August 24, 2018 August 24, 2018/ Saira Niazi

Living London

A London website

I’m in NYC this month and San Francisco next month carrying out my @churchillfellowship research project Renegade Guides - the places we go, the stories we share. In changing cities, where communities are being uprooted and places of social, historical and cultural importance are disappearing, guiding is a powerful tool to preserve stories and memories of people and place. I’ll seek to explore the ways that we, as guides, can improve our practice to better serve local communities. I aim to collate my research and to produce a best practice handbook for guides all over the world - a resource that I hope will both inspire, inform and improve guiding.  Do you run a tour business? Are you a guide? I’d love to connect! #researchproject #renegade #guiding #tourguides #community

Handed in my MA Creative Writing portfolio @goldsmithsuol last month! My final project is about openings and the journey towards Allah… Hoping to share one day.. maybe.. Thank you @azizfndn for a dream opportunity to read, write, learn and reconnect and to all my incredible spiritual teachers/ friends. Birmingham you’ve been so kind to me #creativewriting #faith #islam #journey #community

Spent a few months in Marseille last year working, writing but mostly walking… my last story for @slowwaysuk focused on what a walking network might look like in the city! From 2022-23, I clocked up over 500 miles testing out long-distance Slow Ways walking routes across England, Wales and Scotland as part of my job. Slow Ways is an amazing CIC working to create a national walking network that connects up all the towns and cities in the UK! Defo worth checking following #slowways #walking #writing #marseille #france

“It gives me a feeling of solidity - a solid ground to stand on…” My “Portrait of the South Downs” project website expires in a month! It’s full of stories of people and places connected to the chalk landscape as well as wandering routes, sound recordings, and a beautiful film created by @lukejbaker__ Check it out before it disappears. Link in bio! The project was funded by @southdownsnp and @campaign4parks Thanks to everyone involved, esp @dimachaeri @alinahazadeh @writingourlegacy @lukejbaker__ @overslizzie @david_sheil_studio @agreeninn @kellysmith.onthego + everyone who came to a wandering and shared a story ✨ #photography #portraits #stories #southdowns #landscape #chalk #connection #magic #creativity

so chuffed to have been shortlisted for the @the_arts_foundation futures awards 2023 for #placewriting alongside three other incredible artists ✨ anyone who knows me, knows that I have spent a great deal of my life wandering alone in far-off places, finding home in unlikely corners and family with nomadic kindreds. writing (in particular place writing) has always been a big part of my life (am currently writing this from a small library connected to a greenhouse in Sunderland). Words anchor me, they give me wings. I gain so much inspiration, knowledge and joy from exploring, and connecting and sharing my explorations and connections with others- from bradford to busan, london to lahore and everywhere in between. just being shortlisted means a lot. thank you to everyone who has supported me and shown me kindness and patience over the years - esp long suffering friends and family who can never seem to track me down because I’m always someplace, somewhere 💛 x

Come along to a free guided South Downs wandering tour- discover hidden gems, make new friends and experience the magic of @southdownsnp! 🐑🌿🌊 The walks, funded by the South Downs National Park, aim to enable people to access and enjoy the National Park, discover new places and create new friendships. At the end of summer there'll be an event in London where participants across the walks can come together to share, and connect! Lunch and transport costs covered. Click link on bio for more info and to register interest! 💚 #wandering #countryside #southdowns #hiddengems #stories #intergenerational #walk #explore #discover #hiking #landscape #connection #discovery #community

The #LivingLondon spring 🌱🌸 newsletter is now out! Have a read for upcoming London wanderings 👣, South Downs wanderings 🐮, new projects 📸, hidden gems 🕌, stories ✏, recommendations 🌇 and life updates 🌊 (illustrated with a random and kinda unrelated photo dump) 🙃 Link in bio!! #wandering #London #Sussex #SouthDowns #explore #hiddengems #spring #walks #discover #magic #colour #Brighton #newsletter #LivingLondon #UK #SlowWays #mudwalks #workshops #photography #community #SouthDownsNationalPark #countryside #coast

Blog

Living London