For the last year, I felt like I’ve been living between the upper and lower worlds, that middle realm Muslims believe the mystical resides in, but more in the sense that I was now the one seeing without being seen. The loneliness of our practice is something writers have cultivated to perfection, sitting in a circle of solitude as we work. Even so, with the current world’s political climate and strict distancing, lots of challenges have been posed to artists, including myself.

Civilization has been teetering on the edge of possibility. With every rising voice on the street or on the page, there’s been a palpable sense that we are in the middle of our story. That we are collectively writing a new ending for ourselves. Reading poetry decelerates us enough to imagine, if only for a few moments, these other people's lives. It’s a slower kind of empathy, yet it helps us acquire a total rather than a partial view of the universe. Which is why I am beyond grateful for this incredible award at the raw beginning of my career. Having the extra support will allow me to spend more time researching my second body of work for the Yemeni community. I feel a responsibility towards them now more than ever, to write not just about our survival, but our joys, too.

Very grateful to receive this uplifting gift. We are all intertwined. We carry the same eternal stories. Let us never forget how to share them.