In the following interview, Lena Mahmoud interviews Susan Muaddi Darraj, renowned Palestinian American fiction writer, about the impact of social media in cultural movements, the importance of contributing to an active literary community, and the rewards and challenges she has experienced writing her new children’s book series Farah Rocks.
LM: In 2019 you started the #TweetYourThobe to honor Rashida Tlaib’s swearing-in. Its popularity inspired the International Day of Tatreez and Palestinian Culture. Did you think that the #TweetYourThobe would have such a far reach? What are your hopes for the International Day of Tatreez and Palestinian Culture?
SMD: I wasn’t completely surprised that #TweetYourThobe went viral, because we had support building “underground” in a private Facebook group for a couple of weeks. (It was private because when I first floated the idea on Twitter to wear thobes on the day of the swearing in, I got some intense hate mail). The idea grew and grew, with people inviting their friends. I knew that Palestinians and our friends would enjoy posting pictures of themselves in thobes and other forms of tatreez (embroidery) — and I was excited by everyone’s enthusiasm. I initially invited only 300, but by January 3rd, we had 8,000 members.
I think what did surprise me was the media reaction — it was overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic. By mid-morning on January 3rd, my friends at the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) were funneling media inquiries my way. By noon that day, NPR and The New York Times called me within minutes of each other, and that was when I understood the impact #TweetYourThobe was making. And then CNN and others — and each major story spurred further interest in the topic. By January 4th, the second day (our campaign lasted 3 days), there were newspapers in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East covering it.
I was most affected by how meaningful the event was for Palestinian Americans. Finally, a chance to take charge of the narrative in the news headlines! It was refreshing. That’s why we are starting the International Day of Tatreez and Palestinian Culture — I’m partnering with the newly established Museum of the Palestinian People in Washington DC to do online and local, face-to-face celebrations of Palestinian culture every April 30th. We’re using the hashtags #TweetYourThobe, #TweetYourTatreez, and #TweetYourCulture.
LM: Your first two fiction books were literary short story collections, but your upcoming release, Farah Rocks, is the first book of a middle grade chapter book series. Was the transition from literary short fiction to middle grade fiction a difficult one? What inspired Farah Rocks? How many books do you have in mind for the series?
SMD: Well, I have a four-book contract with Capstone Books, and there’s a possibility of writing more if the book does well. I was inspired to write it by my daughter — she’s an avid reader and she asked me one day why there weren’t books with Arab or Palestinian girls in them. I realized I had wondered the same exact thing at her age. I loved books like Pippi Longstocking and Anne of Green Gables, later I got into Nancy Drew and even the Sweet Valley High books. But I never saw even minor characters who reflected my own life. That’s two generations of Arab American girls asking the same question, right? Where am I? How come nobody sees me? How come I don’t see myself in the books I love?
So I was like, “That’s enough of that.” I approached my agent with the idea. He doesn’t really represent children’s fiction, but he liked the idea and supported it. He told me to write the first two books in the series, and when I did — it took me about six months — he went out to publishers with them. And he negotiated a four-book deal, which is great, because it will be a substantial series.
Farah is a fifth grader who is very smart, brave, and funny. She has a fun little brother named Samir, a mother who is very patient, and a father who is hilarious and likes to make breakfast foods for dinner. They are a working-class family, and so they struggle with money. In the first book, Farah has to confront a new girl at school who turns out to be a terrible bully.
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LM: In addition to your books, you have been very active in the literary community, including hosting workshops for both RAWI and Barrelhouse. How do you think those two roles complement one another?
SMD: The writing community is a small one, and the Arab American writing community even smaller. I believe in being a good “literary citizen,” in helping to support and promote other writers. I’ve been a literary journal editor — I edited the Baltimore Review for seven years — and I’ve been active with Barrelhouse Magazine for several years as well. I’ve also helped organize a successful creative writing conference in Washington DC every spring — Conversations & Connections (www.writersconnectconference.com) for the last thirteen years. In fact, it was just named one of America’s best writing conferences by The Writer magazine. I think the appeal of this conference is that we have a “no divas” rule — we invite only writers and presenters who have a generous attitude towards helping others learn the craft and the intricacies of the publishing world.
So all that is to say that I believe in supporting other writers as much as possible. I know that I have had other writers who mentored me when I got started — and I’m grateful to writer friends who blurb my books, who invite me for readings or to serve on panels, who spread the word about my work. Again, if you want to be part of this community of writers, you have to not only care about the written word, but you have to support those who write, edit, illustrate, publish.
LM: You were recently named a Ford Fellow, which comes with a $50,000 purse. Congratulations! How important do you believe awards and funding are for a successful writing career?
SMD: I was thrilled to be recognized by United States Artists, which awarded me the Ford Fellowship. That was quite meaningful because I was invited to the ceremony in Chicago, where I met so many wonderful writers (Lucas Mann, Fred Moten, Molly Brown) and artists working in other disciplines, like musician Terence Blanchard and vocalist Somi. It was a tremendous three days of sharing our work with each other and talking about the creative process. So it’s not the award itself so much as the network it provides you, the company it places you in, that I value.
But of course, there’s no denying that awards can help your career in more tangible ways — having a book award sticker on your book cover certainly helps people pay attention.
Funding is also crucial, especially for those of us who work full-time and for whom writing is something we accomplish “on the side.” I have a full-time job and I’m raising three children, and I wake up early (sometimes at 4:30am) to write for a couple of hours before I start the rest of the day. Having funding is great because it allowed me last year and this year to take some time away and provide childcare while I was gone so that I could focus on my work.
LM: The writing advice that you provide during your workshops has been highly regarded. What is the most important bit of writing advice for other writers?
SMD: Care about your characters. Know them. Understand their flaws. View them with a critical eye. Figure out what they love, what they want. What scares them? The whole book unfolds from their desires and their fears.