2017 Unsilenced Grant Winner: Threa Almontaser
Winner announced for Alternating Current’s 2017 Unsilenced microgrant for Muslim American women and women-identified writers.
We at Alternating Current are pleased to present the winner of our 2017 microgrant for Muslim American women writers, Threa Almontaser!
We had 103 applicants in this inaugural year, and the quality of the writing samples was stunning. From ancestry to women’s rights to culture shock, the writing was intense, painful, honest, beautiful, educational, humorous, and impossible to choose between. We had to make some tough decisions, but we were so thrilled with the quality of the work. Threa’s personal statement (below) was haunting and eye-opening, and her writing samples churned with poetic phrase and urgency. We’re so proud to share her work with you, and we look forward to watching her bloom in the literary scene. Threa receives a medallion, certificate, $100 microgrant, publication of pieces with Alternating Current Press, and the option of a book proposal. Read her fantastic poem, “Real Arabs in America,” published on The Coil.
Threa Almontaser is a Yemeni-American writer born and raised in New York City. She is a Pushcart Prize nominee and winner of the 9th annual Nazim Hikmet poetry competition. Her work has appeared in The Baltimore Review, Track//Four Journal, Kakalak Magazine, Gravel Magazine, Day One Journal, and elsewhere. She currently teaches English to immigrants and refugees in Raleigh. Besides writing, Threa enjoys traveling to places not easily found on a map.
Grant Statement by Threa Almontaser
As a Yemeni-American writer, I’ve never found creative or contemporary literature written by my people. It makes me sad to know a culture so rich and ancient is hidden in this way. When I write about modern, taboo things, it’s because I want people to realize we aren’t all about blowing up planes and riding camels in the desert. I also write in reply to subject matters that disturb my Muslim community, issues like the venom directed toward refugees, women, and immigrants. I highly admire the works of Hissa Hilal — a Saudi poet who bravely used her platform to criticize bigoted male authority in the country.
I’ve worn the hijab (Islamic headscarf) since the fifth grade. The results and actions I’ve witnessed or stood through has greatly impacted my writing, especially having been born and raised in New York City after 9/11. I can still clearly recall the ignorant, prejudicial remarks my fellow classmates (and even a handful of teachers!) would make toward me growing up. After moving to North Carolina, I’ve experienced a different (yet still vile) reaction from those who strongly hold onto their backwards thinking and white supremacist pride living in the South. The Chapel Hill shootings (a hate crime where three Muslim students and good friends of mine were shot and killed execution-style not far from our campus) has also left its mark on me and on the distinct tone I’ve now adapted into my work. Every time I write, I keep in mind the female relatives overseas with brilliant brains who are powerless to voice their injustices without a cost. It forces me to relish the words that flow freely onto each completed work. Through my writing, I wish to break the stereotypes of oppression and violence stickered onto the Middle East and turn it into something lyrical and significant. I want to be part of a greater discussion that tests these notions and expands the stories told about us.
To donate to the 2018 grant, click here.
This year’s grant was made possible by 1977 Studio, Christina Collins, Susan Ito, Carlea Holl Jensen, Emily Walters, Maggie Owsley, Barrett Warner, Omotara James, and Amy Allen “given in honor of Caroline Lehman, an excellent teacher and human being.” This year’s design was created by Leah Angstman, with graphic by Mohamed Mahmoud.
