Description: Illuminated Cities student Jaitun Nara receiving her first poetry award. Photo: Umme Kulsum

Testimonials

“Today I received my first poetry award, securing third place, and it’s all because of your guidance and support. You taught me how to express my thoughts through poetry, and this achievement is as much yours as it is mine. Thank you for inspiring me and believing in me.”

- Jaitun Nara, Poetry of the Camps-Rohingya refugee camp

Poetry of the Camps

Rohingya Refugee Camps, 2024

“The poetry class has changed my life. It helped me improve my writing and express my thoughts better. I also feel more confident and connected with others who love poetry. I benefited greatly from attending this class. It taught me how to express my sadness and emotions through poetry, giving me a voice and a way to share my feelings with the world.”

— Mohammad Aziz, Poetry of the Camps-Rohingya

“I truly appreciate Poetry of the Camps. Before attending, I didn't have any idea of how to write poetry but after attending those sessions I can write the poetry effectively and nicely. In a short period of time I gained much knowledge about the writing good poetry. Those sessions was critically helpful for me. Those sessions was incredible and wonderful.”

— Jaitun Nara, Poetry of the Camps-Rohingya

“Poetry of the Camps was a deeply moving experience that showed the resilience of the human spirit through art. It taught me how poetry can preserve history, express pain, and inspire hope even in the darkest times.”

— Parves Mushorof, Poetry of the Camps-Rohingya

“I found a lot of benefits from the sessions about the basics of poetry and more about Palestinian people and the current issues.”

— Muhammad Jaber, Poetry of the Camps-Rohingya

Poetry of the Camps

Gaza, 2024

“The first session was my favorite, because I experienced writing poetry for the first time. I started to focus on my breath and take the time to breathe alone. I found myself brave enough to write poetry alone.”

— Duha Hasan, Poetry of the Camps-Gaza

“The way the topics were chosen, the smoothness in presenting ideas and supporting them with videos, pictures, reviews, and our participation via chat or voice with opinions and writings, and the impact of those topics in light of the ongoing war, and reminding us that we are a miracle and that we are capable during the period in which we were helpless.

It was fun to brainstorm for a while and think again after thinking about survival and adapting to life after displacement, so participating in this camp was a great idea to re-condition the brain and thinking and return to reading and writing, which is a great thing to enrich my mind and reformulate ideas into blogs and poems describing each session and every topic raised in the sessions, and I look forward to more of these sessions in the future in better conditions other than war, as I attended all the sessions without excuses of internet outage or bad internet. It was fun to participate and learn from these sessions.

I have benefited a lot, honestly. Raising these issues on the intellectual scene is important in light of the current global situation in which the world is witnessing the outbreak of wars, displacement, genocide, migration, racism, lack of security and peace. This contradicts what they call freedom of opinion, peace and homeland, in addition to creating sectarian conflicts and racist problems to tear apart the community, dismantle societies and create conflicts within one society. Therefore, we need to deepen these concepts such as homeland, freedom, miracles, color and supportive messages of love and the existence of peoples who support these ideas and are not satisfied with seeing a people occupied and annihilated and not doing anything.”

— Asmaa, Poetry of the Camps-Gaza

“I am questioning the worthiness of poetry/writing more than ever but I think writing and sharing poetry is more important than any time before. Sharing poetry with Poetry of the Camps was a gift and was a needed moment of sharing and documenting. “

— Basman Derawi, Poetry of the Camps-Gaza

Poetry of the Camps

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2024

“I never thought of myself as a poet, but Poetry of the Camps gave me the space and courage to start writing poetry. I know see the power of poetry in helping capture and process strong emotions, and the ability to turn a feeling that seems ugly into something beautiful has helped me accept myself for who I am.”

— Aaliya, Poetry of the Camps-MIT

“I was deeply impressed by the entire project, as it resonated powerfully both with young people in refugee camps and with those of us here in the US who had the opportunity to hear their voices. In the current campus climate, many of my friends at MIT who sympathize with the Palestinian cause feel hesitant to attend activism events. However, because this event focused on poetry and was held in a theater, one of my friends felt comfortable joining me. She was deeply moved and grateful she came. I believe hosting more events like this on campus can provide a safe and nurturing space for people to show their support and engage with the cause.”

— Carmelo, Poetry of the Camps-MIT

Love Letters (to God)

"I truly think everyone needs to do these prompts to move forward in life."

- Spring 2020

"I always believed that I was a poor writer [during] my days in school. As I took this class each week I discovered a new joy of writing and expressing myself through words with the guidance from Zehra."

- Spring 2020

"This has truly been the highlight of my Ramadan weeks. It's very important to learn Quran and be engaged with the community, but it's fundamental to also take time to get to know ourselves and dive into our hopes, dreams and fears. This course made me have a more intentional and meaningful Ramadan. It's only through self reflection and vulnerability that we can truly understand what we need and how we can grow. This workshop was a tool to achieve that."

- Spring 2020

“Taking Love Letters (to God) was the highlight of a truly challenging year. It has impacted so many spheres of my life unlike any other course I have ever taken - my sleeping habits, my attitude towards my life goals, my relationship with God, my writing, my mood in general... I felt like I woke up parts of my soul that were dormant. Even with the obstacles of going virtual due to Covid-19, our teacher Zehra managed to build a community of peers on a virtual space that has already transcended the limits of our computer screens. She built a sisterhood, a space where through writing, love and support we all grew years in weeks. I wish I could give this course as a gift to all the people I love.”

