Two UAE Arab Reading Challenge champions and author Dr Rashid Al Ali share lessons on storytelling, language and creative development at the Sharjah International Book Fair
Sharjah, November 15, 2026
Young readers were encouraged to see themselves not only as recipients of books and stories, but as potential writers capable of developing their own ideas and voices during ‘The Writer and the Pen’ session at the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) 2026.
The youth-focused session brought together writer and consultant Dr. Rashid Al Ali with Emirati sisters Reem Adel Al Zarouni, UAE champion of the Arab Reading Challenge in 2025, and Dana Adel Al Zarouni, UAE champion of the challenge in 2026, to discuss how writing begins, where ideas come from and how reading can help aspiring writers develop their language and creativity.
The session opened with an introduction by Reem Jasim Al Hamr and was moderated by Abdullah Al Dhahouri.
For Al Ali, starting a first book is only the beginning. Recalling how his own writing grew from sharing quotations and reflections on social media before producing his first publication in 2016, he said the harder part is sustaining a writing journey once an author has found an audience.
“The challenge is not the first book. The challenge is what comes next,” he said. “With every new book, you have to offer something different and continue developing as a writer.”
‘Reading is inhaling, writing is exhaling’
Al Ali also stressed that sustained reading provides the foundation for stronger writing, helping writers acquire new vocabulary, ideas and ways of organising their thoughts.
“Reading is like inhaling, and writing is like exhaling,” he said. “The more we read, the more we strengthen the words and ideas we can use in our writing.”
Reem Al Zarouni encouraged young people not to treat writing as something reserved for a particular type of person. While individuals may have different strengths and forms of expression, she said everyone has experiences, ambitions and ideas that can provide a starting point for writing.
Her sister Dana reflected on how reading and seeing someone close to her write helped inspire her own journey. She said the idea for her novel came before its characters and grew from her belief in the power a single word can carry.
“A word can put out a fire,” she said, describing language as the starting point from which her story developed and its characters gradually took shape.
Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority, the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2026) concludes on Sunday, November 15 at Expo Centre Sharjah, under the theme ‘Made of Stories’, with the Sultanate of Oman as Guest of Honour. The fair brings together 3,212 publishers and exhibitors from 126 countries, showcasing more than 1.7 million titles. Its programme features 1,500 cultural, creative and artistic events, with 106 guests from 25 countries.
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