iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 5h

I'm bad at being on Bluesky and this is definitely a crosspost, but this academic term, I'm doing some Associate Lecturing at Cardiff Met on a sci-fi and fantasy English/Creative Writing module and I'm really excited. I did my BA and MA here so it's lovely to be back ✨

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Prof Sunny Singh @profsunnysingh.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

“Refuge is a moving book that asks us to consider what it means to find oneself again and again in the face of forced displacement, violence, death, and unimaginable loss.” Thanks @wasafirimag.bsky.social & @durreshahwar.bsky.social for this considered review www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.com

Refuge: Stories of War (and Love)

Published in Wasafiri (Vol. 41, No. 3, 2026)

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Hajar Press @hajarpress.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

This month at 𝘏𝘢𝘫𝘢𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴, we’ll be discussing 🅿🅻🅰🆈 with the fabulous @durreshahwar.bsky.social! Come along to @housmansbookshop.bsky.social on 20 May to think about play as a life-affirming practice that can open us up to more expansive ways of living 🥏🏄🏽🎺🎲⚽️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hajar-read...

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Started my day today with some Annie Ernaux. Every time I get stuck with writing, I return to books that gave me confidence in it in the first place. Books that feel like they are inventing a new form of writing. Books that reveal something new every time you re-read them. #reading #books #writing

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Eid Mubarak to all celebrating ✨

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Pleased to be Disability Arts Cymru's March Artist of the Month, and to talk about my interdisciplinary practice as a researcher, writer, tutor, artist and my solo exhibition which presents a counterarchive of the experience of seeking sanctuary and asylum. www.disabilityarts.cymru/post/artist-...

disabilityarts.cymru

Artist of the Month: Durre Shahwar

Our Artist of the Month is Durre Shahwar, an award-winning writer, editor, and artist whose work examines identity, narrative form, and the politics of representation.

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Prof Sunny Singh @profsunnysingh.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

My proudest achievement is building a book family that powers this prize In 10 years, Jhalak Prize has grown from a single prize to a portfolio of 3 awards: 1. Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize, 2. Jhalak Poetry Prize 3. Jhalak Prose Prize BEHOLD THIS EXCELLENCE! #jhalakprizeat10

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Ema @traumaandcompany.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

+ @durreshahwar.bsky.social’s “cynefin” which is absolutely captivating and I couldn’t have read fast enough🇵🇰🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @foldingrockmag.bsky.social

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violet allen @blipstress.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

A man?? winning the Booker prize????? Is that even possible? It hasn't happened since the far-flung days of 2023. Our legends say that a man also won it in the ancient, prehistoric era of 2021, but surely that is just an old wives tale meant to frighten MFA students before bed.

theguardian.com

The Guardian view on the Booker prize winner: putting masculinity back at the centre of literary fiction | Editorial

Editorial: David Szalay’s Flesh breaks from a decade of female-centred interiors and reopens a genre many thought closed to men

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

It was an honour to be in conversation with Sara Ahmed last week about her new book, No Is Not A Lonely Answer. I've been reflecting on things I've said no to, the spaces that make it hard to advocate for better, and the changes that arise from complaint. I really recommend everyone read it.

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

If there's one thing you read today, read Camilla Grudova's essay on the precariousness of making a living from writing when you're from an underprivileged background and the ways that writers shift and adapt snd often have to make do. I felt so incredibly seen by it.

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

Last week, for Refugee Week, I reflected on what nature taught me about migration and how you see your place in the world when you have been a former refugee. You can read it here on my Substack: open.substack.com/pub/durre/p/...

open.substack.com

What Nature Taught Me About Migration

Thoughts on Refugee Week

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Cardiff primary school teachers and similar folks, you should go to this. Darren is brilliant.

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

It was a delight to be a judge for this anthology that celebrates South Asian poetry, and to get to read such a range of excellent submissions on so many different themes.

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 08/06/2025

Saw this on another platform today and it resonated deeply.

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Okka (Khairani Barokka; she/her/dia) @mailbykite.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

PRE-ORDERS NOW OPEN, w 10% discount! Please buy & spread the word—this is the book of my life, & pre-orders are v impt for its flight. First blurbs have come in, from Bhanu Kapil & Jeremy Tiang, am so honoured &constantly verklempt 🤍 #CripLit tiltedaxispress.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?...

tiltedaxispress.us11.list-manage.com

Annah, Infinite (paperback) - preorder — Tilted Axis Press

By Khairani Barokka, translated from the painting Annah La Javanese. This is an escape story. In Annah, Infinite , the dominant narratives surrounding Paul Gauguin’s famous painting Annah la ...

