Myra Garces-Bacsal here.

It’s Monday, What are You Reading is a meme hosted by Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers (new host of Monday reading: Kathryn T at Book Date).

I have always known that books find me at the perfect time – and these books are perfect examples of titles calling out to me during the recently concluded Emirates Airline Festival of Literature with the Magrudy’s bookshop providing a delectable array of books on display (see here for my book haul). I was especially on the look out for titles published here in the UAE for this GLLI curation, and lo and behold, I found these babies.

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Corniche 1 Comic Book 2019

Comic Creators: Ruba Al Araji, Azim Al Ghussein, Alya Al Hammadi, Aysha AlHamrani, Mouza AlHamrani, Manar Laham, Reem Al Marri, Khawla AlMarzooqi, Khalid Mezaina, Mohammed Al Mohanna, Shihabaldeen Al Musharaf, Issa AlNoaimi, Mohammed Al Shaibani, Ibrahim Swaid, and Ayesha Thani. Designed by Mouza Al Hamran Book Cover designed by Nasir Nasrallah Published by: Sharjah Art Foundation ISBN: 978-9948-36-812-0 Bought a copy of the book. Book photos taken by me. 

This entire initiative started off as a ‘Comic Makers’ workshop led by Nasir Nasrallah with the fifteen artists / comic creators (whose names you can find above) in attendance – held from 24 to 26 September 2019 at the Sharjah Arts Area. My UAE curation team (my book tribe) described the ‘Corniche’ as a landmark of sorts in Sharjah, like a coastline near the beach where families and friends would typically hang out.

While I have bought these two books published in 2019 and 2021, there appears to be four books in total, thus far, stemming from this wonderful coming together of creatives from the Emirates. Nasir Nasrallah wrote in the Introduction of this first book:

Nestled in the Sharjah Arts Area, in the heritage building of Bait Obaid Al Shamsi, and huddled in one room with big windows facing the old corniche, a number of artists and illustrators came together to work on their own comics. Each comic developed into something unique and carried the sign of its maker, complete with their style signature tools ranging from traditional ink and pencil to new-media electronic tablets.

The book appears to be a collection of zines with various snapshots of life in the UAE effectively portrayed in a few lines and words – demonstrating the wealth of talent that could be found in this part of the world. Take for instance, this story entitled White Noise by Khawla Al Marzooqi:

It is a searing depiction of young Emirati people being educated largely by well-meaning foreigners who are “drowning in white guilt.” 

I loved this comic by Aisha Thani subtitled “A Love Letter to UAE Native Plants.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to this comic strip, I now know the name of the annoying plant that I need to periodically remove from the soles of my shoes: tribulus! I like how the simple things that we find everyday (and often take for granted) can be featured in this manner, and with such loving care.

My favourite, though is this bilingual comic strip entitled The Amazing World of Maitha by Alia Al Hammadi who created this comic strip about her younger sister who has Down Syndrome.

Maitha’s quirks and individuality had been captured here with grace, humor, and affectionate detail. I especially adored the ending when the author noted:

I once wished to have a little sister that never grew up, then a miracle entered our life.

These are just among the many fantastic stories you can find in this first collection of Corniche.

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Corniche 3 Comic Book 2021

Comic Creators: Sara Al Adayleh, Sarah Ahmed, Ruba Al Araji, Mariam Al Binali, Eman Al Eghfeli, Azim Al Gussein, Alia Al Hammadi, Mouza Al Hamrani, Aysha Al Hemrani, Asmaa Ebrahim Al Hosani, Rafiaa Hussain, ISSABLACK, Mohammed Khaled Ali Al Jneibi, Manar Laham, Reem Madooh, Khawla Al Marzooqi, Khalid Mezaina, Mohammed Al Mohanna, Alyazia Mubarak, Eman Al Raesi, Sultan Al Ramahi, Maryah Al Rashed, Ismail Al Rifai, Khadija Al Saeedi, Amna Al Saleh, Mohammed, Momo, Al Shaibani, Mahra Al Shamsi, Shaikha Al Shamsi, Nahla Tabbaa, Yoshi (Aisha Al Ali), Yusef, Mariam Al Zayani and Nora Zeid. Published by: Sharjah Art Foundation (2021) ISBN: 978-9948-25-979-4. Bought a copy of the book. Book photos taken by me. 

Unlike the first comic book collection, this one has a more compact packaging – which makes it easier to read during bedtime and easier to carry around as well. This has 34 contributors with such a wide variety of artistic styles that are literally gasp-inducing. The selections here, I feel, centralize the visual storytelling more than the textual narrative, with quite a few that are wordless in nature (see for example: Cairo: 1956 by Alyazia Mubarak).

