In Conversation With: Yassmin Abdel-Magied - veteran author, engineer & advocate
I want my books to help people think differently, critically even, to help open folks’ minds to other perspectives
Hello and Salam alaykum friends 👋🏾,
I hope you’ve had a good week so far, and if not, I hope your weekend is restorative and rejuvenating.
I’m super excited to announce that monthly author interviews are back!! And this week we have the phenomenal Yassmin Abdel-Magied – she discusses what the job of the writer is, the book she’d write if there were no publishing barriers, and some of her top tips for aspiring authors.
About Yassmin:
Yassmin Abdel-Magied is a Sudanese diaspora writer, broadcaster and award-winning social advocate. A former mechanical engineer, Yassmin has published four books, written two plays and is currently developing a number of projects for screen. Across fiction and non-fiction, Yassmin explores human and power dynamics in politics, culture and technology. From tiktoks to literary essays, Yassmin analyses systemic challenges, reframes established narratives and makes complex ideas accessible to all.
Name: Yassmin Abdel-Magied
Book titles: Yassmin’s Story, You Must Be Layla, Listen Layla, Talking About A Revolution
Genre/category: Contemporary YA, Non-fiction
Have you always known you were going to be a writer? When did it become a dream (and reality) for you?
Oh, definitely not. I always thought I was going to live a STEM based life – as a child, I wanted to be a scientist, as a teen, an engineer. I ended up studying engineering and working in the industry for a number of years before I moved sideways into writing. I always read – and wrote – in some way, but didn’t dream it could be a professional pursuit, something that I worked on almost exclusively. To be quite honest, it wasn’t until just before my third book came out that I thought – hm, I should take this seriously, perhaps just as seriously as I do my engineering. If I do that, what might happen? That’s how we got to where we are now… Alhamdulillah.
How did the idea for your books come about?
Each book has its own genesis. Sometimes it comes out of a conversation I have with an editor or publisher, other times it’s about something I am utterly obsessed with and need to find a way to share with others.
It should always be something you’re obsessed with though – you’re spending a few years with the idea, with these characters – you need to be really into them!
What’s your favourite part about the writing process?
Oh, the flow. When you’re in that sweet spot of just being in the story, of feeling like you’re creating a world and it all makes sense… I imagine you could call it ‘chasing a high’, though I don’t know what that actually feels like in the traditional sense!
What was the most difficult part of the writing process for you?
Honestly, finding the time. Finding the time in a world that is replete with distraction makes the actual act of sitting down, emptying your mind, and focusing on the page in front of you, on your characters, on your story, on your craft…challenging. It’s the thing I find myself grappling with the most.
Can you tell us a bit about your path to publication? How long did it take to get from idea to publication?
I’ve had a very non-traditional path, in that I was approached to write my first book. I was one of those millennials in the late aughts who wrote a blog about my life for many many years, quietly and without too many readers, but off the back of a blog, I got invited to write an essay in a collection called the Griffith Review (in Australia), and then off the back of that essay, a couple of publishers approached me and asked if I would be interested in writing a book.
Initially, I said no – I was an engineer, I told them, not a writer! But my mother, in classic Sudanese aunty style, was like – ??? – what are you doing, take the opportunity! I felt like it would be far too narcissistic for a 23 year old (as I was at the time) to write a memoir, but my mother reframed it for me. Take it as an opportunity to show the world the various Sudanese and Muslim women who have shaped your life, show them their ideas of us are all wrong, she urged me, and so that’s what I did. Bear in mind, this was in 2013/2014. A decade ago, Muslim representation was nowhere near where it is today. So I took the chance, ran with it… and the rest is history! Subhanallah.
You never know where Allah’s plan for you is…
As a veteran writer who’s gone through the publishing cycle a few times now, what has been your biggest learning?
It’s a business. Sure, it’s about the art – but primarily, sadly, in this day and age, publishing is a business that needs to make money. Many decisions are based around this reality.
If you can somehow sit at the beautiful intersection of business and literature without losing your soul, then maybe you can find a way to make a career out of being a writer.
That being said, there are so many wonderful people in the industry who still do care about the art, or the readers, or supporting the writers… so as difficult as it is, it can also be a wonderful space for connection, creativity, fun and inspiration.
If you could share one piece of advice with an aspiring writer, what would it be?
Honestly, talent isn’t enough.
You just have to find a way to get yourself to finish the project. Finish writing the book, or play, or script – find a way to finish it, that’s step one – but surprisingly, most people don’t get past that step because they get too in their own way! The other stuff, the constant rejection, the navigation of the industry – that can all come later. First step is to finish the damn book.
What do you hope readers would get out of your books?
My prayer to Allah is that my books stand the test of time. I hope that people read them and are moved to laugh, think, and reflect. I want my books to help people think differently, critically even, to help open folks’ minds to other perspectives and perhaps even help them understand themselves a little more clearly. Khair, inshallah.
If there were no publishing barriers, what would your next book be on?
One of the books I’ve tried to publish for a long time was a non-fiction manifesto of sorts about technology and culture, a book that was aimed at busting the myths we believe about technology and trying to empower individuals to reclaim agency in their relationship with tech. Subhanallah, nobody wanted to buy that book (! Sad face, this publishing industry is tough) – but I’d still like to write it.
As someone juggling several responsibilities, what does your writing routine look like?
Sis, if only there was a routine! Honestly, I find it quite difficult to write amongst my life in London. Typically, I disappear for a week or three and smash out as much as I possibly can of a project’s first draft, before I return to the city and begin the slow, careful work of revising. I work best in the afternoon or late evening, when daily distractions are few. I’m still working on finding that elusive routine!
Where can readers find your work?
At your local bookshop or library! Just ask for any books by Yassmin Abdel-Magied… or check out this link with some of the pieces I’ve written over the years.
How can readers connect with you?
I’m all over the internet – twitter / insta @yassmin_a but also on tiktok, @yassmin_am and I’d love to see you there!
What’s on your bookshelf?
Right now, I’m looking at ‘Black Women Writers At Work,’ ‘The God of Small Things’ by Arundhati Roy, A book on Cleopatra called ‘Cleopatra: A Life’, and ‘Age of Vice’ by Deepti Kapour… a proper eclectic mix!
If you found this beneficial at all, please shout about it to your family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances!
Till next Friday,
Suad