Speaking

Hosted by Black Girl Fest, a panel focused on the various topics and unique experiences that come with being both Black women & Black Muslim women. This touched on everything from personal to professional, the changes I would like to see in the publishing world and why it is necessary for Black Muslim women to document their stories.

Hosted by Dahlia Publishing, a panel led by Melissa Fu, exploring the path to publication for first-time writers. The discussion touched on challenges and motivations through writing, what we hope readers will take away from our book and the importance of prizes and schemes in the journey of new, underrepresented writers.

Spoke on a panel with Kuba Shand-Baptiste, chaired by Catherine Mayer, about what it means to have an opinion in today’s culture. We discussed the role of an editor in safeguarding writers who choose to share sensitive stories and the importance of letting people tell stories that matter to them.

I take you through my process of creating dynamic characters using various approaches including prompts, exercises and interviews. We look at how other authors have established their characters in the opening pages of their books, and how you can achieve the same thing. Come prepared to write and share your work!