Afsana Press

17/05/2024

Next week we will be on a tour through the UK with Choman Hardi talking about her novel Whispering Walls. Join us when and where you can.

London:
Mon, 20 May 18:00 - 20:00
Stewart House, 32 Russell Square
London WC1B 5DN
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gender-trauma-and-coming-to-terms-with-a-haunting-past-tickets-900082650437?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2W1Pzr6_sLi-N5lJ3X9pb-PbuZXR0p8jrvOTp1_XrzKn3FnfZc--e17ls_aem_AdJL1fPFtiCmZXXYGwnBl_ZATLxY8qJ3vcKydCoJx9yvhkdD5aE3uIziKfvj718_TN7eBMOFvyKt3jlJgdwpxzjS

Canterbury:
Tue 21 May 15:00 -18:00
Waterstones – Rose Lane
8 Rose Lane, Canterbury, CT1 2SJ
https://www.waterstones.com/events/reading-with-q-and-a-iraqi-novelist-and-poet-choman-hardi/canterbury-rose-lane

Sheffield:
Wed-Thur, 22–23 May 09:00-16:00
University of Sheffield
Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN
https://www.lse.ac.uk/middle-east-centre/news/KSS-2024?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR343iSxYft2RXCxAZQPctI2DWYjCd_BqFnqdeK8dUR98XJ1ADQ1agLNsrM_aem_AdKgJ7BGzNMkMnkFkq2klrPhWneforAsufgHMUws1CsvN-fXlINLCxf3pnNsIyM6louryGEf3GOpF4YJHZRDtSOv

Oxford:
Fri 24 May 17:00 - 19:00
Queen’s College Translation Exchange
High Street, Oxford, OX1 4AW
https://www.queens.ox.ac.uk/events/whispering-walls-literature-gender-and-values-in-translation-with-choman-hardi/

10/05/2024

Dear friends in London and everywhere. This is really a unique project by the amazing Kurdish musician and artist Hardi Kurda on 11 May in Cafe OTO in Dalston / Hackney. 7:30pm
18–22 Ashwin street
London
E8 3DL
Hope to see you there.
https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/events/hardi-kurda-archive-khanah/

15/03/2024

Hope to see you all at this amazing book fair tomorrow, 16 March. Come and meet us and other publishers between 10:30am-5pm.
Then in the evening, at this amazing Newroz music concert. Between 7-10pm.
We will be selling so many unmissable books at both events.
Check out them:

https://www.facebook.com/events/421150340473893/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%2252%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22[%7B%5C%22surface%5C%22%3A%5C%22share_link%5C%22%2C%5C%22mechanism%5C%22%3A%5C%22share_link%5C%22%2C%5C%22extra_data%5C%22%3A%7B%5C%22invite_link_id%5C%22%3A734097358822602%7D%7D]%22%7D

12/03/2024

An amazing review and in-depth reading of Choman Hardi's novel, WHISPERING WALLS. It shows how multi-layered this story is.
By Stanley Thangaraj
Please check out this incredible book:
https://www.afsanapress.uk/product/whispering-walls/
I could not put this novel down. Wow! It was such an incredible book. I was blown away by the writing, the depth of the characters, and the rich social contexts. The metaphors and poetry were brilliant. I thought the ways Choman Hardi contextualized families and children provided such depth and meanings of love, anxiety, history, and pain across Kurdish generations. It was so rich! I was also blown away with how she wove in the trauma and violence into the everyday practices and mediations of life and the quotidian. It was stunning to see such complex social histories written in such accessible and powerful ways. I loved also the ways she played with fire and water, not as opposites and not as singular beings. For example, a character burning herself alongside the impact of Saddam's chemical warfare. All of it showed the ways that earth, wind, water, and fire are incorporated into life. The constant play between water and fire, as co-dwelling instead of cancelling each other, showed the complexities of life with humans and non-humans. I marked down so many passages that I want to highlight and use as epigraphs in my book project. She refused to essentialize the characters and Kurdish experiences, it was truly a brilliant and beautiful feminist project of love. She is such a gifted writer! I feel so lucky for having read it. The ways the walls whisper and the ways people whisper through and against walls also amazing. She showcases the intricacies of the personal and individual while highlighting power. I love this book and purchase a copy right away!

