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2021 Round-Up of the Year and Stats

 

It’s been a long time since I posted on here, but I have had a lot of projects on the go, and so it feels like the year has come to an end very quickly.

Thankfully it’s been a bit more hopeful than the apocalyptic mess that was 2020, although there has been plenty of madness to keep us all on the verge of tearing our hair out.


WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO IN 2021:

PASTURES NEW

A walk in my local park, W. Yorks


The biggest thing that happened for me in 2021 was being accepted onto a paid PhD programme. It felt like the right time to make a change from my old job, as personal circumstances, and changes to the way we were working thanks to the pandemic, the discourse in my subject area and my research interests all seemed to align. Starting it has been the most exhilarating and scary thing I’ve done in a long time and I’m so glad I did it, and so grateful to my amazing family for supporting me to go for it.


ACTIVISM

Photo: Bing Online Pictures under Creative Commons


Prior to 2021 I became involved in a national teaching union, campaigning for the rights of supply teachers. In 2021 I have been involved in organising Black and Asian educators to campaign on issues relating to their experiences of being of minority ethnic heritage in the workplace. I’ve met some wonderful colleagues, been to an informative and inspiring (online) conference, and made some lovely friends. And I’ve found that when I’m spending a lot of time thinking about abstract ideas, this helps to keep me grounded.


SOUTH ASIAN HERITAGE

Photo: National Portrait Gallery

I finally completed my translation of the memoirs of Jahanara Imam.

A chance encounter on Twitter led to me speaking at a South Asian Heritage Month event on 50 years of Bangladesh Independence, from the perspective of a British-born Bangladeshi.

This led to me collaborating with Dr Tasleem Shakur of Edge Hill University, on a research project writing up the experiences of Bangladeshis living in the North West of England during the 1971 conflict. It has been a fascinating and rewarding experience. Watch this space for more to come!


CREATIVE WRITING GROUP

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash


For the first time in my life, I joined a writing group. It’s local to me, organised by the amazing team at Fox & Windmill and led by the brilliant Nabeela Ahmed. It’s a small group and my fellow writers are lovely as well as super talented. I’ve entered a competition to be published, and am working on another piece for submission. It’s been a surprising, fulfilling experience to give myself the time and space to focus, once a week, solely on my creative writing, and to learn from other British South Asian writers; I am ever grateful to Fox & Windmill for making it possible.

 

END OF YEAR STATS:

(just for fun)

BOOKS STARTED: 28

NB: this does not include academic books and journals I’ve been reading.

BOOKS COMPLETED: 23

BOOKS STILL READING: 4

BOOKS DNF: 1

PHDs STARTED: 1

CONFERENCES ATTENDED: 3

PRESENTATIONS GIVEN: 2

CURRENT WRITING PROJECTS: 5

NEPHEWS CUDDLED: 1 (not nearly enough time for this)

NEW CITIES VISITED: 1 (Hull – a great time was had by all and we need to come back and see the rest!)

CHRISTMAS DINNERS EATEN: 2 (because why not?)

FAMILY VIDEO CHATS: Uncounted, and always a highlight of the day.


Hope you've had a good year, and best wishes for 2022!

Image: Shutterstock


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Comments

  1. Niamh Radford-Naylor31 December 2021 at 16:34

    That's such a brilliant year! Well done on starting the PhD and the translations. You'll be an incredible writer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Brown Brontë1 January 2022 at 11:17

      Thanks so much! You've worked really hard this year too and it's so great to hear it's paying off. Hope you have a wonderful year ahead ❤️

      Delete
  2. Unknown2 January 2022 at 16:33

    slay, mother 👯

    ReplyDelete

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