Workshop
Writing workshop with Arazo Arif
Speculating on History, a workshop for those interested in writing in dialogue with women’s histories and archival material, grounded in your own experiences.
Du kan ha skrivit mycket tidigare eller vara ny i ditt skrivande – det viktigaste är att du vill läsa och skriva i relation till de andra deltagarna, och att du är intresserad av att arbeta med skrivande som ett sätt att utforska historia, tillhörighet och röst.
During the workshop, you will be introduced to different perspectives and methods for approaching a body of material. We work on the texts by reading and giving feedback on each other’s writing, to develop both the texts and your own writing practice.
The workshop is held within the framework of the research project Call and Response as a Decolonial Method, focusing on Swedish colonial history on the West Indian island of St Barthélemy. Through the workshop, more voices are invited to speculate and fabulise around a colonial history from Black women’s perspectives. The group will be introduced to Nina Mangalanayagam’s artistic research, which brings a specific woman from the archive to the fore, so that together we can explore how we can relate to this history from our specific positions in the present. A selection of the texts will be published in a book in 2027.
Arazo Arif is a poet, author, screenwriter and director. She made her debut with the poetry collection mörkret inuti och fukten with Albert Bonniers Förlag and has since published essays, poems and short stories, and written for radio, film and TV. Her practice often revolves around questions of power, migration, identity, memory, and how historical and societal developments continue to shape people’s lives and relationships.
The workshop is for those who
Are interested in approaching women’s histories and historical material through your own writing practice
Enjoy writing, regardless of previous experience
Are interested in working collectively with text
Can attend both workshop sessions
Practical information
Register for the course with a personal letter and portfolio HERE by Fri 11 September.
The workshop includes three parts: two meetings with text work on Oct 11 and Nov 22, and a public presentation of Nina Mangalanayagam’s research (date TBA). The workshop is held in Swedish and is free of charge, with limited places. ´
Photograph: Nina Mangalanagayam and Aleksej Manvelov
