Alia

My debut novel, The Normal State of Mind (Parthian, 2015) was long listed for the Mumbai Association of Moving Images (MAMI) Word to Screen Prize. Table Manners (Dahlia Books, 2018) won the Saboteur Award for Best Short Story Collection in 2019. My short stories have been featured on BBC Radio 4. I develop and deliver writing workshops for various art galleries and organisations around Hampshire and beyond. I teach creative writing at University of Winchester and am a trustee of The Winchester Poetry Festival. I’ve also developed ands teach a short story course for Professional Writing Academy. I’m co-founder of Write Beyond Borders, a transnational mentoring project writers from South Asia and its diaspora.    

I am a professional freelance artist and community arts facilitator based in Fleet, Hampshire, with over 25 years’ experience working across London and the South East. I specialise in plasticine model making, mosaics, and printmaking, delivering inclusive, hands-on workshops through my business Art for Everyone. I work with people of all ages and abilities in schools, festivals, community settings, and care environments. I believe passionately in the power of creativity to support wellbeing, build confidence, and bring communities together, creating fun and supportive spaces where everyone is encouraged to explore their own artistic potential.

I’m a artist, illustrator, cartoonist and photographer from Gosport. I work as a caricaturist for events. I also do commissions, and for the last thirty years or so I’ve been draw musicians and performers in my local area live at events.