Rewriting the North: Into the Wilds

First-time published author Zara Sehar reflects on her experience of writing, reading and what it means to rewrite the north.

Into the Wilds helps to rewrite the North by bringing forth voices from the North of England that are not often provided with a chance to be platformed and showcased. This anthology of short stories and poetry from British South Asian writers attempts to rewrite the North through who they have selected to represent the area. The focus here, I feel, is more on the author than the work as there are writers everywhere, but the same cannot be said regarding representation of these voices in publishing. The re-writing narrative is important as it is not just about the content of the work, but more about the work the Fox and Windmill Press is doing to change the narrative of who rewrites the North. This progressive stance is imperative as not only does it provide a platform for Northern British South Asian Writers, but it is paving the way for others, as age is not a limiting factor. The stories come from Secondary School students to university students to individuals re-igniting their passion whilst in their chosen profession.

Part of what I realised and recognised with this collection is that there are stories everywhere, especially from the North and of British South Asian heritage. What was lacking was a place that provided a platform for these voices to be showcased. This was something I felt I had experienced as a student in Creative Writing / English: the lack of diversity, having to find people with similar backgrounds as me online or within the curriculum. When I did find them, they were far fewer, and the majority of them were from the South. This consequently resulted in a disconnect with identity and writing - if there isn’t representation, or little representation, how then do you begin to write authentically when you cannot find yourself in stories online or on pages. Part of my learning was that I realised that reading massively helps your writing. Although I came across British South Asian writers, there are still differences in social class and culture when they do not share a similar background and so I wondered can you only make it as a writer in the South or online? Was London the place to be?

It wasn’t until I came across @TheBrownHijabi, also known as Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan, in The Forward Book of Poetry and online that I felt a genuine passion for my writing. Although it took time to catch up on re-writing these stories, I had wanted to write but did not know how to find my ‘niche’. It was through an effort to stay connected locally that I attended open mic nights in Bradford, Leeds, Manchester and Huddersfield to hear other’s work and perform my own, that for the first time felt authentic to me in front of audiences that understood all my Yorkshire Tea references or saying sorry too much or even just being able to code-switch in my work. There was a welcoming atmosphere and a genuine interest that was always mutually exchanged between writers and audience members.

The title of this collection, Into the Wilds, is exactly what it feels like to be a first-time published writer. It almost feels like being a deer in headlights, but in a good way. A strong connection from the authors to their roots is explored in this anthology and a lot about being from the North, which for me is being authentic. This is brilliantly observed by the writers, although I may be biased. I think that the qualities of a Northerner and the resilience from the writers to keep going is what makes the anthology fit into the scope of rewriting the north. The way that is achieved is by who is now setting the narrative and creating space that is so necessary. This rewrites more than just the stories we read or the poems we perform. And it is also who can now have access to read these and write. A lot of this can be observed in Sairish Hussain’s The Family Tree, Zaffar Kunial’s Us, Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan’s Postcolonial Banter, the Brontës, of course, and everyone in Into the Wilds.

Images are from Into the Wilds Book, which is available to order online.

This blog is funded by Arts Council England as part of the Rewriting the North series of podcasts, talks, blogs and mentorship scheme.