Writer * Educator
b. al-ism
Writing in memoir, poetry, and speculative fiction. His forthcoming memoir explores his queer coming of age amid Arab and Muslim values and chronicles a story of family fracture and healing.
Fabulous
A story of family fracture and healing
Unlike most queer children raised in a religious household within a conservative society, al-ism believed that when he told his parents he was gay, they would accept him. They had pursued their own path to love across culture and religion, and suffered a decade-long estrangement from his mother’s American and Jewish family.
Instead, at age 17, his coming out catalyzed another devastating rupture within the family.
Fabulous chronicles a young boy’s coming of age amid traditional values that cultivated a deep sense of belonging, and follows his two-decade journey to find his voice and transform his relationship to family and home.
For Writers
“It takes courage to write from the heart.”
I want to help you build a better writing practice through small but powerful steps that will have a major impact on how you work and what you create.
Every writer is looking to achieve something different. And regardless of the final product, all of us want to craft something authentic that resonates with our communities.
Are you ready to make your writing practice more joyful?
About
b. al-ism
b. al-ism is a Queer Arab+American writer and educator. His forthcoming memoir, Fabulous: A Story of Family Fracture and Healing, explores his coming of age amid Arab and Muslim values. His work appears in Rusted Radishes and The Markaz Review as well as the anthologies The Ordinary Chaos of Being Human, New Moons and El Ghourabaa. His speculative short story set in a post-apocalyptic Gulf, The Runner, won first runner-up in the Barjeel Art Foundation’s Mudun Short Story Prize, published by Rusted Radishes. Fellowships and residencies include The Corporation of Yaddo, La Napoule Art Foundation and 100 West – Corsicana Artist & Writer Residency.
al-ism is also an educator 10+ years of experience teaching writing in high schools, universities and through community workshops and residencies, both online and in-person.
Portfolio
Selected Works
Memoir Excerpts
Nailed Magazine
The Arab Edition
Anthologies (Memoir)
New Moons — Redhen Press, ed. Kazim Ali
The Ordinary Chaos of Being Human: Tales from Many Muslim Worlds — Penguin SEA
Emerge: The 2018 Lambda Fellows Anthology — Lambda Literary
Fiction & Creative Nonfiction
Rusted Radishes: Beirut Literary and Art Journal
Barjeel Art Foundation’s Mudun Short Story Prize — First Runner-Up
The Markaz Review
Poetry
Al Serkal Expression
Metonymy Press
Get in Touch
For inquiries regarding writing, editing, residencies, or collaborations.