Alia Alshamsi on her Dubai-based children’s book, Alayah

Alia Alshamsi never set out to add “children’s author” to her list of accomplishments. But her story about Alayah, a girl born with pesky grains of sand in her hair that never seem to go away no matter how much she wills it, demanded to be told.

A photographer, photojournalist and poet, the 32-year-old Emirati-Italian had spent plenty of time making up stories for her 4-year-old son, Ahmad, and the reflective process of writing became a tonic for the hectic pace of her life.

“I was taking a walk in the sand on a beloved beach of mine in Jumeirah – I grew up playing on that beach,” says Alshamsi. “I was at a stage in my life where I really wanted to slow down and re-evaluate.

“I feel we’ve lost touch with reflection because our lifestyles are so fast, leaving no time for us to really enjoy anything. I was feeling so lost, and while walking, the sand got everywhere – in my feet, my hair, my clothes. So I just sat down and started writing on the beach.”

Alshamsi’s writing is simple and lilting, the choice of words geared towards children between the ages of 4 and 8. The story is about Alayah, an old-fashioned Emirati nickname for the name Alia.

“It’s quite personal to me. My grandmother used to call me Alayah, but no one else really, it’s so old school – it’s a self-reflective story,” says Alshamsi, who grew up in Dubai, close to Alayah’s beach.

Original article by Hala Khalaf

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Alia Alshamsi on her Dubai-based children’s book, Alayah