Woman
My car battery dies today, so I call AAA. A tattooed technician in his mid 40s arrives. He is blond, Southern accent thick, and his hands are deeply rutted with grease and the trials of a Battery Service Tech. I will call him Joe. Joe is jovial and helpful. He starts to flirt a little…
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Musings On a Hot July Day
Summer greetings! What a long, hot summer it is, indeed. I don’t know about you, but it seems everyone I know is in some sort of transition. Nonetheless, I’ve been up to some exciting things. In case you’ve missed this, I produce a storytelling project called, “A Little Podcast.” The series highlights intersections between personality,…
Deonna Kelli Sayed 