Identity and Belonging

The struggle to define oneself against stereotypes is something I feel very passionately about and is the primary reason why I deal with identity themes in my novels. Those stereotypes aren’t necessarily religious or culturally based. Some of my characters struggle against stereotypes associated with their figure and body image. Some struggle with stereotypes that arise because they come from broken homes or refuse to conform.

As someone who comes from a multi-layered background – Australian born Muslim Palestinian Egyptian – I know firsthand what it means to straddle between different worlds, to live bearing the weight of other people’s prejudices, to want so badly to withdraw in to the safety of anonymity to avoid confrontation. Through my writing, I hope to empower and inspire people of all faiths and backgrounds to embrace their identities and feel strong enough to assert themselves in the face of other people’s expectations and pressures. I also hope to offer my readers an insight in to worlds and experiences they perhaps have no connection or knowledge of, whether that be the world of an Aussie Muslim girl or a disfigured Palestinian child living under military occupation or a rebellious teenage boy taking on the legal world to fight for justice.

Writing workshops

I have extensive experience in conducting writing workshops offering my own practical tips including opportunities for writing in class and obtaining constructive feedback. My workshops can be tailored to all audiences including budding writers and students interested in creative writing.

Topics covered include:

    - An introduction to my own writing career to inspire and encourage younger writers. (Randa wrote her first full length novel, Does My Head Look Big In This? at just 15).

    - Discussion of practical exercises and theory

    - Developing the plot, getting started, sustaining the middle of a story, character development, dialogue, editing and ending.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict: a personal perspective from the daughter of a dispossessed Palestinian

My visit to my father’s birthplace, Palestine in 2000, had a profound impact on me. I suddenly understood the tragedy of my family, specifically my grandmother’s dispossession. I also saw children and young adults trying to get on with their life despite the occupation – attending weddings, gossiping with friends and neighbours, haggling at the shops, following favourite TV sitcoms. With my book “Where the Streets Had a Name”, I wanted to explore life under occupation from the perspective of a Palestinian child and write a simple story set in complicated circumstances. I explored sacrifices best-friends make for each other, sibling rivalry, nagging parents, sparring in-laws, ambitious wedding plans, helpless adults, children who dream big and an occupation that impacts on the minutiae of ordinary life.