‘At this, the man turned in their direction and smiled; he played not for the dream of success but because this new world necessitated beauty of all kinds. The new world was not just labour, but labour for the sake of life-making.’
— Lola Olufemi, Experiments in Imagining Otherwise

Join us for Hajar Reads: Play. In this reading and discussion group, we’ll reflect on play as a life-affirming practice, considering how embracing play and playfulness can open us up to more expansive ways of thinking, creating and living.

We’ll use short extracts from selected Hajar Press titles—including Experiments in Imagining Otherwise (Lola Olufemi), COOP (Nida Sajid) and Seeing for Ourselves (Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan)—as a starting point for our discussion.

Extracts will be shared in advance of the session, but there’s no expectation to have read them all to take part—just come along ready to listen, think and share!

This session, hosted by Hajar Press, will be facilitated by Amber Obasi from Hajar Press and Dr Durre Shahwar.

Dr Durre Shahwar is an interdisciplinary writer, researcher, and artist. She is the author of One of the Good Ones, a pamphlet accompanying her solo photo exhibition on archives, seeking sanctuary, and documentation, exhibited and published in 2026 by Ffotogallery, Cardiff. She is co-editor of Gathering: Women of Colour on Nature (2024) and Just So You Know (2020). Durre has a PhD in autofiction and Pakistani-Welsh identity from Cardiff University and was the recipient of a Future Wales Fellowship. Her work deconstructs established frameworks to present counter-narratives that capture the complexities of lived experiences when situated within social, cultural, political and geographical landscapes. Durre divides her time between South London and Cardiff and is currently working on her debut non-fiction book.

Please note this an externall organised event, tickets can be booked by clicking the link below:

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