Hena Khan is an award-winning picture book and middle grade author whose work includes an Islam-themed picture book for the Curious George books. Hena was tapped to write the first release of Simon & Schuster’s groundbreaking imprint Salaam Reads, where she wrote the highly acclaimed middle grade novel “Amina’s Voice”.
Hena and I discuss the inspiration behind “Amina’s Voice” and her universal story of self-acceptance and the acceptance of others. Hena walks us through how she introduces Islam to her young readers and we continue to talk about how important it is to have diverse representation in children’s literature.
Further into our conversation, Hena unpacks how she strengthens her character’s voice by knowing exactly what they want, and we touch on ways that writers can instill accountability to inspire a finished story. For those of you who are currently looking for writing groups to be a part of, Hena shares the specific characteristics of writing groups you should look out for when finding your perfect group.
Say 'Hi' to Hena on Twitter and check out the books/resources mentioned in her episode over at her shownotes page by clicking here!
Happy listening!
Xo
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“Stories have the power to change hearts and minds.” -Hena Khan (Click to tweet)
“We are not a monolith and one story can’t represent all of us.” -Hena Khan (Click to tweet)
“Having people say that these books…matters to them and it made a difference to them in some way is how I define success.” -Hena Khan (Click to tweet)
“I realized I couldn’t understand other people’s loss until I had experienced it myself.” -Hena Khan (Click to tweet)
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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN TODAY'S EPISODE:
The importance of the imprint Salaam Reads in our current political climate Hena shares how she introduces Islam to her young audience How to strengthen your character’s voice by knowing what they want Ways you can instill accountability to inspire you to finish your story The characteristics of writing groups you should search for when finding your perfect group How Hena got the opportunity to write “It’s Ramadan, Curious George” The importance of diverse representation in children’s literature Finding empathy after experiencing loss