Rage… Enlivens

A Book Launch for The Hajar Book of Rage

Edited by Farhaana Arefin, The Hajar Book of Rage ignites the first spark in the elements anthology series, harnessing the primordial force of fire as a fury that destroys and transforms. Bringing together fiction, poetry and essays by writers of colour, this Fire-themed collection delves into the fierce, animating power of rage as a catalyst for revolutionary change.

Join us at The People’s Letters Bookshop to celebrate the launch of this anthology and the start of Hajar’s Year of Rage. We’ll have readings from contributing authors Jiaqi Kang, Bidhya Limbu and Surah ya Salaam, music provided by Noor-e-Sehar Ali (DJ), and prompts for conversations reflecting on the power of rage.

Farhaana Arefin is an editor and organiser based in London. She is the publisher and managing director at Hajar Press, an independent political publishing house by and for people of colour, which she co-founded in 2020.

Jiaqi Kang is a writer and the founding editor-in-chief of Sine Theta Magazine, an international, print-based creative arts publication by and for the Sino diaspora. They are the winner of the 2022 White Review Short Story Prize and a recipient of fellowships from Lambda Literary and the Fine Arts Work Center. Originally from Geneva, Switzerland, they are currently based in England. Jiaqi knows that Palestine will be free in our lifetimes, from the river to the sea.

Bidhya Limbu is a Nepali-Singaporean writer and early-career bereavement care researcher living in London. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in Midway Journal, Atelier of Healing, and elsewhere. She has received support from the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop. She is a student of grief.

Surah ya Salaam is a speculative fiction writer based in London who enjoys writing about time, madness and aliens. She has a bachelors in English and Creative Writing and is an alumna of City Lit and a member of Brixton Writers Circle. She is currently working on her first novel.

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Hajar’s Year of Rage:

In this Year of the Fire Horse, Hajar Press is curating a series of events honouring the power and political uses of rage as it Enlivens, Destroys, Teaches, Transforms and Strengthens.