Friday, 1 September 2023

Submission footnote

https://footnotepress.com/footnote-counterpoints-prize/

"Submissions must be for narrative non-fiction, centred around themes of displacement, identity and/or resistance. Footnote and Counterpoints welcome eclectic and expansive interpretations of displacement, identity and/or resistance and are especially interested in work that sits at intersections, or across cultures, communities and borders, moving beyond the personal to touch upon some of the key social and political themes of our times. 

Anyone from a refugee or migrant background is eligible to submit an entry for the Prize if they are resident in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland, whether they have previously been published or not. Both agented and unagented submissions are welcome.

Submission Guidelines 

  1. Submissions must consist of a sample of 8,000 to 10,000 words and a detailed proposal of c. 3,000 words, as well as a one-page cover letter.  
  2. Your proposal must include the genre, subject matter, scope, style and structure of the proposed book and include an estimated word count for the fully written book, as well as the date by which you think you would be able to deliver the fully written book. You must be able to deliver a fully-written manuscript of 65,000-85,000 words before 30 March 2025.   
  3. You can find Footnote’s standard book proposal guidelines here: FxC Prize Proposal Guidelines. When submitting your entry, please also include a short covering letter including your name, contact details, a brief biography of c. 200 words, including information on your refugee or migrant background, and any relevant information such as any previously published works, agent details (if relevant), any social media accounts, prizes won or nominated for etc. The covering letter should be part of the same document as your submission.    
  4. Additionally, we will also require a 30-60 second video introduction (no need for specialist equipment, fine to just use a mobile phone or webcam) to yourself and/or your work.  
  5. Proposals and samples must be submitted as Microsoft Word documents and preferably be double-spaced and in Times New Roman typeface of 12 point font.   
  6. The closing date for entries is 5pm GMT on 1 October 2023, and the winners and two runners-up will be announced in March 2024. A panel of three judges will be announced this August. 
  7. Applicants should read the full Terms and Conditions before sending in any work.
  8. To enter, please email your submission to: prizesubmission@footnotepress.com " 

Thursday, 31 August 2023

We are Typhoon



Just finished reading Typhoon by Qaisra Shahraz. What a story! Well done Qaisra jan. I enjoyed the story; I laughed and cried with your characters. I also enjoyed the command of language displayed throughout the book. All together a praiseworthy book.

+++

I guess my take on the story would differ a lot from other average readers. As I come from a land where women are classified as second-class gender. Not that the equality of men and women is fully established elsewhere. Only a few days ago the story of women in sport facing sexual harassment and abuse was brought to surface after a female footballer was kissed on the lips by the Spanish Football Federation president.

For me Typhoon was not a story that might happen in a faraway land. It was a reality, a day to day routine. The daily trauma of living with the guilt that being a woman demands. To expect respect is an impossibility, asking for too much. You are but a temptation, an offensive being that should remain out of sight. Reading Typhoon, the fear of being in the wrong place at a wrong time reignited vividly in my memory. In Typhoon, a neighbour, that happened to be a woman, threw her sandal to hit another woman who was judge guilty by the village gossiper. Was this in the story or a scene that I had witnessed in reality?

We are getting near the 1st anniversary of Mahsa (Jina) Amini's death. Mahsa is the girl that was killed by the morality police because her scarf was not approved by those who arrested her. Typhoon reminded me of the pain of being a woman, the harassments and insults women are subjected to on daily bases. The phrase 'bare head' سر لخت used a few times in the book, was not just a familiar phrase. It was a legitimate reason to be killed for.

I hope one day we are human enough to think of every race and gender as humans with equal rights.

دردی بس آشنا از میان برگ‌های داستان بیرون می‌جهید و راه گلویم را به بغض سد می‌کرد. درد جهل. درد زنی زیبا در پاکستان. زنی که توسط پچپچه‌های زنان نادان محل به گناهی محکوم شد و بزرگ روستا به قضاوت وی نشست. بزرگی که در بستر مرگ زن را فرامی‌خواند و طلب بخشش می‌کند تا با وجدانی آسوده به دیدار پروردگار خود بشتابد.

تجارب خیلی از ما نیز به ردپای چنین زنانی آلوده است. زنان نادانی که هیچ آرزویی در ژرفای وجودشان نمی‌درخشد و در تخلف هر مرد جز ردپایی زن به دنبال هیچ توجیه دیگری نیستند. با عشق بیگانه‌اند و مهر را جز تمکین بی‌قید و شرط به مردی که مالک آنان است نمی‌دانند.

چه خوب که نسل جدید کمتر به آفت جهل آلوده است و چه خوب که نسل جدید می‌خواهند سکان زندگی خود را خود در دست داشته باشند. ممنون از زنان آگاه ایران که تجربه‌ای را که هم سن و سالهای من و امثال من قادر به تصور آن هم نبودند را رقم زدند. با آرزوی روزهای بهتر برای ایران و ایرانی. با احترام به جنبش #زن-زندگی-آزادی

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Tuesday, 4 July 2023


Looking forward to Prof Michael Schmidt's talk on Ghazal this Thursday through Zoom. I am the host for the session. Registration is free and you can book your free ticket here. It would be great to see you there, too.


You are invited to a Zoom webinar.

When: Jul 6, 2023 06:00 PM London

Topic: Poetry and Ghazal: Formal ways, Out and In


Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87961129590?pwd=eWtKRkgrQVB6OG5iMGt1bGlXMytwUT09

Passcode: 884922

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International numbers available: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbrcD8lkIP


همین پنج‌شنبه میزبان جلسه صحبت پروفسور مایکل اسمیت در جلسه زوم مکفست خواهم بود. این برنامه از طریق زوم اجرا می‌شود. برای نام‌نویسی و پیوستن به این صحبت لطفا اینجا کلیک کنید.

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