A Writing Contest HOSTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Sweet July

Sweet Home

By Zaynab Ahmed

FINALIST

Midsummer, sweet july 
Home is a color wheel 

It’s my grandfathers oranges that invite the whole room
We sit at a table that leaves no empty chairs 

My grandmother’s hair brush and 
my grandfathers pressed shirt neatly tucked in the blue suitcase my mother came with 

Qasil powder that’s my favorite color green 
Henna dyed hands a reddish brown 

Home was never roses or butterflies 
but birds and ducks and a stray cat that never leaves 

It never gave me lemons 
but dates and bread and chickpeas

In celebration of Women’s History Month in March, and the impact of strong female role models, we partnered with Ayesha Curry’s Sweet July for a writing contest to elevate the voices of girls and gender expansive young adults.

Girls Write Now participants answered a prompt from On the Art of the Craft, our 25th anniversary guidebook coming soon from HarperOne: Tell the story behind a family heirloom or tradition. How has it shaped who you are?

SEE THE COLLECTION