Between the classroom and the page: Sherine Shehata on writing, healing, and the power of stories

In a world where classrooms are filled with the voices of students and another inhabited by characters and stories, author Sherine Shehata has chosen to build lasting bridges between the two. As a teacher who has learned to listen to the small stories behind every face, she found in literature a wider space to capture what the casual eye might miss: a memory that haunts the present, a wound searching for healing, and a character that grows from an idea until it becomes more present than its creator.

Sherine began her journey in children's literature, writing two English-language collections, You and Me and The Guiding Light. Her experience soon expanded to include short stories and novels, with her story "Hadith Al-Samt" (The Silence Speaks) winning an Atlas Publishing House competition in 2018. Since then, it has become clear that writing for her is not just a hobby, but a constant attempt to understand humanity and confront the darker corners within.

In her works, Sherine approaches social and psychological issues without shying away from pain, believing in literature's power to heal wounds that life itself cannot touch. Her characters carry their questions and scars, and her endings are sometimes harsh, dictated by the realism of the story—even if they defy readers' wishes.

In an interview with Ajel, Sherine Shehata discusses her transition from the classroom to the novel, her relationship with children and writing, awards, the characters that inhabit her works, her writing rituals, and the passion she hopes will always remain "like a first glance." She also shares her views on young writers and boldness in literature. Here is the interview:

- You studied English and work in teaching. How did you move from the world of classrooms and students to that of novels and imagination?

"Moving from the classroom to the world of novels is not difficult for someone who loves both. The link between them is strong, full of coincidences and adventures. The classroom is rich with stories that surpass any writer's imagination, presenting tales that the writer's keen eye and eager pen chase after."

- You began your literary journey with children's literature, writing the English collections You and Me and The Guiding Light. Why did you start with children in particular?

"I started with children because when I write for them, my work has a longer life and is passed on by many voices. A child's mind is alert; they never forget someone who wronged them or someone who planted a blooming flower in their mind with every new chapter of life."

- Your short story "Hadith Al-Samt" won an Atlas Publishing House competition in 2018. What did this early recognition mean to you?

"Winning awards is a reassurance for the writer, even if it is not necessarily the key to readers' hearts, whose tastes may not always align with those of a critic who fell in love with the work."

- Do you prefer writing novels or short stories? Which do you feel reveals the writer more?

"The idea itself determines the genre—it knocks on the writer's mind to be let in, whether it needs the concentrated form of a short story or the expansive journey of a novel."

- Most of your works deal with social and psychological issues. Why are you drawn to painful and complex human experiences?

"My works address human issues because I am always searching for a solution to something—a memory that hinders the present, tears that bear no fruit, a death that troubles every step."

- Do you believe literature can truly heal society, or does it simply expose wounds?

"Literature is indeed capable of healing many wounds. If I were a doctor, I would prescribe a literary work with every treatment, as its words can revive the soul from a bed that has long shunned the sun and embraced darkness."

- Which character from your novels do you feel resembles you more than you expected?

"Every character I've written has taken an idea from my mind willingly. I have something in common with each, even if only in their infancy, and I have heightened their mystery by dressing them in the attire of fiction."

- What are your writing rituals? Do you need complete solitude, or can you write amid the noise of life?

"I have no special rituals for writing. When the urge comes, the matter is settled, and I begin a new story that I tell myself before anyone else."

- What do you think of young writers today? Are you bothered by bold writing?

"Many young writers show great awareness, taking us into their clear world. Most do not favor subtlety but openly express their needs. As for extreme boldness, I see no justification for it except to meet a reader who seeks nothing else."

- Is there a work you wish you had not written, or a character you wish you had given a different ending?

"I have never wished to give any of my characters a different ending, even though some readers wanted a different fate for 'Hayat' in my novel The Only Girl Who Can Love, who met death at the hands of racism. I could not change her fate, as it would have undermined the realism of the work and dissolved it into wishful thinking."

- What is the one thing you hope never changes in your relationship with writing?

"I hope my passion for writing never fades, that anger never ends my relationship with it. I wish for lasting affection, with no quarrel between us, and that we always marvel at each meeting as if it were a first glance."