This morning I wake to check the BBC regional news and read that 41 Shia Muslims have been killed in Iraq during Ashura, targeted by Sunni militants who have bombed religious processions. The festival marks the death of Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson and is observed very strictly by Shias. It’s grim to think that… Continue reading Soran, 15 November 2013
Category: Lancaster University
Soran, 14 November 2013
Another beautiful day. I breakfast alone, then walk through the bazaar to take some photographs. When I get back to the hotel Muli tells me that out interview has been cancelled because today is Ashura, a religious festival and fasting day. Hopefully we’ll connect tomorrow. We make arrangements to join a picnic party instead. Just… Continue reading Soran, 14 November 2013
Soran, 13 November 2013
The call to prayer wakes me at 5.00am, so I catch up with a few emails before trying to sleep again since the traffic hasn’t yet started to move. When the day comes it’s a brilliant one, lit by mild autumn sun. I watch a group of children play outside as I wait for breakfast,… Continue reading Soran, 13 November 2013
Soran, 12 November 2013
I’m woken by cockerels calling across the city at five am, then the call to prayer, then the steady surge of traffic and voices in the street below. The two Yazidi boys who provide the catering have been given a wake-up call, so we breakfast on fried eggs, then yoghurt, instead of naan and jam.… Continue reading Soran, 12 November 2013
Soran, 11 November 2013
I’m woken by bright sunshine as well as the sound of traffic. The skies have cleared and the temperature has begun to rise after three overcast days. Today is my presentation to the English department at Soran about Lancaster, the Centre for Transcultural Writing, and what we hope to achieve through the new project here.… Continue reading Soran, 11 November 2013
Soran, 10 November 2013
Sunday morning and a working day at the University. I must have slept for at least ten hours and wake feeling much more prepared for things. No rain and light cloud is lit, pale saffron, above the circle of hills. After breakfast, we walk past shops, vegetable stalls and bakeries to Soran University where I… Continue reading Soran, 10 November 2013
Soran, 9 November 2013
I wake at about 11.00 o’clock after a brief rest. The hotel has been taken over by Soran University and Muli is now resident here. It’s mostly empty and pretty basic. After some running repairs to the plumbing, we drink more tea, test her new wi-fi setup, then begin to go through our plans. The… Continue reading Soran, 9 November 2013
Soran, 8 November 2013
The first leg of my trip to Soran begins in Manchester, the city I grew up in. The plane takes me to Istanbul where East and West seem to meet and compete before bringing me to the Kurdish city of Erbil at 4.30am. It seems strange to move from memories of my past to such… Continue reading Soran, 8 November 2013
Beverley Nambozo Nsengiyunva Shortlisted
Beverley Nambozo Nsengiyunva has been shortlisted in the 2013 Poetry Foundation Ghana Prize and longlisted for the Short Story Day Africa 2013 competition. Beverley, who is one of Lancaster’s former distance learning creative writing MA students, will visit the Department of English and Creative Writing in October, thanks to funding from the Alumni office, to… Continue reading Beverley Nambozo Nsengiyunva Shortlisted
Nguyen Phan Que Mai
Nguyen Phan Que Mai, a student on Lancaster’s Distance Learning MA in Creative Writing, has published her Vietnamese translation of Graham Mort’s story, “A Walk in the Snow”. It can be seen online here. Que Mai’s translation appears in “Tuoi Tre Weekend Magazine”, issue number 2, 11-1-2013. In early July 2013, Que Mai will attend… Continue reading Nguyen Phan Que Mai