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Amirah Mohiddin

Languages and Literature, University of Leicester

Thesis title:

Hybridity, Islamic Feminism and Fantasy: Constructing a counter-memory of the stereotypical Arab female in Arabic fantasy literature

Research Area

  • Languages and Literature

Publications

Published short stories

'Honour' - The Bookends Review 2023 (September 2023)

'I'll Show you a Villain' - Little Book of Fairy Tales, Dancing Bear Books, 2019 (November 2019)

'The Next Dawn' - Litro Magazine 2019 (April 2019)

'Alraqs' - Post-mortem Press 2019 (February 2019)

'Alraqs' - The New Luciad 2018 (June 2018)

'Silence' - The New Luciad 2018 (June 2018)

'Ruhi' - Litro Magazine 2017 (October 2017)




Conferences

HFRN Historical Fictions Research Annual Conference 2024 - A Thousand and One Nights meets Morocco's fight for independence in a historical fantasy: Using well-known 'classic' stories to retell lesser-known historical narratives in Young Adult novels to decolonise previously established western historical narratives (February 2024)

PAMLA Pacific Ancient and Modern Languages Association - A Thousand and One Nights meets Morocco's fight for independence in a historical fantasy: Using well-known 'classic' stories to retell lesser-known historical narratives in Young Adult novels to decolonise previously established western historical narratives (October 2023)

M4C Research Festival - A Thousand and One Nights meets Morocco's fight for independence in a historical fantasy: Using well-known 'classic' stories to retell lesser-known historical narratives in Young Adult novels to decolonise previously established western historical narratives (October 2023)

Books in the Closet: Suppression, Censorship and the Book - In demand by fools and lowly ignoramuses': Arabic popular epics and Young Adult fiction (June 2022)

Registrar for The Hidden in Performance, Virtual and Literary Culture (September 2021)

M4C Research Festival - Reading from PhD novel The Storyteller (working title) (June 2021)







Public Engagement & Impact

June 2021 - ongoing Tutor for The Brilliant Club's 'The Scholar's Programme' 

  • Designed university-based module inspired by my research and adapted it to KS4 level
  • Undertook training with The Brilliant Club
  • Delivered self-designed module on several placements including Moseley Secondary and Sixth Form, The Rawlett School, St Martin's Primary School, John Taylor Free School, Granville Academy, North Birmingham Academy, West Walsall E-Act Academy, Race Leys Junior School.
  • 80% of students received a 1st or 2:1 in Spring term 2023 with 39% of those receiving a 1st. 

December 2023 - Masterclass at the University of Leicester - An Excercise in Worldbuilding: A Thousand and One Nights Meets 1950s Morocco in a YA Fantasy in the MA in Creative Writing 

November 2023 - Guest Lecturer at Leeds Arts University - Inspiration, Resonances and Motivations workshop in the module on 'Poetics and Process'

October 2023 - Guest Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University - Inspirations, Resonances and Motivations workshop in the course 'Writing for Children and Young Adults'

March 2023 - Masterclass with the University of Leicester - Claiming Our Unconscious and Re-remembering Our Stolen History, with Amirah Mohiddin

MA dissertation novel The Fallen Warriors currently submitted to editors at Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, Bloomsbury, Penguin Random House, Macmillan, and Hachette by Agent Leah Pierre from Ladderbird Agency.


Other Research Interests

  • Decolonising Creative Writing 
  • Arabic epic literature
  • Female identity
  • 19th century fallen woman and the angel
  • Oral storytelling traditions
  • Novel form
  • Fantasy literature
  • Contemporary literature- from children's fiction, YA, to adult fiction

Memberships

Angela Carter

Feminist studies association

NAWE

PAMLA - Pacific Ancient and Modern Languages Association


Prizes

Bath Children's Novel Award - Longlisted