- Ariella Gayotto Hohl Khan, Summer 2020

“Wow - where do I start? Love Letters (to God) was a transformative experience. I'm reminiscing on our last session and so many powerful emotions were brought to the surface. We connected over stories of happiness, heartbreak, dreams, sorrow, gratitude, acceptance -- basically the vast array of emotions that are part of the human experience. I can't describe how blessed I feel to have been part of this cohort of amazing people. If you want practical tools to change your life for the better and a support system to carry you through it, this course is for you.”

- Serena Summer 2020

“I can't begin to say how much this class has helped me grow. It really enabled me to enhance my relationship with Allah and the people around me in ways that I did not think I could otherwise. The tools I learned were very practical and I have already adopted many in my life. I am grateful that I can look back at the letters I wrote as a source of strength during hard times. The community here is also a group of people who are dedicated to growth and learning, and it is so refreshing to hear their perspectives on growth. This class helped me envision what my best life looks like, and helped me take the steps I needed to adopt those steps.”

- Zenith, Summer 2020

“If there is one piece of advice I'd give to someone thinking of taking this class, it's this: Be prepared to be inspired. And I don't just mean that the sessions are inspiring, but also that you, fellow student, have to come to it with the desire to be inspired. This was an incredible journey that I feel privileged to have been a part of, and I do hope that the changes it has brought to my life live on.”

- Rania El-Badry, Summer 2020

“Thank you so much… [this] program was one of the excellent things I ever attended... it helps to dive deeper into your own beliefs, inner self and rethink your relationship with everything around you. The course discussed very unique and interesting topics… and with much to benefit from you and the colleagues. I attended some other programs which sound the same from the outside, but to be honest I did not even continue as they were not as expected, but this one is very different and uniquely developed, it went far beyond my expectations. I hope you do a lot more in the future. I hope also to see more people joining from outside the US like me.”

- Mariam, Fall 2020

“I’d like to say this class brought me the 5 Cs: 

(1) Connection: First, the writing prompts helped me connect with myself emotionally and more deeply than before. The writing prompts were gentle, and yet, challenging. They forced me to think deeply, but also gave me grace in how to approach these difficult topics. It’s hard to describe without giving the prompts away, but they truly are wonderful. 

(2) Clarity: Through the writing assignments and attending class every day, I felt like I was able to get better clarity on who I am, the stories I tell myself, how these limit me, how these lift me up, and who I want to be. This clarity is invaluable. 

(3) Community: The presence of these wonderful women every Sunday was so healing for me. I’ve heard a lot about ‘safe spaces’ and ‘judgment-free zones,’ but these spaces are difficult to find, even among friends. This class is a rare exception. I felt comfortable bringing myself as I am to this class every Sunday and the class always left me feeling uplifted. I’ve learned a lot from the instructor but also the other women in the class. 

(4) Comprehension: I’ve read a lot about the topic of happiness, healing, and trauma, but I often feel like by reading I learned on an intellectual level, but not to the point where it really seeped into me and changed my way of being. This class brought my comprehension because the way the class was structured helped me have an experience with the knowledge we were given and not just read about it. It was quite wondrous. 

(5) Confidence: This class helped me find confidence in myself and my dreams again. I feel more certain about myself. I feel more ready to take on the challenges that await me. Alhumdulillah, this class has brought such incredible changes in my life. I am so grateful for this course and I wish I could keep doing it every Sunday!!”

- Sana Mohammed, Fall 2020

“This was such a beautiful grounding space to enter every week and it was special that it was all female (unintentionally). It was a journey of getting in touch with the divine and going inward. The class helped me to redefine my purpose in life. My purpose used to be centered around outward, material goals and making people happy. In doing this class I was able to come inward, become a stable figure in my own life, but also for my family. I highly suggest this class for those needing a spiritual healing space.”

- Emine, Spring 2021

“I received more than I expected from this course and for that I am forever grateful. This class allowed me to put my feelings on paper but more than that make really deep associations with basic elements of life that impact our daily living. I was able to create a new perspective about myself, my spirituality, and my daily habits. Overall, this class improved my creativity, my imagination, and deepened my relationship with God.”

- Sheema Afzal, Spring 2021

“Love Letters to God was a very enlightening, thought-provoking, and beneficial class. I learned so much more about not just my relationship with God but also my relationship with myself. Additionally I gained so much insight from other people sharing their experiences and their stories. It made me feel less alone and gave me hope in my own future. I’d recommend this class for anyone who wants to look more inwardly while also wanting to stay connected to the concept of faith and belief in a higher power and the process.”

- Sadaf Qadir, Spring 2021

“I loved taking time out to intentionally reflect, and to deliberately talk about the most challenging and scary topics we all feel. I was never comfortable sharing my feels, and this is a work in progress still, but I'm always amazed at how less alone I feel when I hear other people share what's truly on their mind and when I have done the same. Thank you to Zehra and Love Letters for giving me the space to do that.”

- Nada Salem, Fall 2021

“Love Letters (to God) has been an amazing journey, it made me accept things about me and love myself more along with feel at comfort with strangers who shared the same journey…”

- Sejal Jindal, Fall 2021

I found this class to be a carefully and thoughtfully structured self-development course. The course is a fantastic mix of theory, journaling and practical tools to effectuate change in our lives and/or explore ourselves on a deeper and spiritual level. I walked away from this course with both knowledge and a set of tools to use- I have learned practices that I use every day and that continue to help me explore my relationship with myself, with others and with a higher being. As a non-practicing person of faith, I found myself being able to still connect with the idea of writing to "God" and a higher being (or something that served as a guide for me) easily- the course was about inner reflection for me and uses faith as a backdrop to pull from.

- Maryam Najam, Spring 2022