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Sara El Sayed Sara El Sayed i(16578138 works by)
Born: Established: 1995 Alexandria,
c
Egypt,
c
North Africa, Africa,
;
Gender: Female
Heritage: Egyptian
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Works By

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1 Muddy People : An Extract Sara El Sayed , 2021 single work extract novel
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings [Online] , September 2021;
1 3 y separately published work icon Muddy People Sara El Sayed , Melbourne : Black Inc. , 2021 20454913 2021 single work autobiography

'A hilarious and heartwarming memoir of growing up and becoming oneself in an Egyptian Muslim family.

'Soos’ family is muddy. Their skin is brown – kids say Soos is mud-coloured. Their culture and religion are puzzling to those around them. In their white majority neighbourhood, Soos, Mohamed and Aisha are bullied by racists. Their parents are discriminated against at work.

'Soos, the baby of the family – her name means ‘little tooth’ – is working out how to balance her parents’ strict rules with having friendships, crushes and a normal teenage life. As her dad is diagnosed with leukemia, the cancer cells clouding his blood, she comes to see her parents as fallible, with morals based on a muddy logic. But they are also her strongest defenders.' (Publication summary)

1 Boori Bit i "Alexandria's mullet smells of nothing", Sara El Sayed , 2020 single work poetry
— Appears in: Stilts , September no. 8 2020;
1 Behaviours in a Peer-only Creative Writing HDR Support Group : the Experiences of Two Students of Colour Melanie Saward , Sara El Sayed , 2020 single work criticism
— Appears in: TEXT Special Issue Website Series , October no. 59 2020;
'The experience of the creative writing higher degree research student is unique. The practice-led methodology many candidates apply to their research differs significantly to that of other disciplines, even those arts disciplines where practice is the focus of the research. Student life is further complicated by the need not only to be working towards research publication, but creative publication too. In some instances, feelings of isolation can contribute to HDR students failing to complete their studies. For women of colour, the need for counterspaces in the academy is also apparent. This reflective paper examines and discusses how a peer-only, diverse, horizontalised group facilitates the development of a sense of belonging and critical ‘disappearing’ relational behaviours that sit outside formal, academic supervisory interaction. Of particular importance in this reflection comes from the perspective of two students of colour. Through conversation with these two current members of the group, this paper discusses the behaviours and outcomes of peer-only support groups for HDR students in creative writing. It examines why HDR students of colour may prefer to seek support outside of the predominantly white formal structures that characterise the academy in Australia, and how such groups could potentially create effective counterspaces for students of colour.' (Publication abstract)
1 Aerobics for Arabs Sara El Sayed , 2019 single work autobiography
— Appears in: Arab, Australian, Other : Stories on Race and Identity 2019; (p. 33-42)
1 African Mama Sara El Sayed , 2019 single work autobiography
— Appears in: Growing Up African in Australia 2019; (p. 130-133)

'We always want what we don't have,' my mother said, on our first visit to African Mama. Straight hair being what we both didn't have.' (Introduction)

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