Muslim Storytellers Fellowship (2021-2023)
In 2021, The Highlights Foundation began a two-year fellowship in children’s literature for Muslim Storytellers.
The fellowship was funded by a grant from the Doris Duke Foundation (DDF) through its Building Bridges Program. Through the Building Bridges Program, DDF works to elevate U.S. Muslim storytelling with the goal of increasing mutual understanding and well-being among diverse populations for the benefit of building stronger, inclusive communities.
The fellowship aimed to further that bridge-building mission by creating space for more diverse, authentic Muslim narratives for children and young adults, and by addressing common misperceptions of those narratives in the children’s publishing industry.
Program at a Glance
Meet the Fellows
The cohort of storytellers was comprised of aspiring, debut, and established Muslim authors and illustrators living in the US and Canada whose work speaks to children and teens.
“The mentors, fellowship committee, and organizers were incredible. They opened their hearts to the fellows, sharing their experiences, giving valuable feedback, and making us feel incredibly supported. The bonds I made with the creators who attend are real and rooted in respect and love. Also, the mentors were so generous with their time with all attendees. Where else would this ever happen? I am so thankful for this experience.”
Meet the Mentors
The Highlights Foundation was proud to welcome the mentors for our two-year fellowship program in children’s literature. The fellowship created space for more diverse and authentic Muslim narratives for children and young adults, and addressed common misperceptions of those narratives in the children’s publishing industry.
2022 Mentors
2023 Mentors
Meet the Program Manager and the Program Committee
The Highlights Foundation strove to work in coordination with organizations and individual storytellers who, together, have spent decades calling for greater representation of Muslim storytellers and stories for children.
Program Manager Zaynah Qutubuddin worked closely with the Highlights Foundation staff and the storytellers and mentors in the program to coordinate the fellowship’s sessions, events, and opportunities.
The fellowship program committee included several Muslim authors at various points in their journey of creating for children and teens, including the storytellers below.
They hoped that the diversity and plurality of the Muslim community and Muslim narratives shined through in this program, and that it created a lasting community of Muslim children’s authors and illustrators across backgrounds.
They also hoped that the community could build upon itself to bring about sustained positive change: that more Muslim children would be able to see themselves in their own books, and that all children could see more Muslims in the stories they read.
Program Manager
Program Committee
Fellowship Overview
The fellowship supported these Muslim storytellers over the course of two years through online and in-person workshops, mentorship, and retreats centered on:
- Craft
- Community and mental health (including mentorship)
- The business of publishing
- Bridge building to develop understanding of Muslim narratives within the children’s publishing industry
The program also impacted the greater children’s book industry through online and in-person events.
We held an informational webinar with the members of the fellowship programming committee before the application process, where they gave a program overview and joined in community discussion. You can watch the recording of the webinar here. You can also read the press release announcing the program here.
This fellowship has now concluded. For more information about future opportunities in Muslim Storytelling and other Highlights Foundation offerings, please sign up for our mailing list.
Fellowship Schedule
The Muslim Storytellers Fellowship was a working program with flexibility to add and adapt sessions as we discovered the needs of our writers and illustrators.
Many of the sessions took place online within our Muslim Storytellers Fellowship community, and some sessions took place on an individual basis online or at the Highlights Foundation retreat center in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The Muslim Storytellers Fellowship focused on:
- Amplifying the voices of Muslim writers and illustrators
- Building community
- Growing as creatives
- Networking and connecting with supportive mentors
- Engaging in the business of publishing
The program included:
- 12 online sessions for accepted Fellows
- 4 online mentorship sessions provided through the Muslim Storytellers Fellowship
- Additional mentorship through individual workshop selections (see below)
- 2 online courses from the Highlights Foundation (chosen independently by each fellow from the Highlights Foundation’s general course listings)
- Unlimited “mini” webinars throughout the Fellowship
- 1 in-person course from the Highlights Foundation located at the retreat center (chosen independently by each fellow from the Highlights Foundation’s general course listings)
- 2 in-community Muslim Storyteller Retreat Weekends at the retreat center (travel included, date selected by committee)
- 1 Muslim Storytellers Symposium at the retreat center (travel included, date selected by committee)
- And more!
The Highlights Foundation worked with the program committee to build out the sessions and opportunities for the whole fellowship. If you or your organization can offer support in Muslim Storytelling, please contact us via this form.
