mirrormewrite

It was such an honour to be asked to contribute to this special EDI edition of the by the , compiled and edited by the brilliant . Olivia and I connected a few years ago over on X, not a platform I use so much anymore but where I met incredible educators, and book lovers, passionate about representation and good literature.
She was so supportive and encouraging of my work and for that I am so grateful.
It’s because of the good souls I’ve met along the way that I am able to continue to do the work I do behind the scenes with Mirror Me Write.

On the 22nd October, Rebel Book Club Manchester and Mirror Me Write had the pleasure of hosting a Meet the Author event with Nihal Arthanayake .Life

Masterfully chaired by , the event was full of engagement and inspiration.

For those of us in the audience who could remember Nihal in his early days as a DJ for BBC Radio 1, the evening was also steeped in moments of nostalgia.

Centred around discussing Arthanayake’s brilliant and accessible book ‘Let’s Talk- How to have better conversations’, the audience were challenged to interact with each other and their input brought so much of the intimacy to the evening.

‘Let’s Talk’ is so well considered and curated and essentially provides every reader with a tool kit, guide and manifesto, on how to have better interactions.

I think my biggest take away from the night is to be conscious that in every conversation there is an opportunity to learn, share and grow.

I feel so grateful to have been part of such an evening and hope this is just the beginning of brilliant collaborations with Mirror Me Write and

Thank you to for providing the perfect, safe space for our event.

Heartbreaking news, sending love, strength and power to the whole team. you were like a bright light in the Publishing world. A small press commited to and who worked so hard for , and . Some of the best middle grade books I have come across in the last few years, came from you. You brought us , and so so many more brilliant authors. Your loss will be hugely felt but also shows how disgraceful it is that the support just wasn’t there. UK Publishing has shown once again that so much of their chat 5years ago around inclusion was just superficial, their commitment it seems was only ever going to be temporary.
May bigger and brighter things come your way. XxX

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-the-author-rbc-manchester-x-nihal-arthanayake-tickets-1710881736329

Meet The Author: RBC Manchester x Nihal Arthanayake Join us for an exclusive Interview and Q&A with Nihal Arthanayake, one of Britain's most respected broadcasters

Recently .pr, representing got in touch and asked if I’d like to be on their for ‘The School for Fireflies’ by and I was instantly, all in. As their values align closely with that of Mirror Me Write.

They not only support authors but their books have been consistently brilliant, with particular success amongst their writers.

So I was very excited for this read and it too didn’t disappoint. The School for Fireflies is a wonderful stand alone magical adventure that could so easily lend itself to a series of books.

The story traverses through the normality of life in realtime and a parallel world of magic, mystery and mayhem. Through our mc’s Siddy and Zadie, best friends to the core, we are introduced to the magical School for Fireflies and the secrets of a decade old mystery that haunts one of them, more than the other.

As the girls come to terms with their new found magical powers and new friends, they band together to become detectives , determined to discover the truth but their lives are forever changed.

Instead they are faced with the reality that they are constantly being hunted down by the Swallows, nasty creatures who seek out terror and Firefly powers for their gratifications and gain, turning their victims to stone.

As a debut novel, I’d like to congratulate Erica on finding a wonderful balance and pace between the magical adventure aspects of the story and the underlying theme of friendship. This really carried the story for me, as you see the joy and absolute solid support a friendship can bring but also some of the challenges that come with such a bond.

I would highly recommend this book to confident Year 5 readers and Yr 6 and can’t wait to get copies out there.

As a , Mirror Me Write exists because of your support. Many of you know I absolutely love the work I do in promoting . Recently I’ve supplied books for two based and the process was fairly easy and streamlined that I thought I’d offer the service for any other UK based bookclubs or , particularly those with an interest in books by authors, and .
Pls drop me a DM if this is something you’d be interested in.

The website is up and the news is out. Pls book your tickets and join me on the 26th for a literary day at the Contact Theatre, . I will have the pleasure of hosting a in-conversation with the award winning, talented and beautiful author .

I’ve been so fortunate to work with Hiba on school visits over the last year or so and her debut novel, ‘Safiyyah’s War’ is an incredibly powerful and pertinent read, especially when we see the tragedies unfolding in the world today.

I’m so grateful for the team .festival who’ve indulged me by giving me space and time to have this conversation. Do also come along and check out my gorgeous of beautifully curated .

I’ve been meaning to share this post since last week but you know how it is, time just slips away, so here goes.
Almost 4 and a half years ago, not long after I started Mirror Me Write, I was introduced to The Girl Who Stole an Elephant by , published by . Instantly, Nizrana managed to capture my imagination as an adult and I knew as I soon as I had read it, that her writing would do the same for children in schools across the country.

It was such a joy for me then, when my own school decided to take it on board as one of their Year 4 class readers.
One of the most beautiful things about Nizrana’s writing is her stunning descriptive writing balanced with a sense of adventure and activism. Since writing The Girl Who Stole an Elephant, Nizrana has published another 5 books but this one will always be special to me.

This year, in my job as a teaching assistant, I am back in Year 4 and wanted to pay homage to this book and David Deans incredibly stunning front cover, in my classroom display. I loved creating the display and although I don’t yet have the children’s work on it, I wanted to share the joy I’ve had in putting it together.

with .repost
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Please take some time to read this article (link in bio) by Ayesha who runs in Manchester about the vitally important role language, books, literature and arts and culture generally play in shaping young minds and challenging hatred.

“I set up Mirror Me Write not only to provide books, but to advocate for change in how these books are actively used in core curriculum work and discussions in the classroom. My hope is to source and supply books that embed and support empathy and understanding of the wider world.” - Ayesha Ansari