Ten Terrifying Questions with Sara El Sayed!

Sara El Sayed was born in Alexandria, Egypt. She has a Master of Fine Arts and works at Queensland University of Technology. Her work features in the anthologies Growing Up African in Australia and Arab, Australian, Other, among other places. She is a recipient of a Queensland Writers Fellowship and was a finalist for the 2020 Queensland Premier’s Young Writers and Publishers Award. Muddy People is her first book.

Today, Sara El Sayed is on the blog to take on our Ten Terrifying Questions! Read on …

Sara El Sayed (Photo by Bec Blooms Photography).

1. To begin with why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?

I was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and lived there until I was about seven years old. We then moved to Brisbane, Australia. I grew up mostly in the Redlands, which is a city just outside of Brisbane.

2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?

When I was twelve, I wanted to work at the check-out at Woolworths. I liked the idea of the cash register and giving people change. When I was eighteen, I wanted to be a writer. I thought I wanted to be a journalist but also enjoyed fiction, so creative writing suited me better. I’m not thirty yet, so I will let you know if anything changes!

3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you don’t have now?

I thought the word ‘artisan’ was pronounced ‘ar-tis-ian’.

4. What are three works of art – this could be a book, painting, piece of music, film, etc – that influenced your development as a writer?

I’ve said this so many times that she’s probably sick of me @ing her, but Randa Abdel-Fattah’s Does My Head Look Big in This? was a game changer for me. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini was also one of my favourites for a very long time – this book really introduced me to the power of literature. My Big Fat Greek Wedding – also a formative piece of art for me. Gus is just the Greek version of my dad.

5. Considering the many artistic forms out there, what appeals to you about writing a memoir?

I think the best books, fiction or non-fiction, are based on the lived experiences of the author. Memoir makes that contract quite clear – that what the author is telling you happened in real life. There’s an extra level of intimacy that comes with sharing what we’ve experienced. So, when people tell me they relate to a particular moment, or don’t relate to a particular moment, it’s special because we’re connecting on what is, to me, quite a personal level.

6. Please tell us about your latest book!

Muddy People is about my family, and how I grew up in Queensland as a migrant Muslim kid. There are quite a few awkward encounters in there – particularly when I’ve had to meet my family’s expectations as well as try to fit in with a majority-white community. The book is also about how my relationship with my parents has evolved over time, as my parents divorced, my father was diagnosed with lymphoma, and my mother lost her own father.

7. What do you hope people take away with them after reading your work?

I see this as an opportunity to introduce people to a bunch of new Arab characters and hopefully have readers embrace them for who they are – muddiness and all.

8. Who do you most admire in the writing world and why?

Can I list a few? Randa Abdel-Fattah, Sarah Saleh, Michael Mohammed Ahmad, and all of the Arab writers I’ve had the honour to meet and work with over the past few years. They have inspired me, and provided a sense of community that I think all writers need.

9. Many artists set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?

My next goal is to inshallah finish writing my first fiction novel The Blind Pussy Cat.

10. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

Create a community and keep it.

Thank you for playing!

—Muddy People by Sara El Sayed (Black Inc. Books) is out now.

Muddy People

A Memoir

by Sara El Sayed

Soos is coming of age in a household with a lot of rules. No bikinis, despite the Queensland heat. No boys, unless he's Muslim. And no life insurance, not even when her father gets cancer.

Soos is trying to balance her parents' strict decrees with having friendships, crushes and the freedom to develop her own values. With each rule Soos comes up against, she is forced to choose between doing what her parents say is right and following her instincts. When her family falls apart...

Order NowRead More

No comments Share:

About the Contributor

Booktopia