Since its start, Pencil In has been a no-pressure writers’ group designed to offer a supportive environment for writers to write alone, together.
Rooted in the idea of body-doubling, these communal writing sessions at 421 were a hope to create a safe, inspiring space for writers to polish their craft, exchange feedback in Arabic and English, and share personal texts with like-minded peers.
Now, to encourage writers to think more artistically and speculatively, to challenge themselves, draw from their environment, and grow, we’re introducing a special edition: Pencils Down.
On Thursday, December 11, 2025, past Pencil In participants will come together for an evening gathering where the words they’ve written across sessions take on new life. Selected pieces will be printed into the first-ever Pencil In Anthology, a collective archive of writing at 421.
During the activation, writers will:
- Bind their own books through a collaborative zine-making and book-stapling session
- Celebrate the anthology launch with a marathon collective reading
- Take home copies of the anthology, marking their contribution to this growing community of words
About your peer reviewers:
Sarah Afaneh is a researcher and writer interested in decolonizing knowledge production. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Creative Writing from NYU Abu Dhabi, with a double major in Social Research and Public Policy and a minor in Political Science. Sarah's recent work has been dedicated to understanding the body as storage; a space where emotion, memory, and knowledge are hosted consciously or subconsciously.
Genres & Specializations:
Academic/essay writing, class material, journalistic feature writing, creative writing
Sarah Ahmed is a creative practitioner and the founder of Jaffat El Aqlam, an independent platform established in 2014 that highlights artistic practices from the MENA region. Her multidisciplinary work spans journaling, film photography, glitch art, zine publishing, and participatory practices such as sending postcards to strangers. Alongside her independent projects, she regularly facilitates workshops that engage communities in experimental modes of making and expression. Her work has been featured in Jaffat El Aqlam, Al Tashkeel magazine (Issue 24), Qahwa Project, Al Shakmajiya, Nu Lit House (issues Now, Gratitude, Paradox, Dreams, Whole/Rest, and Space), Riwayya, Reconnecting Arts (Issue 1), MACRO: An Anthology of Images Macros, and OOMK zine.