HIAA Writing Groups

Image: Pen Box (Qalamdan), 18^th- 19^th century, papier mache and lacquer, The Met 91.1.669a, b.

The Historians of Islamic Art Association Writing Group (HIAA Writing Group) is an accountability writing group dedicated to cultivating connections, fostering community, and supporting members in their writing endeavors. Its specific objectives include offering a niche writing environment for Islamists and support for writing projects that advance the discipline of Islamic art history.

How sessions work:

The group meets twice weekly: Thursdays, 11-10 AM in Cairo and 11 AM- 12 PM EST. The two sessions are scheduled at different times to accommodate colleagues in North and South America and in Asia and Africa—attend whichever works for you, or both. Zoom breakout rooms are available during meetings for members collaborating on larger projects or discussions.

Community guidelines:

To keep our sessions focused and supportive, we ask everyone to adhere to the following guidelines.

Keep the main room quiet. This is our shared focus space, so please hold conversations in the breakout rooms.

Keep your video on when you can. It helps with accountability and keeps us anchored together as a group. Take breaks whenever you need them.

Want to reserve a breakout room? Just let us know.

Keep personal information and documents out of the Zoom chat. To share your work with someone, do so privately and securely outside the call.

HIAA Writing Group Writing Resources:

1. For some vibes—“Synergies, not Thorns," The Write In: Grad Student Narratives, produced by Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, podcast, https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/writing/writing-resources-for-graduate-students/the-write-in-podcast (from minute 9).
2. For some kindness—“University of Toronto Department of Art History (@uoftarthistory), "READ: 'How a 100-Year-Old Journal Stays Young: Prof. Christy Anderson on Editing the Art Bulletin,'" Instagram reel, https://www.instagram.com/reels/DQXGWHRjlAx/.
3. For the practical playbook—William Germano, Getting It Published: A Guide for Scholars and Anyone Else Serious about Serious Books, 4th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2024).
4. For your writing toolkit—

• For the multilingual scholar, harness the potential of your language-empowered brain! See "Academic Writing Resources for Multilingual Students," a YouTube video published by The GradPathways Institute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8GV_GBbwAY.
• Also worth bookmarking: Grammarly.com or other grammar editing and spellcheck tools, as well as a range of various free citation generators
• For graduate students: https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/writing/writing-resources-for-graduate-students/publishing-your-research
• For undergraduate students: https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/resources or https://guides.lib.uci.edu/arthistory#s-lg-box-31268431
• Book suggestions from Rowena Murray’s website (recommended by Prof. Heba Mostafa):
  • Denise Mifsud and Rowena Murray, eds., The Positioning and Making of Female Professors: Pushing Career Advancement Open, Palgrave Studies in Gender and Education (Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019).
  • Maureen Michael and Rowena Murray, The Joy of Writing: A Collaboration of Image and Text (Lochwinnoch: Anchorage Educational Services, 2019).

Email historiansofislamicart@gmail.com to request meeting links.