Corona Times: Words from the Pandemic

Yacoob Manjoo is a writer, blogger, and communications professional. His book of poetry and reflections, Let it Flow, was released in 2019.

Alveena Salim has been a primary school teacher and a sub editor of a Muslim national youth magazine for teenagers. She is a mother of three, inspired by the spiritual psychology of worship and the works of traditional scholars, while also being a student of the Quran. She is passionate about blogging, youth and community work, nature, and living a healthy lifestyle. 

Azra Alli is a part time writer, mentor, vocational trainer, philosopher, ruminator, photographer, and a world citizen. 

Faatema Ismail spent her early years in the beauty industry, but has worked extensively in the media industry and hosted her own newspaper column. Holding many hats as a woman and a mother, she perseveres to achieve her dreams in creativity, builds and empowers women through non-profit business coaching, and builds the community through her work. 

Iain S. Thomas is an international number-one bestselling creator and author of numerous books and creative projects, including Every Word You Cannot Say* and I Wrote This For You. His prose and poetry appears on monuments and in university collections, and has been quoted by prominent figures including Steven Spielberg and Arianna Huffington. 

Kitty O’Meara has worked as a copywriter and editor, a middle school teacher, a spiritual care provider in hospital and hospice settings, and has always been a writer. Her poem, In the Time of Pandemic/And the People Stayed Home, became a sensation around the world early in the COVID 19 pandemic, and is set to be released as a children’s book in late 2020. She is passionate about the Earth and its tending, the power of human kindness to resolve disagreement, and the necessary resistance to greed, bullying, and denial we must summon to heal the Earth and our relationships.

Matthew Bowler spends half his time working as a data scientist. The other half is spent writing poems, short stories and books. His inspiration can be a song, a sentence that forms in his head or an interpersonal interaction. His influences range from Russian classics to more modern authors, especially Ian McEwan and Julian Barnes.

Niki McQueen is an artist, graphic designer, and communications professional. She has been passionate about art since childhood. Under the psychological and emotional pressure of a world gone mad, she found a way of staying sane through making art. It has been and continues to be a prolific expression of years of unsaid words and unthought thoughts.

Pamela Newham has been an English teacher and journalist. She now devotes her time to writing poetry and books for teenagers. She has published two collections of poetry: Washing Day in the Bush and Double-jointed Girls. Her latest book for teens, The Boy and the Poacher’s Moon, was launched in May 2020. She lives in Hout Bay, South Africa.

Poemandpage is an anonymous young poet.

Saaleha Idrees Bamjee is a South African writer and photographer. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Rhodes University and is the winner of the 2014 Writivism Short Story Prize. Her first collection of poems, Zikr, won the 2020 Ingrid Jonker Prize for a debut volume of poetry in English. 

Safeera Abdul Latheef is a Qatar-based stay-at-home mom. She loves reading, painting, and cooking, but hopes to build a career in writing

Samia Khan is an aspiring poet and writer with a background in English language and literature. She is working to hone her craft, and is passionate about writing bite-sized pieces that trace the positive values of identity, faith, and existence..

Shubnum Khan is a South African author and writer. Her first novel, Onion Tears, was shortlisted for the Penguin Prize for African writing. She has been translated into Italian, Afrikaans, Vietnamese and Norwegian

Vance Cariaga is a freelance writer and editor, as well as a stay-at-home Dad. His short story collection, Money, Love and Blood, was published in 2017, and his work has appeared in various anthologies and has received awards and recognition. An American by birth, he currently lives in London with his wife and kids

Wasan Altikrti is a mother of two, a journalist, blogger, youth mentor, and educator with a particular focus on early childhood development. She has a degree in Politics and Management from the University of Leeds and is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Psychology. Wasan is passionate about bridging the gap between faith, spirituality, and mental health.