Tag Archives: Westminster University

Why I Will Always Be A Fan Of Twilight

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By Sajida Aktar

I remember binge reading all four books within a month and a half. I couldn’t wait to jump from one ending to the beginning of another. To treat myself, I’d watch the movie right after finishing a book to further expand my growing obsession. I couldn’t tell you what my 12-year-old self loved so much about it. I re-read the first book again 10 years later and it took me longer than a month to finish because by then I had developed in all aspects of my life. I pondered, what the hell is this shit? Why did I love it so much? These characters are awful!

The books introduced me to a world of Young Adult Fiction. The selection at the time was modestly small. Publishers were still deciding where this new genre belonged because it was nowhere near Child Fiction nor was it desirable enough for Adult Fiction. Twilight had high school romance, vampire sex, hot werewolves, and a love triangle. It had teenage angst, a feeling of comradeship among mythical creatures and a forbidden love that was in all ways unrealistic but exciting to read about.

I still go back and watch the movies religiously every year. It has become a sort of comfort for me, though I am well aware that the films are in no way Oscar worthy. They bring me back to a place of happiness in a world that didn’t exist but was in all ways a home in my imagination from the realities of boring mundane life. I watch the films because I feel like I am a 12-year-old girl again, waiting for break time to come around so I can find the other girls who read the book. We’d discuss for weeks the new movie that was coming out and our expectations leading up to it. Tearing each other apart based on the teams we chose (I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with #TeamEdward). We knew nothing of boys or men because they were nothing compared to the fictional ones we read about. Those who could afford a copy of the book or DVD would be kind enough to share it around so the others could join in. There was no gatekeeping, we were in all ways unapologetically outspoken about sharing this world with anyone who was interested. Our standards, our education, our look into the world of an almost-grown-up was through this book.

The movies have created a safe place to my younger self and I will forever be tied to the franchise because of it. I come back to it after a bad day or a cold evening in Winter, where the best time is spent wrapped in a blanket and having a mug of hot chocolate as my company. I come back to it every year because it reminds me to nurture that little girl inside of me that I sometimes forget about every now and then.

What is Enough?

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By Mia Choudhury

It was that early December morning,
When the sun rose from the clouds
That you told me I wasn’t enough
And that I could never make you happy
Even though you had told me different the night before,
Even though you said you loved me.

But I suppose that was foolish of me,
To believe we’d wake the next morning
And everything would be the same as it was before.
But here we are, smoky grey clouds
In the distant space between last nights ‘happy’
And today’s ‘not enough’

But what is enough?
Because like you said it sure isn’t me.
Even though every fibre of my being was trying to make YOU happy
Despite the fact I was falling apart every morning
I still made sure the black clouds
Of my mind were gone before…

It doesn’t matter what happened before.
We’ve screamed at each other enough.
Screamed and screamed until clouds
Of thunder formed over the skies and scared me
Into thinking that maybe the next morning
Would be different and we could be happy

But alas, here we are, our cup of happy
Empty like it was before
And we’ve not a morning
Left to even think about what could have been enough
But for my sake, for my peace of mind, for me
Will you point at the clouds,

Like Adam in the creation reaching for God in the clouds
And tell me which one told you not to be happy
With your life when God gave you me.
Tell me what made you do it before
Our minds, bodies and souls have had enough
Because I spoke to no serpent and ate no fruit that morning.

You tell me nothing clouds your vision on this grey morning.
You tell me everything is as it was before.
That you were never happy. And I was never enough.

 

Post by Mia Choudhury,  15th February 2019

Find your voice with Independent Presses

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Post by Marta Sobczak and Fahima Chowdhury

We would like to dedicate and share on this month pages of Write Westminster Blog the subject we have all been introduced to on the recent speaker event lead by Neil Griffiths – a writer and founder of the Republic of Consciousness prize for Small Press.

We all realise these days how much struggle a writer must go through to get published. Big houses must meet their needs of big names, and big money, therefore their interest in helping rising authors, or those with innovative, creative ideas deviating from the generally accepted standard, is rather very small.

But don’t be mistaken, for there is a hope and we all can benefit from the alternative solutions given by Independent press.

We would like to encourage all of you to reach out into the wonderful world of publishers, who will do their best to support and give you a platform to be heard. The Small Press rely on people like you via subscriptions and donations, therefore any contributions are highly appreciated.

Fitzcorraldo is an independent publisher specialising in contemporary fiction and long-form essays. It was founded in 2014 and its main focus is on ambitious, imaginative and innovative writing.

Galley Beggar commits to publishing daring, innovative fiction and narrative non-fiction.

Influx Press publishes books obsessed with places. Funded by a couple of old school friends from Kent in 2011.

Republic of Consciousness  promotes and celebrates small presses in the UK and Ireland, founded by Neil Griffiths.

Marta Sobczak Fahima Chowdhury,  16 November 2018