“Alison is a passionate advocate, a connector of ideas, people and activities and someone who genuinely cares about the ecology of the literary arts.” Chris Gribble (Chief Executive of The Forum Trust)
A.T. Boyle, founding and managing editor of a BBC magazine with weekly sales of 60,000 and author of multiple books, launched online book reviews for Orange and worked as a publisher of print and digital in London, Cambridge, Bath and Oxford (Kar2ouche /UCL).
Writing Conventions – What’s new? was awarded a Distinction by the University of Bristol. It studied the use of online social networks for in-depth commentary on fiction.
Alison ran Sadabahar events at HUG Green Arts festival in 2023, including a global community postcard with an evergreen theme and publication of a climate short story.
She took part as an author in a live-streamed Grief panel at Bangalore Literature Festival in 2021 alongside Bollywood podcaster RJ Stutee, to launch Artificial Silk’s collaborative web magazine exObjects.
A.T. Boyle is the author of The Typing Man, set in Istanbul and shortlisted in the international Mslexia awards.
The published story morphed into a performance script and multimedia performance at the Bluecoat arts centre and a perambulation through a Liverpool shopping area with an audience of over 8,000 people.
Click here for more insights into The Typing Man and the Turkish Woman drama.
“There’s a small but powerful story hidden in The Typing Man – the woman’s story that lies within. There is also the story of the relationship between Fıstıkçı and The Typing Man. This story has impressed me. Alison has greatly captured the city, the spirits of the city, surrounded by hustle and bustle. She has reflected the rhyme of the city like an Istanbulli, a place where she truly belongs. The mood of the city is nicely written. It’s a moving saddening love story filled with lively characters from around Istanbul. The writer narrates the story so well that it inspires the reader’s curiosity.” Jale Sancak
Jale Sancak is President of the Istanbul Galatapera Culture and Arts Foundation. She writes and performs with Kara Kutu Tiyatro.
Jale was awarded the Haldun 2001 Taner Short Story Prize, the 2014 Duygu Asena Novel Award, and the 2018 Attila Ilhan Novel Prize.
The Dance of the Eagle and the Fish
Originally a story for adults written by the satirical Turkish writer Aziz Nesin, the longer text was first translated into English by Ruth Christie, then Alison adapted it for presentation in a large format picturebook.
You can buy a copy of the book here
‘A terrific story… with a timeless quality’ (School Librarian magazine).
The illustrator was Istanbul-born Kağan Güner, and for a time the book author and illustrator lived close by. There were plans to produce a second book, but Kağan died in 2011 at the age of 48.
His PhD in modern Turkish art at the School of Oriental and African Studies followed a master’s degree at Chelsea College of Art, with work showcased in Tokyo, Seoul, New York, Paris, Lisbon, Bologna and Bratislava.
Also a UNESCO war artist, the Museum of London collected four of Kağan’s pieces from the London Against War exhibition.
The Guardian’s obituary of Kağan Güner was written by the Punjabi poet Amarjit Chandan.
World Book Day reading and chat…
Returning to school to explore writing inspirations…
Events at the Artificial Silk exhibition, community gallery of the People’s History Museum…
Talking to the cast of young cast of The Typing Man and the Turkish Woman…
Family events at Bluecoat in Liverpool…
You can take part in writing activities at any time of the year through exObjects
Keep a look-out for the workshops and events happening in 2024.