Literature at Lunchtime

I accompanied my good friend Imelda Reed to a lecture on Virginia’s Woolf’s semi- biographical novel Orlando. I was impressed by lecturer Dr Jane Mackay’s in depth knowledge of Virginia’s work. Orlando is based on the intimate friendship between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville- West. ‘Orlando’ is considered by many as important literature to women’s writing and gender studies. But, I have to agree with Dr Mackay that Virginia’s Woolf was foremost a writer dedicated to her art. I don’t believe she would've like to be pigeonholed for women's studies. She came before Feminism and her work lives on post- Feminism era. Virginia was a woman who took her writing very seriously as a writer.

Her novel/biography Orlando explores the boundaries of gender and sexuality. Orlando was often first read by its contemporary audience as a gossipy portrait of Vita Sackville-West; the reviewer at the Daily Mail entitled his buzz on Orlando, "A Fantastic Biography: Mrs. H. Nicholson and 'Orlando': 300 Years as Man and Woman." It was a hugely successful joke - not just critically, but financially as well, both in England and America.

The sad part toVirginia's life was her husband and many people believed she was mad and that’s why she never had children. Virginia suffered three breakdowns and Anorexia in her life. Regardless of her personal issues, she still went on to write and publish work for Bloomsbury. I find it interesting that most strong, intelligent women at some point in their lives will have been considered mad!LOL!

Summer holidays

Writing has gone to pots since the holidays have begun. I took the kids to Norfolk, to a place called Sea Palling for a week. YES! We did get sun, sea and sand most of the time. LOL! We were the fortunate ones to miss out on bad weather. Summer holidays starts early in the East Midlands. The bungalow we hired was fantastic and close to the beach. Not too expensive and the kids just loved spending all day outside with a picnic.

Why go abroad when there’re some fantastic places to visit in England! Locals were friendly and we had a great time just chilling! Driving to Norfolk was lovely. Some of the countryside was breathtaking.

I went to Edinburgh two years and again the visit was a great success. I think people worry too much about weather and ending up in boring or bad holidays. I think holidays are what you make it. You have to do your homework and I’ve been to some brilliant places in England, regardless of the rain, sleet, sun or snow.

Michael Jackson's death

I’ve been following the media coverage of Michael Jackson’s death. It was a shock to hear of his death. Michael Jackson was part of my childhood. I remember watching him as part of the ‘Jackson Five’. I was so excited when I first heard ‘Off the wall’. I was mesmerized by Billie Jean, ‘Beat it’, and so in awe when I saw ‘Thriller’ for the first time. As a kid I used to copy his every move and he did remind me a little of Peter pan. I always thought Michael was a very handsome Afro -American. That’s the Michael Jackson I remember.

Like everything else in life you loose interest, get busy and then suddenly you hear a news flash of his passing. Being a parent, my heart goes out to his orphaned children. I’m sure the Jackson family will take good care of them and give them the grounding they need.

Cbbc Script Competition

Yes, I’ve been busy doing a Cbbc script for the BBC writer’s room competition. The conditions for the competition was the script couldn't be longer than 30 minutes, and no more than 30 pages. I received the email ten days ago, and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to complete it on time. I’m pleased to say I’ve met the deadline before the 1st of July and finished a 6,000 word script.

Phew! It was a slog and I’m quite proud to have done it. But, I hate the waiting part, it always leaves me wondering, was it good enough? Could I’ve done better? etc etc. Why do we self doubt our capability? I don’t know... I suppose it’s the way a writer’s mind works... there’s always room for improvement. No writing piece ever reaches the stage you want it to be at. The funny thing is the other day I was searching the web and I came across this fact page about famous writers who received rejections in their life time. Names like Virginia Woolf , H.G wells, Charles Dickens all took rejections and coped. So who knows if I persevere with my writing where it can lead to.

