My excuse for forgetting birthdays has always been that I’m busy. In the world before, I travel for work. I live between several countries, am part of several extended families on three continents. I remember the A5 format menu plan sellotaped to the wall in my mother’s kitchen. She ran her busy constituency office from the cane chairs arranged on the front verandah of our house, but the menu plan was the core structure by which she organised our lives. I came to believe when I’d learned every dish on that list my mother’s work on earth would be done. So naturally I refused to learn how to cook.
News
Highland Midges 1 – 0 Me
It’s funny, how my parents usually know that it’s raining in Edinburgh before I do. They are avid weather app users and will provide daily weather reports during our WhatsApp calls. My mum will exclaim “it was so warm today in Datca; we couldn’t leave the house to even go to the beach!” She’ll then follow the exclamation with a timid and consolatory tone, telling me that they’ve already checked the weather for me…
Metaphors for a Black Future
0 This October, during Black History Month, Scottish BAME Writers Network launch Metaphors for a Black Future, curated by Martha […]
Writing Workshop: Pluralism within the Self with Titilayo Farukuoye
This workshop explores the concept of pluralism within the self, with a focus on language, embodied cultures and cultural plurality.
The History of Rummikub: Vignettes from my local shop
Rummikub is a 4-person game played with 106 tiles, somewhere between the card game rummy and mah-jong. It’s a loud game, as the tiles are usually made of hard plastic and make a satisfying sound when they’re mixed. The game was invented by a Jewish man from Romania called Ephraim Hertzano as a work around a gambling ban, since playing card games were forbidden in Romania during the 1940s. Rummikub is one of my favourite games.
Geographies of cooking (or how I learned how to cook adobo in Scotland)
Before moving away from home, my cooking skills were limited to frying everything, and of course, cooking rice. I lived on takeaways, meals out with friends, and free food at my parents’. Food was functional, cooking was a chore.
HarperCollins x SBWN Partnership – Submissions
We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with Nancy Adimora and HarperCollins UK! Nancy is the Talent & Audience Development Manager at HarperCollins Publishers and submissions of fiction and non-fiction books are now open to Scottish BAME Writers Network members! Find out more about Nancy, why she got into publishing and what the submission process is.
Writing Words to Calm the Mind
One thing I do in my practice and in my daily life is meditation or visualisations to keep calm. It helps me to stay on track if I am undertaking any tasks…
Workshop: Writing for Children (Middle Grade) with Maisie Chan
This workshop with author Maisie Chan explores writing for children (middle grade, 8-12 yrs) through fun writing exercises and discussions on craft.
Q&A Session: ‘Demystifying the Publishing Process’ with Nancy Adimora from HarperCollins
We’re delighted to offer a free Q&A session on ‘Demystifying the Publishing Process’ with Nancy Adimora from HarperCollins on 17th, September 2020, 6pm. This session is for Black writers and writers of colour based in Scotland who are working on a fiction or nonfiction manuscript.
