المُؤْمِنُ مِرَآةُ المُؤْمِنِ
“One believer is a mirror to another.” – Allah’s Messenger Muhammad ﷺ
Who: God willing, this summer autumn year Zaynab Books will publish an anthology of student writing that includes poems, short stories and essays! Middle and high school students (grades 7 to 12): you are invited to submit your writing for consideration. The working title of the book is The Reflective Friend Anthology of Student Writing. Did you write any poems, short stories or essays this school year?
What: Contribute one or more pieces of your original, grammatically correct and polished writing to Zaynab Books for publication in a collection of student writing.
Why: Production, Distribution and Publishing of Writing is an educational standard that middle and high school students are expected to achieve by state boards of education in the United States, as you can see if you search their websites for ELA standards. Here are the standards from the Illinois State Board of Education.
Submitting your writing to Reflective Friend gives you an opportunity and an incentive to polish up a draft of a poem or story you have already completed or finish a piece that you have not, but which looks like it could be good if you did, and get it published! You will then be a published author, insha’ Allah. In any case, you will have refined a piece of your writing in pursuit of excellence, which is a reward in itself.
- Your submission(s) will be read by an editorial team that loves Muslim perspectives.
- Your writing could help build a community of writers and readers for you to be a part of.
- Your writing will be a good example and motivator for those who read it.
- If your writing pleases Allah, Hu knows what the outcome will be.
- If you get published, you’ll have an original contribution to gift to others on special occasions (instead of buying something made entirely by somebody else).
- By writing or editing a piece, you will find time to reflect on your experience. Often, reflection helps people appreciate life, understand themselves and others, solve an intellectual puzzle, have a good laugh, heal a wound, respond to a problem, experience beauty, and become more aware of Allah.
Insha’ Allah. The list goes on…
What type of writing should you submit?
- Shakespearean sonnets
- Lyrical odes
- Free verse poems
- Blank verse poems
- Islamic satirical stories with literary elements (hyperbole, verbal irony, or understatement)
- Journal entries about Ramadan, or the pandemic, or other reflective pieces of writing
- Short stories up to 5,000 words long
- Essays (including essays that analyze a work of literature, or discuss an Islamic concept, or explore a theme or topic in social studies)
- Artwork to illustrate the anthology or put on its front or back cover
- Haikus
- Acrostic poems
- Word art
Prizes:
$35 prize for best short story
$30 prize for best poem
$25 prize for best essay
Submissions will be judged by the Zaynab Books editorial team. Prizes will be awarded using Zelle, Remitly, or whatever works best, insha’ Allah. Reasons for acceptance or rejection will not be given, as there is no time for that, but your polished piece(s) will shine, insha’ Allah.
When: The deadline for submissions is 5 PM Chicago time, Sunday, July 16, 2023 Tuesday, August 1, 2023.
How: All submissions must be submitted together in one document. Please have your work proofread by somebody with good grammar, punctuation, spelling, and reading skills first. All submissions must be submitted with a consent form signed by the student and both parents (if applicable) to be considered.
Where: Download your consent form / contributor’s agreement here, print it out, and fill it out. No need to send an accompanying cover letter or note. Then, fill in this handy form to submit. (If you have a problem with the form, e-mail editors@zaynabbooks.com and we will help you insha’ Allah.)