2nd Muslim Women’s Literary Conference inspires creative pursuits

The Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) and Daybreak Press Publishing, held the second annual Muslim Women’s Literary Conference in the Graduate College of Social Work auditorium in Texas, US.

Hawzah News Agency-The Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH) and Daybreak Press Publishing, of the nonprofit Rabata held the second annual Muslim Women’s Literary Conference at UH in the Graduate College of Social Work auditorium in Texas, US. The seven-hour event was packed with performances and speeches from renowned Muslim poets, pioneering authors, educators and spoken-word artists.

This year’s theme was “Once Upon a Faithful Heart: The Power of Pen & Paper.” The panel of speakers presented topics ranging from combating the stereotyping of Muslim women in academic literature to women writers taking back their own narrative.

Many attendees traveled across the nation, some across the world, to attend the conference.

Last year’s conference was held at the George Memorial Library. Afshan Malik, Daybreak Press project manager and volunteer for Sisters Committee of ISGH, said that this year the board decided UH was the perfect venue to evoke an empowering and academic vibe no local library can compare with.

“We wanted to embrace people of different backgrounds, and this year our panel had a large number of converts,” Malik said. “Houston appreciated that because of its ethnically diverse demographic.”

Umm Juwayriyah, a children’s book author, flew in from Kuwait to speak at this conference. She discussed the importance of reading to children every night, even if it is just a small paragraph.

The event commenced at 10:30 a.m. with an introduction from the organizers, followed by readings from each member. With an audience of approximately 100 members, there were constant lines of fans waiting to get their books signed by the authors during the lunch break.

Malik said that Daybreak Press represents social justice and a powerful movement on how Muslim women are perceived. A commonly used phrase among the organization’s representatives is “Muslim women taking back their narratives.”

Some of the audience members, Malik said, were truly inspired.

“I think it was interesting to have Muslim women come together and have a conference in a casual setting because you usually don’t see that,”

Malik mentioned she will definitely invite more women exhibiting a diverse background and add more Muslim journalists to the panel next year.