BNP

It’s a sad day to see the BNP win a council seat in Leicestershire. I always thought Leicester had a good mix of people to be so easily influenced by the likes of the BNP. Well, how wrong was I!
We all know Racism and Prejudices derive from ignorance and the fear of the unknown. But, I don’t believe all English people are racists. Especially, as Britain has a great reputation of helping refugees. So, what’s going wrong? Some of it I blame some on government policies which makes people from abroad look like their getting a good deal when their actually not. Part of it I blame it on the media for its role in hyping up stories of foreigner’s taking over Britain. Most of it, I think is we’re living such stressed out lives we don’t have time to understand or relate to people different to us. Please do remember this is just my opinion and I could be wrong.
However, one actual fact remains, British people work the longest hours in Europe. It’s not surprising we don’t have time for ourselves let alone anybody else. Gone are the days when extended families help out. Independent living means we tend to go for familiarity rather than diversity. Sticking to your own kind comes as second nature. Sharing the same views, beliefs, cultures, and lifestyles is everybody’s dream, isn’t it? I would like to think not! Again this is just my opinion.
My feelings are that racism surfaces when we choose not to tolerate others who are different to us. Sorry! If it sounds like a lecture but I need to release what I feels about this disease of hating people. It’s natural to be weary of others. Again some people believe that all foreigners have come to Britain to take over jobs, homes and country which is nonsensical. If immigrants are allowed to work in Britian its ususally all the menial jobs given that nobody wants. Coming from an Ethnic background myself, I just try to work hard and want to be treated like everybody else. No special treatment.
Migration has existed for centuries, it’s nothing new. There are alot of displaced people around the world. To give one example, there are millions of Afghan refugeees in Pakistan and they haven't shut their borders to them. What is helping people to migrate quicker for whatever reason is modern technology. There nothing wrong in moving countries if you got the means. More people will move in the future. It’s just the signs of the times we living in.
My experiences of mixing with people from different backgrounds have always been good. I tend to get on with people like a house on fire! Regardless of what race, culture and creeds they come from.I know some English and non-English people are opposed to learning about others who are different to them. But, I wonder, what quality of life do they want to live? A one dimensional existence? How boring! We’re all humans not aliens Lol! I should know my children’s father is English. I’m hoping by the next election everybody will have come to their senses and boot the BNP out of the East Midlands and all of Britain for good.

Asian Writer's website

I’ve just finished doing a 500 words article with pictures for the Asian Writer’s website about the MWA (Muslim Writer’s Awards). It should be in the next issue and I’m very pleased it’s been accepted. It was so easy to write about.

Muslim Writer's Awards

What a night! I spent the last few hours in the company of some of the richest, diverse and talented writers I’ve seen in quite a while. The first thing that struck me, I was listed for a VIP table. I don’t know if it was a mistake but I wasn't about to complain. I guess wearing a sparkly gown, headscarf and matching handbag and not forgetting my gorgeous silver heels, I did fit into the evening nicely! Everyone kept asking me what award I was up for? I was a little tempted to make something up but the sheer thought of being caught out stopped me. After all, I was given the best seats in the house. I had to be on my best behaviour because my kids were watching!
The night began with powerful poetry from Dreadlock-Alien, an electrifying performance from Warsan Shire and hypnotic rhymes from Amir Sulaiman. I have to confess, Warsan Shire haunted me all evening. She is a talent to watch out for! Not just a Somali poet, but a writer, freelance journalist and spoken word artist. She won 2007 international slam champion.
There were some great guest speakers lined up too. The Rt Hon Stephen Timms a pleasant man with a positive message. He spoke for people to see Muslims writer’s as talented individuals and not just members of the Islamic faith. Another favourite speaker of the night was Sadiq Khan, Minister for Communities. He talked about his invlovement in projects to help Ethnic Minorities in Britain.
Personally, I felt let down by the presentation of the awards. The presenters Shelina Zahra Janmohamed and Hasan Mahamdallie were fabulous in keeping us the audience entertained. But, once the winners were announced, they collected their awards and were quickly whisked off stage. I was hoping to hear some of their readings but I was told there wasn’t enough time. The MWA (Muslim Writer’s Award) were running on a tight schedule of two hours. Behind me, lights were blasting from huge cameras and I knew it was being televised live to many countries around the world.
Afterwards, I was able to speak to some of the winners and get their opinions of the night. My first contact was with Hanzla Arif Macdonald, winner of the short story competition for the 14-16 age groups. He was excited to attend the awards with his parents and younger brother. To my surprise he had won an award last year at the MWA. He was described by one judge “he will come to be a name to remember”. Another judge referred to Hanzla's work, “His work won in the end because of its sophistication and originality” So, I’m not surprised he’s already made a mark in the writing industry.
Other humble winners were Shameam Akhtar for unpublished poetry and Reba Khatun for unpublished –children’s story. Both ladies were a little shy to talk about their success but very glad to have submitted to this year’s MWA.
Well, I guess it goes to show you if you don’t write you won’t know. If you have a passion to write and with local elections round the corner, it's no time like the present to have your say!