Book Reading: (w)holehearted

Date: Thursday, March 28, 2019
Time: 6:00 pm
Book: $14 (Cash, Credit, or Check Acccepted)
Where: Conference Hall, Main Bldg, American Islamic College

Sara Bawany is a social worker, a writer, and a poet with a passion for bringing to light some of the most taboo issues in the South Asian and Muslim community. A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, Sara received her Master’s degree in Social Work and her Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Islamic Studies. She currently serves as a clinical social worker at the Muslim Community Center for Human Services, providing free mental health counseling and mental health education to the community. She published her first poetry book recently, titled – “(w)holehearted” which you can find on Amazon. The book touches on themes of identity, mental health, domestic violence, femininity, relationships, spirituality, forgiveness, and a variety of social justice issues.

(w)holehearted is a play on words to emphasize the idea of appearing whole and intact as a human being, but with fissures, scars, and brokenness peeking through from behind the tough exterior. it is the facade that many of us peruse our lives carrying, often neglecting our pain, our mental health, and most importantly, the way we are more prone to hurting others when we lack this self-awareness. (w)holehearted seeks to encompass as many stories as possible, touching on several topics, namely, spirituality, feminism, colorism, domestic violence, intersectionality, mental health and more. It aims to depict that anyone with the darkest past and pitfalls can still save themselves from drowning in the difficulties that not only plague our world, but also plague our hearts.