The Writer Who Looked Closely: Salma Ahmed on Place, Pain, and Possibility

I had the pleasure of connecting with and learning more about Salma Ahmed, a 24-year-old Egyptian writer and one of our Issue 04 contributors. She graduated from the Faculty of Arts with an English major. Her work previously appeared in Amphibian Press, Vagabond City Lit, The Baram House, Paragraph Planet, The Shallow Tales Review, and Three Panels Press. 

In our conversation, we explored the spaces that shape her creative voice, the stories found in everyday life, and the power of close observation. We started with a simple yet revealing question:

Q: How does your environment shape your work? (The city, the woods, your kitchen table?)

A: At first, I thought that living in Egypt, which is a conservative society, meant that I wouldn't have any experiences to write about. This changed when I started looking at life around me. I find stories in the people walking down the streets, in posts shared by my friends or strangers, in amateur pictures taken by aspiring photographers, in music that everyone listens to, or ones with no audience, and in myself, too. The way Egypt shaped me gave me a chance to experience some ups and downs, and this was a way for me to become my own writer. Of course, reading books is essential to get ideas, but looking deeply into my surroundings is invaluable. I only understood that I could find stories anywhere, even in Egypt, if I just looked close enough. 

Q: Who are some of your favorite writers? What do you like about them?

A: I studied English for 4 years during college, and I came across a LOT of writers, but the one who stuck with me the most was Emily Dickinson. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy poetry even though I write short stories, but I usually don't remember poems that I read. With Dickinson, I find myself thinking of her poems from time to time. I enjoy the simplicity of her style and how this simplicity doesn't take away from the value of her poems. She has a unique way of stirring your emotions through the smallest of lines. Her character is also one of the reasons I enjoy her writing, because I sometimes wonder how amazing it is for someone who chose solitude to have all these ideas to share. Probably everyone says that, but I have no shame in saying that the poem I love the most is "Because I could not stop for death." Every line leaves you filled with emotions.

Someone else I have come to enjoy recently is Maya Angelou. I finally started reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (a little late, I know), and I fell in love with her style and the way she presents her narrative. She shows a lot of vulnerability in her writing, and this is something I hope to achieve. 

Q: What role does vulnerability play in your writing?

A: A very important one. I realized a while ago that the pieces that satisfy me the most are the ones where I let my walls down. I believed that I shouldn't write based on what I was feeling, but this turned out to be wrong. I find parts of myself in every story I write because I finally allowed myself to show vulnerability in my words. Sometimes I might shy away from sharing something, but I end up doing it anyway.

Q: How do you know when a piece is done, or do you ever?

A: Honestly, it's rare for me to know. I'm someone who overthinks everything I do or write, so I'm never sure if a piece is finished or not. Sometimes, my words stop, and I assume that this is the end of the piece, but when I come across it again, I find new words to add and ones to remove. So perhaps no piece is ever finished. You pick the version that feels closer to the finish line. 

Q: What do you hope someone feels when they encounter your work for the first time?

A: I hope they feel like they want to keep reading. I know that people say to write for yourself, but I find enjoyment in hearing what people think of my writing. I want to leave readers feeling moved by what they just read. I hope that they will remember my name or that I will get the honor of being part of their answer when someone asks them, "Who are your favorite writers?" The most important thing to me is for my writing to move people. I think if readers don't feel anything after reading something, then you haven't succeeded as a writer. It's hard to make readers feel something, but it's worth trying to achieve. 

Q: What’s nourishing your creative life right now, books, music, people, moments?

A: Probably everything except music. I try to make reading a habit. I read everything: fiction, non-fiction, and even articles. I try to find ideas in every sentence that I read, or at least give some space in my mind to formulate ideas based on what I just read.

People and moments are also very important to me. I'm someone who would go out and sit by myself in a cafe or a restaurant, and I would look at the people around me. I like catching them in different moments where they are showing different emotions. I try to come up with a story for every person I come across on the street. I ask myself if this person were my character, what would I say? Usually, I have a lot to say.

Q: Why do you think art and its history are important?

A: I don't think any writer could have existed if they didn't come across art and the history behind it. It's the same for art as well. Whenever I look at a painting, I start thinking about stories that take place in every inch and every color shade. I like to know the history behind them. I have always loved history, and I found an explanation for my love when I started writing. So it's natural for me to love the history behind art. What inspired the painter? What did they have in mind?

I believe that writing and art are intertwined. I remember reading The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Coleridge during one of my classes, and my professor showed us paintings based on the poem. I still think of these paintings today. Nothing can exist without the other.

Q: What inspires your writing?

A: This might be a basic answer, but I get inspired by everything. I get inspired by simply being alive. I find ideas for my writing in every corner I look at, in every sound I hear, in the smell of good coffee at a terrible cafe, in the taste of fast food on a summer day, and in everything. I like to think that as long as we are alive, we can never run out of ideas. We have to look closely enough.

Q: Is there a single word or image that feels like a home base for your writing?

A: This is somewhat dark, but I think my writing leans toward depressing topics. I let my characters die a lot. Sometimes I keep them alive, but they aren't delighted by that. As someone who struggles with mental health, death has been an image that follows me whenever I try to write something. I don't even notice it. I recently started a new short story after taking a break for about a month, and I found myself paving the way for my character's death. However, I'm trying to slowly move away from this. If you can't write about other things, are you really writing? Are you living enough to discover other topics? So, for now, I will keep writing about death and depression while looking for other topics where you can find life in them. 

Q: Can you tell us about a written piece (not your own) that has changed you somehow?

A: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. This novel changed me in ways I never thought possible. I love reading, but I don't enjoy reading books over 400 or 500 pages. With Yanagihara's book, I found myself eager to reach the end. It resonated with me because I found myself relating to Jude in ways I didn't know. I don't find enough words to say in therapy, but I found my unsaid thoughts in A Little Life. I won't read it again, to be honest, because it's the kind of work where you carry it with you for years without needing to go back to it, fearing that it would fade away. But I will always appreciate it.

Thank you, Salma! It was wonderful to learn more about you through this interview. Find Salma using the links below.

You can find her work here: 

https://linktr.ee/SalmaAhmedwriter

You can find her fictional work here: 

https://www.chillsubs.com/profile/Salma.Ahmed

Instagram: salma.ulven

X: @SalmaUlven