In the giant main square of Isfahan, two women eating saffron ice-cream came up to myself and a friend and asked us where we’re from. We replied, and with huge smiles they said “Welcome to Iran!” then walked off. Over the next week this sort of thing happened frequently, and sometimes extended into questions about … Continue reading
I read Mai’a Williams’ book like some one starved for word gems and insights. I want to cover this book for this blog because no one talks about mothers like they are the key protagonists in this world. They (and women and people of colour and people in poor countries and..) are portrayed as being … Continue reading
Non-plated food is lacking in imagination and a symptom of societal stupidity. In rich countries and the wealthier areas of poor countries it has become trendy for restaurants to serve food on cutting boards and slates, as well as “deconstructed” meals in cups, juice in watering cans, sausages in skulls and hanging from branches (seriously), … Continue reading
A common writing exercise is to go somewhere – say a park – and write what you see, based on the five key senses – sight, smell, sound, taste, and texture. Sometimes I like to modify this exercise and instead write what I imagine – the stories of the lives of people sitting in the … Continue reading
Farrah Akbik is a British-Syrian poet based in London who writes to raise awareness of the hardships Syria and Syrian refugees are going through. Al Sham (*another name for Damascus) I want to lay my head in the lap of Ghouta, Dull my senses with pomegranate wine. Drift like Ophelia down the river Barada, Lose … Continue reading
I’m a fiction author and journalist who is very much aware of, and angry about the racial, class, country-based, and gender and sexuality inequalities in the book and media worlds. Given the systemic exclusion many of us face, over two years ago I started only reading novels by female authors — preferably those from other oppressed worlds … Continue reading
I can actually draw quite well, but I do these drawings for fun and creativity. Enjoy :) Continue reading
The battle against depression (short or long term) has many fronts, including, in my opinion, the battle for a humanity and environment-first world where we are less alienated at work and among each other. But what makes writing such a powerful tool for both personal and political problems (which are invariably linked) is that we … Continue reading
A Dead Sun – by Bejan Matur I peel night from the dead sun’s flesh and like a scarf wrap it round my head The graves of children – by Bejan Matur So – we died. We flitted out of darkness. Beaches bore witness, as did the tiniest of stones. Night and stars streamed above us where … Continue reading
Watching a video of Jim Carrey painting, you can see he has a wonderful sense of play and colour, as he creates a range of giant paintings in his warehouse-sized studio. He bashfully covers a canvas double the size of my bedroom with paint, and he pours thick, luscious acrylic paint from cans in wonderful pink … Continue reading