Now Available By Choman Hardi Binding: Paperback Format: 198 x 129 mm Extent: 304 pages Price: £10.99 ISBN: 9781739982454 BIC: 2.0 Modern & Contemporary Fiction (FA) Official release: 20 September 2023 (available for sale from 20 April 2023) Format: e-Book Extent: 304 pages Price: £6.99 ISBN: 9781...

14/02/2024

Join us for a captivating evening with Kurdish novelist Bachtyar Ali, as we delve into the mystical world of "The Last Pomegranate Tree".

12/12/2023

Afsana Press is proud to announce that our author Choman Hardi
Choman Hardi was awarded this prestigious prize for showing “outstanding commitment to human rights”:
https://www.afsana-press.com/post/author-choman-hardi-receives-franco-german-prize-for-human-rights-and-the-rule-of-law

14/10/2023

THE BIRTH OF AFSANA PRESS
We had an amazing launch party of Afsana Press at the iconic Stanfords Bookshop in Covent Garden, London, on 11 October. We’re marking this date as the official birthday of Afsana Press. Thank you to everyone who celebrated the birth of Afsana Press with us. And thank you everyone who showed interest in the event, and of course thanks to everyone who has supported us in any way in the past two years, while we were working hard on this endeavour, including our wonderful authors without whose literary work and their efforts Afsana Press would not have been born. We appreciate any kind of support, most important of which is reading our books. Thank you everyone in advance! Visit us on: www.afsana-press.com and subscribe to our annual package, which will be the greatest support to us. From our side, we’re continuing working hard to bring more remarkable books into the world.

03/10/2023

5/5: I just finished this beautiful novel by Dr. Choman. I ordered the book as soon as I saw the publication. I have been reading her short observations and comments on various social media outlets, and I have always admired how adequately she presented her thoughts, and expressed what needed to be....

27/09/2023

Exciting News: Afsana Press acquires Winter Sun by Miki Lentin
To be published on 13 March 2024.
A spiky father-son relationship tested to its limits on their last holiday together.
Click here to read more:

London-based independent publishing house, Afsana Press, whose mission is to publish stories with a social and political conscience, has acquired the contemporary novel, Winter Sun, by Miki Lentin. To be published on 13 March 2024. An auto-fiction novel depicting a spiky father-son relationship test...

25/09/2023

Dear friends who have showed interest in attending to our launch party on 11 October, would you please register on Eventbrite, if you are sure you would be able to attend? We're reaching the maximum capacity of 70 guests, so would be great for us to have an accurate number. Thank you very much, and hope to see you then.

Join us to celebrate the launch of Afsana Press. Author readings; ethereal harp music by the talented Tara Jaff; drinks and finger food.

20/09/2023

We are so happy to announce the official release of our two new books. Wish us luck and spread the word about them. They are truly two amazing novels. And please come and celebrate them with us at the official launch of our beloved Afsana Press in the iconic Stanfords Bookshop in Covent Garden, London, on 11th October (18:30-20:00).
Choman Hardi Jane Labous Stanfords Travel
Both books are available from Waterstones, Foyles and other bookshops and of course via online retailers. You can also order singed copies from our website: www.afsana-press.com

18/09/2023

Three days to the official release of PAST PARTICIPLE. An amazing novel about the power of women when they put their heads together to fight injustice. Between Senegal and England, they reveal (neo-)colonialist corruption and solve a murder mystery.

15/09/2023

Dear friends, we are truly thrilled to invite you to the official Afsana Press launch event on the 11th October at the iconic Stanfords Bookshop in London's Covent Garden. All welcome!
With readings from our authors; ethereal harp music by the talented Tara Jaff; drinks and finger food. And some surprises 🙂
Stanfords Travel Choman Hardi Jane Labous

Join us to celebrate the launch of Afsana Press. Author readings; ethereal harp music by the talented Tara Jaff; drinks and finger food.

