The Other Side of Hope Magazine Launch

Join us for the launch of the fourth print issue of 'the other side of hope', a UK-based literary magazine edited by and featuring refugee and immigrant writers from across the world.

This is an event with editors and writers from "the other side of hope" and with readings and discussion on producing a literary magazine.

Speakers include: Abdul Raouf Qureshi, Birgit Friedrich, Carolina Christevelyn Pay, Kerning, Khawla Badwan, Maria Rovisco, Mike Baynham, and Temitayo Olonfinlua. See speaker biographies below.

Location: Level 12 – Student Study Area, Social Sciences Building, University of Leeds

This event is open to all and hosted by the School of Sociology and Social Policy. Hot drinks and cake will be served.

The event is free to attend, but registration is required. Please register to book your space.

‘the other side of hope: journeys in refugee and immigrant literature’ is a UK-based literary magazine edited by refugees and immigrants. We exist to serve and celebrate the refugee and immigrant communities worldwide.

‘the other side of hope’ is funded by Arts Council England.

Copies of our print issues will be available to buy (£9).

For more information contact: Dr Maria Rovisco (m.rovisco@leeds.ac.uk)

Speaker biographies

Abdul Raouf Qureshi was born in Pakistani-administered Kashmir and has a deep connection with the land, shaped by his rural upbringing and knowledge of local customs and nature. Raouf’s love for the environment is reflected in his Pahari poetry and short stories, celebrating rural life and the bond between humans and nature. His love for trekking has taken him to the K2 base camp with Kramblers, a UK based hiking organisation.

Birgit Friedrich originally from Germany, found her home in Nottingham in her thirties, immersing herself in the city’s vibrant life. Her poetry and fiction delve into her personal journey and explore themes of resilience, cultural integration and belonging. After her MA in Creative Writing she founded Dandelion’s Poetry, a local poetry group.

Carolina Christevelyn is an Indonesian-born author who currently residing in Liverpool. Her past journey as a refugee in England who's diagnosed with anxiety disorder, had inspired her to write several impactful works . Notably, her short story, A Place to Belong, was featured in ‘the other side of hope’ magazine, highlighting her perspective and experiences. This Christmas, she will release her children's book, The Girl Who Bakes Brownies for Santa, adding to her literary portfolio.

Kerning is a University of Leeds’ postgraduate poetry writing group. The group embraces all poetic and associated performance practices, from the ‘traditional’ to the ‘experimental’ and runs every two weeks on Fridays at 4-6pm in the School of English, Room G.01.

Khawla Badwan is a Palestinian-British academic whose scholarship explores language and social justice in education. She completed her BA in English Literature and Linguistics at the Islamic University of Gaza which was completely destroyed by Israel during the ongoing Gaza Genocide. Khawla holds a doctorate in Education. Her poetic screams are an attempt to use language to feel and bear witness.

Maria Rovisco was born in Lisbon and educated in Portugal and the UK. She co-edits the non-fiction section at ‘the other side of hope’ and is Associate Professor in Sociology at the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Leeds. Among her recent publications are Visual Politics in the Global South (Palgrave: 2023) and Artists, Cosmopolitanism, and the Civic Imagination (Routledge: forthcoming 2025).

Mike Baynham is British/Australian and leads the 'other tongue, mother tongue' section at ‘the other side of hope’. is British/Australian. He migrated to Australia with his family in 1989, returning to the UK in 2000. Now retired from the University of Leeds, he is engaged in a range of performance activities, translating poetry and writing his own poetry. He has been selected in 2024 to work with a young composer who will set one of his poems to music as part of the Leeds Lieder Festival. He was awarded second prize in the Stephen Spender Poetry Translation Prize 2023 for his translation of a poem by the Moroccan zejel poet Adil Latefi. Working with the Kurdish literary translator Jiyar Homer he has recently completed a translation of a selection of poems by the Kurdish poet Dilawar Karadaghi, published by Arc in bilingual format with the title My Country’s Hair Turned White.

Temitayo Olonfinlua is an editor and writer based in Birmingham. She is the founder of Stories Click, a content studio that tells words with words and pictures. Find her on social media: @writewithtayo.