âFrom childhood, I had been surrounded by the gorgeous adornments of Islam.â
Illustration: Ngadi Smart/Studio Pi/The Guardian
As a writer, my main concern is inviting the reader into a world that they might not otherwise know. And if itâs a world they do know, I want it to feel familiar to them. If thereâs one thing I strive towards when it comes to writing, itâs legitimacy. And as a reader, Iâm looking for exactly the same thing.
When it came to judging this competition, for young black writers aged between 16 and 21 on the theme of conversations, I spent a lot of time either being wowed by their penmanship, or astonished that I could so easily connect with what they were saying. Itâs been a long time since I was that age, but the skill of a good writer is drawing anyone in, whatever the gaps in age, culture or knowledge.