Portfolio
A list of full works is available upon request.
Poetry Collections
“Threads of Palestine Anthology: Weaving Words of Witness”
December 2024
“Quarter Life Crisis”
October 22, 2023
(w)holehearted: a collection of poetry and prose [2nd edition]
September 17, 2018 / October 2023
Awards
Pushcart Prize Nomination - “Janamaz”
Seventh Wave Magazine, December 2024
Sundress Best of the Net Nomination - “Uncles of Palestine”
Sybil Journal, August 2024
Best Poetry Award - “Quarter Life Crisis”
Fofky’s Reader’s Choice Award, July 2024
Pushcart Prize Nomination - “Uncles of Palestine”
FlowerSong Press, November 29, 2023
2023 Artist of the Year
MAX-Texas (Muslim Awards for Excellence), February 19, 2023
Annual Chapbook Contest | Longlist Finalist
Button Poetry, July 31, 2021
2019 Best Poetry Book Award
Daybreak Press Publishing, November 9, 2019
Publications
“What’s in a Name? On Mislabeling Violence”
Infrarrealista Review, December 12, 2023
“Uncles of Palestine”
Sybil Journal, November 15, 2023
“A Dialogue Between Heart and Mind”
99 Clay Vessels: The Muslim Women Storytelling Project, January 2023
”A Look into Girls That Never Die with Safia Elhillo”
Porter House Review, October 31, 2022
”for dark-skinned girls” and “end of days”
Gival Press - Arlington Literary Journal
ArLiJo Issue 166(a), October 31, 2022
My Hijab
Vision Magazine: Issue 3 Ramadan, April 1, 2021
Socially Distant But Spiritually Fulfilled: Making the Most out of a Quarantined Ramadan
A Continuous Charity, April 24, 2020
Poetry Features in Brown Girl Magazine
July 2017 - October 2017
Contributor at Muslim Youth Musings
February 2013 - December 2015
“What Started Here”
Praisesong for the People Anthology
Host Publications, September 2025
“What Started Here”
Texas Poet Laureate Praisesong for the People Project, March 2025
“Janamaz”
Seventh Wave Magazine: Issue 17, June 5, 2024
“The Opposite of Solitude” & “circumambulation”
Sexual Violence in Muslim Communities, December 2024
“When They Come For Us”
Caldwell/Hays Examiner, April 2024
“What’s In A Name”
Boundless Anthology: The Anthology of the Rio Grande Valley International Poetry Festival, April 2024
“The Muslims Gather at the White House For Eid”
Voices in Solidarity with the People of Gaza Anthology
Inked Resistance Islamic Publishing, April 2024
“elegy for the [insert school shooting] children’s f—”
Texas Observer, April 19, 2024
“on respectability politics”
Brooklyn College MSA Magazine: Palestine Edition, January 2024
Highlighted Poetry Performances
“Planting Seeds”
ACLU Texas, January 7, 2023
Monthly Open Mic Night - Featured Poet
Generaction Jam, July 15, 2022
“Quarter Life Crisis”, “The Engineer”, “An Ode to Dark-Skinned Girls”
Performing Arts Mosaic, November 19, 2020
“To Religious People Who Don’t Believe in Activism”
American Muslim Professionals of Dallas (AMPD) Elevation Gala
Irving Arts Center, October 4, 2019
“How to Escape the Feeling of Suffocation”
TEDxYouth@Austin
Austin Central Library, February 9, 2019
Amplify: UT Women’s Voices
UT Austin, April 7, 2017
“Liberation” Spoken Word Collaboration
Project: World Hijab Day
Young Muslims, February 1, 2017
“Dehydration”/”A Coming of Age”
Being ME Conference, October 29, 2016
“Not Even Water”
Austin Annual Iftar
UT Austin, June 18, 2016
“Sentiments From the First Generation”
TEDxSpeedway Plaza
UT Austin, March 26, 2016
Workshops & Speaking Engagements
Muslim Women’s Panel
Interabang Books, October 5, 2019
“Bullying at Hogwarts”
LeakyCon Dallas, August 9, 2019
“Identity, Mental Health, & Spirituality”
UCSB Muslim Student Association
UC Santa Barbara, April 12, 2019
Book Reading & Discussion
American Islamic College, Chicago, IL, March 28, 2019
“(w)holehearted: An Evening of Storytelling on Healing and Identity”
Muslims and Allies
Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY, December 8, 2018
“(w)holehearted” Book Launch
CAIR Austin
Malvern Books, Austin, TX, November 17, 2018
“Writing to Change the Hearts”
Austin Library Foundation | Badgerdog Teen Workshops
January 17, 2026
“How to Write A Poem”
UT Austin PCL Library Poetry Center, April 23, 2024
5th Annual Leadership Summit: Love Conquers Hate
Mu Delta Alpha
Richardson Civic Center, February 15, 2020
“The Struggle Is Real”
Unfiltered Conference
Islamic Association of Collin County, February 14, 2020
“Tackling Taboos”
5th Annual Muslim Women’s Literary Conference
Rabata & Daybreak Press Publishing
Hamline University, Minneapolis, MN, November 9, 2019
“Finding Your Voice Through Storytelling”
IACC WAVES
Islamic Association of Collin County, October 5, 2019
Podcasts & Interviews
Be Where How? Podcast
Episode 10: Sara Bawany — Fighting for Victims; And the Complexities of Expression
July 13, 2020
Unsweetened + Unfiltered Podcast
Episode 21: Conversations With a Muslim Therapist and Learning How to Humanize Our Prophet
August 3, 2019
Muslim Poets Showcase Ft. Sara Bawany
Muslim Poets
October 11, 2023
What Radicalized You? Podcast
Ep. 63: “I Can’t Therapy Away Some of These Problems”
March 4, 2022
Think Like A Lady Podcast
Episode 14: Sara Bawany - Facing Abuse in Community Environments
November 12, 2020