Reba Khatun

I could not believe it when I received the phone call to say my story had been shortlisted. For the next two months I was on cloud nine. I kept going around and saying over and over to myself that ‘my story had been shortlisted!’ Whilst the judge was getting ready to announce the winner of my category I was having a conversation with myself. I was deciding whether I should listen out for first part of the book title or name so if it didn’t begin with ‘The Mysterious…’ or ‘R…’ then it wasn’t me. Amongst all this I heard my name being called out and my heart missed a beat. I wanted to jump up and down with excitement but made my way to the stage. However, I thought it was all a big mistake and somebody would come and ask me what I was doing on the stage collecting someone else’s award. My ear-to-ear smile was nothing compared to the joy I was feeling inside. Wining has been beyond belief but I hope it’s only the beginning of the extraordinary opportunities that lie ahead for me. Sometimes I think it was all a dream so I keep the award out and have a photo of it on my phone that I use as the wallpaper. I want to tell everyone I meet about the Muslim Writers Awards. I think they are amazing. Without them I wouldn’t have gotten this far. I never gave it a thought but hearing about the ‘Write Now’ project run by Muslim Hands I realised I took reading and writing for granted. I never stopped to think how much a part of my life they are. From the minute I wake up to when I go to sleep I’m reading or writing something even if it is reading the TV listings and writing the numerous shopping lists for my husband!