Contributor Spotlight: Saba Waheed

Saba Waheed’s story “Newcomer” is part of Issue 81 of Bellingham Review. Subscribe or purchase a single issue through our Submittable page here. 

What would you like to share with our readers about the work you contributed to Bellingham Review?

I came across a newspaper article that described how those experiencing domestic violence weren’t getting help because of a fear of law and immigration enforcement. It was 2017, and we were all still reeling from the Trump win. It didn’t help that straight out of the gate we got the Muslim Ban, followed by a series of anti-immigrant policymaking. So many of us felt fear and anxiety. But on the other side of that experience was community resilience and power. The mother in the story really embodied this. She was there to help the new immigrants, provide access to networks and opportunities, and step in when there was conflict. For me, the terror we were feeling under the new administration was countered by the ways we supported each other. You see that type of mutual aid and support again this year during the pandemic.

Tell us about your writing life.

I’ve been writing since I was a kid, and it was largely a way for me to make sense of the world and process emotions. I went from writing poetry, to autobiographical poetic prose, to short stories. Most of the writing stayed with me, and I shared a few pieces publicly. It was when I turned 40 that I felt this urgency to push myself. Take the drafts, polish them, and see if there was any traction with publishing. Because at least then I could say, I tried. I work full time as a labor researcher and educator and it can be all-consuming in terms of time and mental focus. I write when I can — on weekends, holidays, after work, etc., and complete a few stories a year. It’s a slow and steady process but it works.

Which non-writing aspect(s) of your life influence(s) your writing the most?

I have a lot of smart and inspiring people around me, and they very much shape how I think about things. I am also impacted by the world of labor and social justice movements. For this story, I was especially holding the work of organizations like Creative Interventions who have been creating tools for communities to come together to address harm without calling the police. Other things that ground and inspire me — reading, hiking, and meditating.

What writing advice has stayed with you?

Find a writing partner, set a monthly deadline to submit work, and stick to it. It’s the only thing that’s kept me on track with my other commitments. (Thank you Bushra Rehman and Vivek Mittel.)

What is your favorite book (or essay, poem, short story)? 

I have a book club (Nebulae) and we read women of color writers — I love that there are so many to choose from. Some of my recent favorites — Behold the Dreams by Imbolo Mbue, The Leavers by Lisa Ko, Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha, A Burning by Megha Mujumdar, Cantoras by Carolina De Robertis, Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie, In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner, The Incendiaries by R.O. Kwon, Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, She Would be King by Wayétu Moore, Washington Black by Esi Edugyan, and Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

What are you reading right now?

I just finished Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom — beautiful and heartbreaking.

What project(s) are you working on now, or next?

I continue to work on short stories — and soon will have enough for a collection. I’ve also been playing with speculative fiction.

Anything else our readers might want to know about you?

I have a podcast that I co-produce with Veena Hampapur — stories about working people: www.reworkradio.org

Where can our readers connect with you online?

I haven’t created a website (yet) but you can find me on twitter @sabawaa. You may have to sift through a bunch of labor news to find my writing.

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Featured Image: “Comets Kick up Dust in Helix Nebula” by NASA