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

My creative non-fiction piece, Making/Unmaking, written for @nvpoco.bsky.social is now available to read online for free! Bringing together themes of sustainability, ancestral connection across continents, regional practices, making and unmaking of cultural identity. www.yumpu.com/en/document/...

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

Such a huge loss. I was writing and researching the hierarchies of language when I came across his work and felt a huge shift in my own due to it. Rest in power. What a legacy you leave behind.

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 11/05/2025

Had the most wonderful time at #awwe25. Have come away inspired, fulfilled, moved by good people and incredible papers, with new knowledge and lots of photos of beautiful Wales. Have been trying to go to #awwe conference for a few years now. Third time lucky. Diolch o galon.

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Am @ambobdim.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Eisiau ysgrifennu am natur a'r argyfwng hinsawdd? Dyma'r dosbarth meistr i chi. Book Inclusive Journalism Cymru's free Zoom masterclass on environmental writing! 🌱 Gwesteion/Guests: @durreshahwar.bsky.social, Owen Sheers, Taylor Edmonds 21/5 19:00 amam.cymru/inclusivejou...

Image promoting Masterclass on Environmental Writing. It features a photo of foliage, green text on a pink background and photos of the three participants: Durre Shahwar, Owen Sheers and Taylor Edmonds

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

Very happy to have written a piece drawing on the themes of sustainability, regional practices, and making/unmaking, building upon research from my Future Wales Fellowship for @nvpoco.bsky.social. The magazine is brilliantly curated and is launching tomorrow with an online event.

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New Voices in Postcolonial Literature Network @nvpoco.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

Join us in celebrating the work of our authors, learning more about NVPoco, and discussing the future of postcolonial studies. The launch will include readings of creative/critical works by Alan Palacios, Sonakshi Srivastava, @durreshahwar.bsky.social, James Lapping, George Harris, and Owen Buchan

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New Voices in Postcolonial Literature Network @nvpoco.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

We're delighted to announce the launch of the latest issue of of New Voices in Postcolonial Studies Magazine edited by Soph Harris-Nijmeijer and Juni Kvarving (@juni-kvarving.bsky.social) on the theme of "Imagining Postcolonial Futures"!

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Cardiff Hubs & Libraries @cdflibraries.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

A belated thank you to @durreshahwar.bsky.social and @hananelizabethissa.bsky.social for an enjoyable and enlightening chat about Gathering: Women of Colour on Nature at Central Library Hub. Available to reserve now!

Durre and Hanan, standing next to Hub banner

Copies of 'Gathering' on small book stands.

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The Dial @thedialmag.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

In her poetry published in The Dial, Palestinian playwright Dalia Taha considers how simple pleasures and pains—like the warmth of the sun and wrist pain—take on new meaning during wartime: www.thedial.world/articles/lit...

thedial.world

Poems by Dalia Taha — The Dial

“Enter Sun”, “Enter Wrist Pain”, and “Enter Poem”

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Dr Joanna Nadin @joannanadin.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Booking is now open for University of Bristol’s annual Writers Day. A full line-up of workshops, talks and Q&As, featuring headliners Vanessa Kisuule and CJ Skuse. £25 full rate and £15 concessions. bristol.ac.uk/english/stud...

bristol.ac.uk

Writer's Day

Join us on Saturday 7 June for a day filled with creativity and inspiration.

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

I've said it before and I'll say it again: weaponising the language of activism to shame people, or believing there's a singular correct way to be an activist is often inherently privileged and never intersectional. It also just doesn't serve any community you claim to be doing the work for.

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

I'll be delivering a PGR seminar online tomorrow with Queen Mary University, about my research and writing of autofiction and how it may or may not lend itself to decolonising how we write. It's free to attend by anyone. durreshahwarpgrs.eventbrite.co.uk

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

Are you an LAHP-funded student? Gain hands-on experience at a renowned literary magazine and learn how to run a literary prize through our new placement opportunity. ⏰ Deadline: 11.59pm BST, Sunday, 20 April Apply:

wasafiri.org

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Danielle Terrazas Williams @drdanielletw.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

NEW CFP 🚨 University of Cambridge The Material Culture pre-1850 Workshop is very pleased to announce a new call for papers on the theme of 'lifecycles'. We are looking for 20 minute papers from researchers of all career stages, deadline 28 April 2025

