FRIENDSHIP IS THE WORD IN EMIRATI WRITERS’ GROUP
▶ The members of Untitled Chapters reach out to anyone who seeks creativity, in any language
A flourishing community group is helping to spread the word about Emirati women writers and putting their talents in the spotlight.
Writer Fatma Al Bannai, 29, founded Untitled Chapters in 2011, when she realised there were few opportunities for writers to get together, make connections and friendships, and show off their skills.
“Where do we find Emirati writers? In every country, in every culture, you see writers from the community,” Ms Al Bannai says. “They’re in the news and bookstores. I saw an interview with Shahd Thani, an Emirati author, and thought surely there must be more out there.”
Members of the group met online and in the first year they organised their first open word event, where writers performed.
They have been involved in other groups but found themselves to be the only women or only Emiratis in the circle.
Untitled Chapters, now 50 strong, meets mainly in Dubai but has held gatherings in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
“We started off a group to support each other, share our work and grow as writers,” Ms Al Bannai says. “Shahd Thani started mentoring young writers and that’s how we started mentoring.”
The group welcomes anyone who wants to write in any language. It has authors writing in French, English and Arabic. Members write poetry, contemporary romance, historical romance, Emirati stories, short stories, haikus, horror stories and many other forms.
“I write historical romance and I used to feel ashamed, but I feel comfortable in my skin now,” Ms Al Bannai says.
The group also critiques written work on request and has held workshops in schools.
The women are often asked why they choose to write in English, not Arabic.
“Arabic is my mother language and I’m proud of it. English is my creative language,” Ms Al Bannai says.
Student Shamma Al Bastaki, 21, discovered the group on Twitter when she was 15.
“They had 10 followers and I clicked ‘follow’,” Ms Al Bastaki says. “At the time, I was feeling alone in my writing and would only share it with my family.
“I believe that in any of the arts, you can’t thrive without a community and a support network around you. Within Untitled Chapters, we are so different but we are linked by our passion for the written word.”
Writers who never had the courage to show their work to the world took part in the group’s first open word event.
“It was the first time people got to share it with the community,” Ms Al Bastaki says. “We wanted to show the community that we do have writers who are immensely talented and they want a platform to show that.”
Afra Atiq, 29, an Emirati performance artist and poet, has been with the group since 2011.
“We come from different walks of life and we aspire to be in this place that brings everyone together,” she says. “A lot of it is about community and about getting writers to share their work, watching the fear on their faces before the event and the pride after it. For me it’s incredible to watch that journey.”
Hessa Al Banafsaj, 30, says many successful writers belonged to groups that shared feedback.
“When we give each other critical feedback it helps us to become better writers,” she says.