Hello and welcome. Having always been a voracious reader I thought returning to university as a mature student would mean the end of ‘reading for pleasure’ for a while. After all Arabic Studies is no mean feat, especially when I knew absolutely no Arabic when I started the programme. The thought of 4 years without reading novels was heartbreaking until I hit on the genius (well I thought so!) idea of writing book reviews for the student newspaper, The MancUnion.
This proved to be a lifesaver – I could continue reading and not feel bad about it because I was also reviewing, which I love to do – because I became a lot more focused and attentive to the writing of Arab authors. I became particularly fascinated by the stories of contemporary Arab women – whether writing in Arabic or English.
So this blog is initially going to be about the books I’m reading (or intend to read!) or have heard something interesting about but eventually I’d like it to spotlight the writing of Arab women. Let’s see where the journey takes us without being too prescriptive.
And my credentials? Well, in addition to being passionate about the genre, my career background is one of marketing and public relations as a sole practitioner, combined with marketing coaching of individuals and teams and writing/editing pretty much anything that anyone wants me to work on!
Following graduation this summer I have been working on a new website which I hope will become a forum and hub for discourse on Arab literature – whether written in situ or in the diaspora. You can find it by clicking the new website link above or at: www.al-kitaba.com
So, welcome and I really hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I know I’m going to enjoy writing it.
Smiles,
Karen
alkitaba 