The Muslimah Speaks is an anthology that amplifies the voice of Muslim women

Social media is often perceived as the most pointless of modern phenomena, full of frivolous chatter between Facebook friends and Twitter followers. But such networks can serve a worthier cause.

Living on the outskirts of Houston, Texas, Janette Grant is at the hub of a global community of female Muslim poets – a network stretching from Indonesia to England and comprising veteran authors to virtual novices. This diverse collective was convened for a book called The Muslimah Speaks, a timelessly spiritual collection published in a surprisingly cutting-edge manner.

“Definitely technology has helped me to pursue this dream,” says Grant. “Social media is amazing. I just wish that 10 years ago I had something like this that I could use.”

The story begins in an unlikely fashion, with a frustrating visit to a New England library. Grant converted to Islam 16 years ago, but struggled to find relevant reading material for her young son. She yearned for books “with not only a religious perspective that’s fun and entertaining, but also that contain children of colour. Just so he could see a reinforced image of himself and build his self-esteem. That’s how Mindworks came about.”

Mindworks is Grant’s small publishing company that is dedicated to producing inspirational works. At first, she was forced to “print them myself, or try to upload them to a website, which was a lot of work”. Eventually, publishing innovations and social networks offered more productive methods.

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The Muslimah Speaks is an anthology that amplifies the voice of Muslim women