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Prof Sunny Singh @profsunnysingh.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

Have you seen the news? #Refuge: Stories of War (and Love) will be published this summer:

Screenshot of Bookseller article with my photo and headline: Footnote Press acquires Sunny Singh's 'often overlooked' stories of war

Screenshot of article text: This collection focuses on the "often overlooked" stories of war. From Marie who keeps the women of her village from giving birth to children of war, to an ageing MI6 official who discovers that the woman he meets every day may not be what she seems, the collection and those that feature in it are celebrated as "an ode to humanity's ability to endure".
It will be published on 7th August 2025.
Singh said: "The stories in this collection explore a mystery that has intrigued me since childhood: how do humans find courage, strength and love in the most brutal and horrific circumstances? And I am absolutely delighted to be working with Footnote again, this time on fiction."
Arthur said: "Sunny has written such a beautiful depiction of persevering through war, trauma and occupation in this carefully crafted collection.
While the writing is stunning and lyrical, Refuge: Stories of War (and Love) doesn't shy away from the horrors at all. It's character-driven, emotive, distinctive and powerful."
Susijn said: "These powerful and expertly crafted stories show both the best and worst of human nature."

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

So excited to return to Cardiff Central lib for an event on Gathering PLUS OPEN MIC with @hananelizabethissa.bsky.social. Join us!!!

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

Pleased to have a narrative non-fiction piece in the inaugural issue of @foldingrockmag about walking in the landscape, water and sea, unreliability of memory, friendships between women, and modesty and choice. #writingcommunity

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Ramadan Mubarak, friends. رمضان مبارك

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Darren Chetty @darrenchetty.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

A lot of 'diversity' work in education seeks to cultivate a sense of 'belonging'. But what if we instead considered prioritising justice and a more equitable sense of 'unbelonging' as our aims?

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Wasafiri Magazine @wasafirimag.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

🔔 Students, academics, researchers, and subscribers: Wasafiri 121 is now available to read online! Edited by @durreshahwar.bsky.social, this issue focuses on moving beyond the periphery — spatially, literally, and visually. www.tandfonline.com/toc/rwas20/4...

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 22/02/2025

A zine capturing the Educating Susan: Decolonisation and Creative Writing Pedagogy and Publishing symposium, held at City University of London in September 2024, with a quote from my paper on autofiction. A nice reminder as I think ahead towards the talks and publications coming up this year.

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

One year since Gathering came out. Grateful to everyone who has supported the book in any shape or form. Especially grateful in a time where our freedom of expression is constantly under threat. You can read our foreword here: nation.cymru/culture/book...

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Saqi Books @saqibooks.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

SUPPORT THE EDUCATIONAL BOOKSHOP! We would hugely appreciate any support you are able to give at this time. Find out more here: www.gofundme.com/f/jerusalems...

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

This #nature and conservation #storytelling #fellowship for young people aged 18-25 in Wales sounds so, so good. Deadline is 17th Feb though! www.kogia.org/fellowships/...

kogia.org

Wales — kogia

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Devjani Bodepudi @dbodepudi.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Delighted to have poetry in this Spring issue of Wasifiri. 💙 Thank you to @sanagoyal.bsky.social and @durreshahwar.bsky.social

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Wasafiri's Spring issue, edited by me during my time as Deputy Editor, is available for preorder. It explores the idea of the periphery from various perspectives, with writing on climate, body, migration, translation, and a lead feature on centring justice from @profsunnysingh.bsky.social!

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Moudhy Al-Rashid (she/her) @moudhy.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

advance copies have arrived and if it looks like i’m trying to hug it, that’s because i am 🥹

Selfie of a smiling woman holding a shiny book entitled Between Two Rivers. The bottom half of the book cover is slightly obscured by her hand. She wears a dark grey sweatshirt

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Feels like a risky take, but in a world of AI and generic copywriting, seeing 'improper' or intentionally deconstructive use of language, grammar, or syntax feels exciting. Give me repetition, colloquialisms, Emily Dickinson dashes.

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

Listened to a podcast today and then walked in the sun, at the end of which, I found myself feeling really affirmed in this need to create an internal sense of contentment that's so indelible and personal in the face of constantly changing external factors.

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Dr Durre Shahwar @durreshahwar.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Looking forward to reading Shady Lewis's On the Greenwich Line this month. Thanks to Peirene Press for the copy.

Hand holding a book with a distorted image of a person's face on it against a pink background

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