Fadia Faqir is renowned academic and highly experienced tutor of creative writing who has given lectures and workshops all over the world including: Malaysia, Indonesia, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Bulgaria, Italy, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, Denmark, and the USA. She also spoke at the United Nations in Geneva and the Arvon Foundation.

She is a fellow of St Aidan’s College, Durham University, where she teaches creative writing.

 

Main Invitations

• Guest of honour, the 74th Congress of PEN International in Bogota, Colombia (17 - 22 September 2008).

• A talk on transcultural writing and a reading, Hay Festival Alhambra, Alhambra Palace, Granada, Spain (3 - 6 April 2008)

• Lecture Tour of Washington State, Women Writers of the Arab World, Hedgebrook, Seattle, USA (10 - 23 May 2005)

• In Transit Bulgarian exchange project, together with WN Herbert and Mark Robinson. We visited Bulgaria to take part in a literature festival in the capital city, Sofia. While there we worked with Bulgarian writers and musicians to create new work for performance at the festival and undertook a series of readings in galleries, clubs and market places (October 2003)

• Lecture Tour of Libya with the British author Maggie Gee. Organised by the British Council and the Libyan Writers Union (1 - 8 February 2003)

• Lecture Tour of Jordan including a position as visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Higher Education, Jordan University. Organised by the British Council and Jordan University (17 March - 12 April 2002)

• Lecture Tour of Malaysia on “English and Islam: Creative Encounters” and “Re-cognising Language, Culture and Identity”, readings of creative work and meetings with writers and public figures. Organised by the British Council, Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies, the International Islamic University of Malaysia (19 December - January 1997)

• Lecture Tour of Indonesia on cross-culturalism, Orientalism, women in Islam and Arab women writers. Organised by the British Council and the Lontar Foundation (15 -30 July 1993)

 

International Profile

• Member of the judging panel of Al-Multaqa Arabic Short Story Prize, sponsored by Al Multaqa Cultural Circle and the American University of Kuwait (2016)

• Member of judging panel of Al  the Board of Advisors of Al-Raida Journal, Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World, Lebanese American University, Lebanon (December 2004 - 2009)

• Member of the Association of Professors of English and Translation at Arab Universities (April 2001- 2005)

• Member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Asian and Middle Eastern Architecture, University of Adelaide, Australia (2000 - 2003)

• Invited to join the Islamic Scholars Program, run by the American University of Beirut, Lebanon (October 2002)

• Invited to teach on the MA in Women’s Studies programme, Jordan University (January 2000)

• UK head of list/correspondent for the Memories of the Mediterranean series, European Cultural Foundation (1994 -1996)

• Member of the creative writing pool of instructors, University of California, Santa Cruz (1994 -1997)

 

National Profile

• Member of English PEN (July 2008 - present)

• Member of Amnesty International (2008 - present)

• Member of the Society of Authors (2008 - present)

• Member of the panel of judges for Amnesty International Media Awards (March - May 2004 and 2005)

• Member of the committee of Aina (the Muslim Women’s Network), which was launched in the Commonwealth Institute, London (September 2000 - present)

• Member of the Board of the Centre for Media Freedom – Middle East and North Africa (1999 -2003)

• Member of the Arts Council of Britain Translation Advisory Group (1992 - 1996)

• Member of the Exeter University Women’s Studies committee (1990 - 1992)

• Member of the editorial board of Ithaca Press Exeter Middle East Series (1990 -1992)

• Offered the Professional Fellow Commonership, Jesus College, Cambridge (in 1989 and again in 1992)

 

Regional Profile

• Co-founder and trustee of Durham City of Sanctuary (2017)

• Co-founder of Banipal Visiting Writer Fellowship (2016)

• Creative Writing Fellow, St Aidan’s College, Durham University (September 2009 - present)

• Honorary Fellow, Saint Mary’s College, Durham University (February 2005 - present)

• Member of the Durham Literature Forum (2004)

• Co-opted member of St Mary's College Council (2003 - 2004) 

• Member of Darlington and Durham Commission for Racial Equality Council (2003)

• Member of committee of the North East Constitutional Convention’s Women’s Forum which campaigns for an inclusive, transparent, and consultative regional government for the North East, and for maximising women’s participation in formal politics (2001)

• Member of the steering committee of the Durham Literature Festival (1995)