The themes range from grief and coping with loss (see below):

to random poetic musings while caught in heavy traffic (see below):

to reflections on mortality and our futile attempts to make our ‘presence’ outlive our time on earth through digital footprints – see below:

What struck me most of all was the comic creators’ courage in revealing aspects of themselves through their art, which is never easy. It is a testament to how this community appears to trust each other implicitly if they are able to dig through parts of themselves, distil their experience through a few lines and words, and render themselves open and vulnerable in the process. Fragments and Fractures by Amna Al Saleh, for example, is fearless in its depiction of brokenness – and finding the beauty in this notwithstanding. It actually reminded me a little bit of Mel Tregonning’s Small Things (see my review here).

Similar to the first edition in 2019, this also has a few Arabic comic strips (see below for one of my favourites, which seems to have a fantastical, surreal, mythological slant to it):

and a few that are bilingual too:

I do deeply regret not getting copies of the 2020 and 2022 editions. Perhaps during the next Emirates Lit Festival, I would be able to get my hands on the rest of the books in the Corniche series – truly a remarkable initiative for artists and comic creators spearheaded in Sharjah. Evidently, the comic scene in the UAE is thriving. For comic aficionados, the 13th Middle East Film & Comic Con is happening at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from 18 to 20 April 2025. Looking forward to this one.

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Meet the Comic Artists in 2019: 

Each comic artist started off their strip with their self-portrait and details on how they can be contacted: either through their socials or their email addresses. Here are the names of the artists: Ruba Al Araji, Azim Al Ghussein, Alya Al Hammadi, Aysha AlHamrani, Mouza AlHamrani, Manar Laham, Reem Al Marri, Khawla AlMarzooqi, Khalid Mezaina, Mohammed Al Mohanna, Shihabaldeen Al Musharaf, Issa AlNoaimi, Mohammed Al Shaibani, Ibrahim Swaid, and Ayesha Thani.

Meet the Comic Artists in 2021: 

Unlike the 2019 edition, this one contained a foldable insert providing information about the artists along with their self-portraits – along with a 3-paged spread information about the artists within the book. Here are the names of the contributing artists: Sara Al Adayleh, Sarah Ahmed, Ruba Al Araji, Mariam Al Binali, Eman Al Eghfeli, Azim Al Gussein, Alia Al Hammadi, Mouza Al Hamrani, Aysha Al Hemrani, Asmaa Ebrahim Al Hosani, Rafiaa Hussain, ISSABLACK, Mohammed Khaled Ali Al Jneibi, Manar Laham, Reem Madooh, Khawla Al Marzooqi, Khalid Mezaina, Mohammed Al Mohanna, Alyazia Mubarak, Eman Al Raesi, Sultan Al Ramahi, Maryah Al Rashed, Ismail Al Rifai, Khadija Al Saeedi, Amna Al Saleh, Mohammed, Momo, Al Shaibani, Mahra Al Shamsi, Shaikha Al Shamsi, Nahla Tabbaa, Yoshi (Aisha Al Ali), Yusef, Mariam Al Zayani and Nora Zeid.

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#UAEReads strives to be reflective of the diverse demographic population that makes up the country of the United Arab Emirates (see Global Media Insight source of demographics as of 2024). Hence, we will be featuring literature coming from the major nationalities comprising the entire country: Emiratis, Pakistanis, Indians, Filipinos, Egyptians – and other nationalities (making up 38.55% of the country’s population as can be seen in the image above) who have made UAE their home.

About the Guest Editor/Curator for March 2024 [#UAEReads]:

Myra Garces-Bacsal has served as a teacher educator for 15 years and has led several research projects on reading and social emotional learning, diverse picturebooks and teacher practices, psychology of high creatives and exceptional people, culturally responsive and inclusive education. She is a quintessential lover and creator of booklists (see her Social and Emotional Learning bookshelf here and other publications below). Myra serves as the Assistant Dean for Research and Graduate Studies with the College of Education, UAE University. She is a self-proclaimed nerd who lives and breathes books and enjoys organizing events and festivals where fellow nerds converge and attempt to joyfully change the world.

Publications on booklists:

Garces-Bacsal, R. M., Alhosani, N. M., Elhoweris, H., Tupas, R. (2023). A diverse social and emotional learning booklist for gifted learners and advanced readers. Roeper Review, 45(1), 25-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783193.2022.2145397

Garces-Bacsal, R. M., Alhosani, N. M., Elhoweris, H., Al Ghufli, H. T., AlOwais, N. M., Baja, E. S., & Tupas, R. (2022). Using diverse picturebooks for inclusive practices and transformative pedagogies. In M. Efstratopoulou (Ed.), Rethinking Inclusion and Transformation in Special Education (pp. 72-92). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-4680-5.ch005

Garces-Bacsal, R. M. (2021). Of grit and gumption, sass and verve: What gifted students can learn from multicultural picture book biographies. In S. R. Smith’s Handbook of giftedness and talent development in Australasian Pacific (pp. 431-453). Singapore: Springer International Handbooks of Education. https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-981-13-3041-4_18

Garces-Bacsal, R. M. (2020). Diverse books for diverse children: Building an early childhood diverse booklist for social and emotional learning. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 22(1), 66-95. https://doi.org/10.1177/146879842090185