In the Remixed Classics series, authors from marginalized backgrounds reinterpret classic works through their own cultural lens to subvert the overwhelming cishet, white, and male canon. This thrilling female-led Robin Hood remix reframes the legend's tales of the Third Crusade from a Muslim perspective, rewriting its origin's male and overwhelmingly white Euro-centric narrative.
Jerusalem, 1192. The Third Crusade rages on. Rahma al-Hud loyally followed her elder sister Zeena into the war over the Holy Land, but now that the Faranji invaders have gotten reinforcements from Richard the Lionheart, all she wants to do is get herself and her sister home alive.
In the land of Taletha, the Wife Market is the prime place for young lords to find a spouse...but not the place for love. Something Inara knows all too well. After six years of rejection, she has no hope of being chosen for anything but a plaything.
When the future ruler of Taletha arrives at the Market, Inara is chosen. More shocking still, Dhamar is exactly what he appears to be: kind, gentle, and willing to build a relationship of mutual respect and trust.
Yet Dhamar has his own demons to fight. With a tyrannical father pushing for war with the Serians, a scheming council, and the burden to protect those he loves, Dhamar is stretched thin. He wants to be a good husband to his wife, but how?
Thrown together by chance, will breaking down their walls reveal something beautiful, or leave only shattered pieces behind?
Travel across the ages with Lady Zaynab as she meets with various divine prophets and noble angels in a quest to explain the meaning of Ashura and her timeless statement on Imam Hussein's sacrifice: I only saw Beauty! Witness a young bird struggle to take flight after she gets lost in the forest, encountering dangers and finding new friends who can help her on her journey home--revealing their companionship to the Imam. Crimson Earth, a collection of seven short stories, deals with the theme of Ashura and the mourning for Imam Hussain written by diverse authors. These stories range from narratives about love, loss, and tragedy aimed for adult and older audiences, to stories written through the eyes of children contemplating youth involvement on Ashura.
The stories were specially selected and presented at Harvard University prior to publication. Three of the stories were contestant winners at the Ahlul Bayt Collective 2021 short story call: A Eternity in a Day, Love and Sorrow, and I Saw Nothing but Beauty.
A Girl Named Mary tells the story of Mary, the Mother of Jesus as a young girl. Though she has a much older sister, she's raised as an only child. Her cousin, Rebekka, is her closest friend and confidant. Together they grow and learn how to maneuver in a culture that is steeped in tradition. One that looks backward instead of forward for solutions to problems. Mary cares about others, helps the sick and disadvantaged, and is a voice, albeit a young voice, for women. At twelve, Mary was betrothed to an older man who had sons her age. She resisted this arrangement strongly. She argued with her parents against the betrothal with every bit of logic and strength she had but found this tradition beyond her ability to fight. The marriage took place and she was rewarded by the birth of a beautiful baby boy, Jesus.