Sumou came to life after years of being stuck inside the pages of its founder’s journal in August 2018. Existing as a two-dimensional scribble then being transformed into a person on its own was no easy feat, but to become a home for young creatives is what brought us here in the first place. Sumou is the Arabic noun for being way high up, for reaching the heights of the extraordinary, and for being graceful. We focus on amplifying creative voices by showcasing whatever their hearts tell them to do—even if it means mixing a little bit of everything so that they get stuck in the in-betweens, we tell them to own it!
MASTHEAD
Jood AlThukair
Jood is the founder of this virtual bubble. When she’s not editing or going through submissions, you can find her up at 3AM in a manic state, redesigning the whole site. She dreams of providing a space for all, amplifying marginalized voices, and decolonization. Find her on her Instagram and Twitter.
RANIA DAWUD
Rania, 23 years old, is the opinion editor for Sumou. A lover of women's writing, journals, and stickers, you can find her restlessly experimenting with a new hobby every other week. She loves storytelling in all its forms and is passionate about the role stories have in creating dialogue and in helping us make sense of the world. She hopes to elevate marginalized creators by curating their narratives. You can find her on Instagram.
Tasneem Maher
Tasneem Maher is an Arab writer, poet, and third-year Literature student who encourages theatrics and melodrama of any kind. A 2019 Adroit Mentee and a Best of the Net nominee, her work has been featured in Vagabond City Lit, tenderness lit, Jaffat El Aqlam, amongst others. She’s usually in her room trying to make progress on her gargantuan reading list. You can find her on Twitter.
Zeina jhaish
Zeina is the poetry and prose editor at Sumou. She is 22 years old, Palestinian-Canadian, and engulfed in her love for poetry and writing. When she is not studying or teaching, you can find her performing her poetry, organizing events, or pondering life through writing. She constantly dreams of hopping on an airplane to live by a very blue ocean. You can find her work on her website or can message her on Instagram.
*All illustrations are drawn by the brilliant Buthainah.
the Sumou gals Venn diagram:
Curated by Tasneem, we realized each of us had more similarities than differences the day we got together. And although all of us are scattered in different parts of the globe, we remain bonded by the sisterhood our history and homelands have provided.
Talk to us!
Tell us about your day, how life’s been treating you, or anything you’d like to let us know about.
For submissions, take a look at our submissions page.