Alia

I am a community archaeologist & wellbeing facilitator. I love to discover and tell untold stories from the past & to help people discover history & engage in cultural heritage. I help heritage organisations with community engagement, co-creation, education, outreach & interpretation. I offer public historical walks and talks. I am passionate about the role heritage can play in wellbeing & communities. I enjoy taking heritage into care settings & groups, with through reminiscence & object handling. I have completed the Green Dementia Care programme am looking forward to offering Elders of the Woods sessions very soon. In community venues, I run Arts, Crafts & Archaeology workshops & work with social prescribers.  

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.    

Hi I’m Kelly, a resin crafter (Resin Expectations), author (Beyond the Ordinary, Crafting in a Crisis, and Selling at Craft Events – A beginners Guide) and director of The Crafters Collective – Princes Mead Farnborough. As a female, neurodivergent, creative business owner, my mission is to help people be their authentic selves. Whether that’s with my creations – inspired by goth, fantasy and steampunk genres – or giving other crafters a space to sell their work, and express themselves through their creations, I want to make the benefits of creativity accessible to all. Crafting has been a focus throughout my life, whenever things have been difficult, and I want to share its mental health benefits with everyone.