5 Questions with Aisyah Shah Idil
Aisyah Shah Idil is the author of poetry collection The Naming (Subbed In, 2017).
Her work has been featured in the Islamic Museum of Australia, Language on the Move, Sydney Morning Herald and SBS Life.
No.1
How did you come to writing?
My family grew up surrounded by books. Some of my earliest gifts were fairy tales like Rumpelstiltskin, The Little Mermaid, The Little Princess, Black Beauty, and Little Women.
My kindergarten teacher was very appreciative of a little book about apples my 5-year old self gifted her. Later on, a story about ladybugs won the attention and adulation of my peers and teachers. That continued on until Year 12, with the Sydney Morning Herald enjoying my work.
No.2
We loved your debut collection, The Naming, which was published by Subbed In (2017). What will you be working on with the Maria-Pallota Chiarolli Fellowship?
A series of personal essays around memory, grief, and trauma. It’s interesting to me how much of Asian literature is about grappling with the self, language and decontextualisation following war, colonisation, and the loss of national identity.
No.3
What was your first response upon receiving the email confirming your acceptance into the program?
A scream, then my phone was flung across the room, and my immediate close family received some very excited texts and screenshots.
No.4
What will the Maria-Pallota Chiarolli Fellowship mean for you and your practice?
A sense of validation around my work, the space and time to write, and actually getting paid to do it.
No.5
What are you reading at the moment? What authors or books inspire your work?
[I’m currently reading] The CRPG Book Project: Sharing the History of Computer Role-Playing Games, the Manga Shakespeare series and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.
Dejan Stojanović, Joanna Scutts and Hafez inspire me.
Find out more
The Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli Fellowship for Writers is awarded to mid-career writers in recognition of their literary achievements and commitment to humanity demonstrated through their active engagement in social justice issues. The $10,000 prize supports a writer to be in residence at the Centre for Stories in Perth over a period of three months.
Find out more here.