01/09/2023

Dear friends, join us at this lovely event in London, where our author Jane Labous will be presenting and signing her amazing novel PAST PARTICIPLE this Sunday, 3rd September (2-6 pm) in Elephant & Castle (Elephant Road, Southwark, SE17 1GD, London). The event is organised by the Association for the Senegalese Community. We appreciate your presence and supporting Afsana Press. See you there.

01/09/2023

Dear friends, join us at this amazing event in London, where Choman Hardi tells all about her debut novel Whispering Walls at the Queen’s Park Book Festival on Saturday, 2nd September.

Renowned poet, scholar, novelist and Queen’s Park local, Choman Hardi discusses her life and work with the writer and broadcaster Shyama Perera. Saturday 2 Sept, 14:30pm

05/08/2023

100+ subscribers. Sharing as much news as we possibly can about small presses in the UK and Ireland, including updates about our annual prize. Click to read Republic of Consciousness, by The Republic of Consciousness, a Substack publication.

30/07/2023

An amazing, honest review about Choman Hardi's Whispering Walls, published by Afsana Press. Thanks dear Renwar Najm.
If you haven't read this book yet, you can order it via most bookshops and online retailers from anywhere in the world, or you can order a signed copy (only in the UK) directly from Afsana Press:
https://www.afsanapress.uk/product/whispering-walls/

Choman Hardi
Afsana Press

Whispering Walls, crafted by the Kurdish author and academic Choman Hardi, takes us on a nostalgic journey into Kurdish life a few decades ago. Through vivid portrayals of daily life and the complexities of family bonds, the novel delves into the struggles, hopes, and resilience that transcend borde...

09/07/2023

Dear friends and colleagues in Manchester, if you would like to support Afsana Press, attending this amazing book presentation at one of the amazing bookshops, Blackwell's bookshop in Manchester, is so important for us and the future of our publishing house. We would appreciate your attendance so much!!!
It's tomorrow, Monday, 10th July (6:30-8:00pm).
Address:
Blackwell's Bookshop 146 Oxford Road Manchester M13 9GP

Join us for an evening with acclaimed poets Choman Hardi and Helen Mort.

25/06/2023

CRITICALLY-acclaimed British-Kurdish author Choman Hardi will be in Haworth next week to read from – and sign copies of – her new novel.

15/06/2023

To all our friends and colleagues, if you're in London this Saturday, 17 June, 18:00, would be great to see you at this event to celebrate our new book. Otherwise you can order it via Waterstones, WH Smith, and most other bookshops and online retailers from anywhere in the world, or directly from Afsana Press: https://www.afsanapress.uk/product/past-participle/
Thanks for your support!
Jane Labous
Afsana Press

Two women bound by a past crime: a gripping exploration of love, friendship, revenge and absolution, and a criticism of Western imperialism

28/05/2023

22/05/2023

Dear friends and colleagues in Kurdistan, it would be amazing if you could attend the book launch for Choman Hardi's new novel, Whispering Walls (published by our ambitious Afsana Press). And buy your copy there 🙂 The book will be presented with an interesting conversation with Choman Hardi. Thank you for your support to the author and Afsana Press!
هاوڕێیان و هاوپیشە ئازیزەکانمان لە کوردستان: جێگەی خۆشحاڵی دەبێت گەر رۆژی چوارشەممە بتوانن ئامادەی ئەم گفتوگۆیە بن لە زانکۆی ئەمریکی لە سلێمانی لەگەڵ چۆمان هەردی. لەوێ رۆمانە نوێکەی چۆمان خان (دیوارەکان دەچرپێنن) پێشەکەش دەکرێت و دەتوانن هەر لەوێ بیکڕن. زۆر سوپاس بۆ پشتگیریتان لە نووسەر و لە ئەفسانە پرێسیش!

We are excited to welcome you for a conversation of a book by Dr. Choman Hardi, titled: Whispering Walls. In collaboration with the American University of Iraq-Sulaimani.

To get registered:
https://forms.gle/nrEZT12KVLgiMEaV6