Stories Seldom Told19 Des 2021

Syima Aslam

Syima Aslam is the founder and director of the Bradford Literature Festival (BLF), a 10-day literary and cultural celebration, which she established in 2014. The BLF welcomes more than 70,000 visitors to Bradford annually and is celebrated as the most socio-economically and ethnically diverse literary festival in the UK.

Under Syima’s directorship, the BLF has made a significant impact on the country’s literary landscape. It has been hailed as ‘one of the most innovative and inspirational festivals in the UK’, bringing together literature from all genres, promoting intercultural fluency, providing a platform for marginalised voices, and reflecting the changing face of contemporary Britain through a programme which celebrates diversity, empathy and artistic excellence.

"I went to nursery in the UK, but when I came back at the age of eight, I'd lost all my English. So the perception and the way you see a culture at that point is different. But I had my memories of that culture having had those younger years. One of the things that I find quite interesting is the way that you are viewed changes with the way that you are dressed. I grew up in Halifax, and my parents did what a lot of first generation migrants do which is desperately try and hold on to this culture that they had in their heads. So, if I was at home, I was dressed traditionally, if I was at school, I was dressed in my uniform, if I was with my friends, I was dressed in my jeans. And I have found that when people meet you, depending on how you are dressed, they will talk to you differently, they will relate to you differently."

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(113)

Pause and Play: Choosing Life Every Day

What do you do when life forces you to press pause?In this moving episode of Stories Seldom Told, Smita Tharoor speaks with former French teacher Sarbari Sen, whose life has been shaped not only by tw...

12 Aug 50min

Learning to See Through Another's Eyes: A Father's Journey Beyond Autism

What does it really mean to understand someone whose mind experiences the world differently?In this episode of Stories Seldom Told, Smita Tharoor speaks with advertising executive and author Debasish ...

15 Jul 45min

The Day Surrender Saved Me | ft. Benji Thomas

What happens when the thing you rely on to cope becomes the thing that almost destroys you?In this episode of Stories Seldom Told, I speak with writer, filmmaker and creative producer Benji Thomas abo...

18 Jun 45min

An Undercover Cop with a Death Wish—and a Reason to Live| ft. Todd Maguire

At 25, Todd McGuire's life changed forever when he discovered that his partner had taken her own life. Consumed by grief, guilt, and unanswered questions, he spent years trying to outrun the trauma. W...

7 Jun 48min

Grief Evolves, Love Remains | ft. Sonali Gupta

In this very touching episode of Stories Seldom Told, I speak to clinical psychotherapist and bestselling author Sonali Gupta about grief — not just as loss of a loved one, but as something far more u...

23 Mai 45min

The Stories Objects Remember | ft. AT Boyle

What do objects remember… that we don’t?In this deeply reflective episode, we sit down with AT Boyle, the mind behind Ex Objects, a project born from loss, memory, and the quiet stories hidden in ever...

24 Mar 35min

Beyond Suicide: A Sister's Story of Grief, Guilt, and Hope | ft. Neha Kirpal, Amaha Health

Neha Kirpal returns for a deeply personal conversation about loss, resilience, and the realities of mental health.In this episode, she speaks openly about her younger brother Arjun — the life he lived...

10 Mar 53min

Holding Onto Hope: Living With Schizophrenia | ft. Neha Kirpal, Amaha Health

Neha Kirpal is a social entrepreneur and mental health advocate whose life has been shaped by resilience, caregiving, and the courage to turn pain into purpose.In this episode, she speaks candidly abo...

22 Feb 44min