5 years has passed. Still it's hard to believe that WE DID IT GIRILS! Still I Rise, a pop-up Interactive trail was performed at Manchester Art Gallery on 7th October 2018. It was created by Travelling Heritage Bureau directed by Yusra Warsama, produced by Community Arts North West and Digital Women’s Archive North, in partnership with Manchester Art Gallery, as part of Journeys Festival International and Black History Month. Thanks to everyone at CAN, especially Katherine Rogers, and all the staff at Manchester Art Gallery who helped us with the exhibition and the trail. I particularly would like to thank Jenna Ashton without her none of the works would have been possible. Thanks Jenna jaan for believing in us. xxx Thank you to all the women in the group for their friendship and support: Mei Yuk Wong, Mahboobeh Rjabi, Kani Kamil, Ekua Bayunu, Ana Lucia Cuevas, Khalda Alkhmri, Manya Alkhmri, Gloria Saya, Shaheda Choudhury, Monika Rajani, Roxana Allison, Aida Foroutan, Anya Mikolajczyk, Firoozeh Fozouni and of course myself ( Shahireh Sharif) included in the group, too. Thanks to Ali, Atusa, Nema, Afsaneh, Nosrat and all of you who supported us by being there or by sending messages of support. فقط نمایشگاه نبود، فقط هنر نبود، فقط ورود به گالری هنر منچستر نبود. فرایند تقطیر زندگی بود با گرمای عشق. شاهد من نقاشی‌های روی دیوار The photos below are by Jenna Ashton. My photos can be seen at the links below: https://sharp-pencils.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-response-to-still-i-rise-by-maya.html https://sharp-pencils.blogspot.com/2018/10/cuneiform-of-friendship.html

New job, new location. I am very excited about the opportunity to learn. فصل تازه‌ای در زندگی من آغاز می‌شود. فرصتی برای یادگیری و حرکت رو به جلو.

بعد از دو سال که افتخار همکاری با تیم کتابخانه پورتیکو را داشتم، امروز با کتابخانه خداحافظی کردم. سپاس از تک‌تک اعضای تیم برای تمام چهارشنبه‌های زیبا. The image is taken from the Portico's website In the October 2021, coming out of the isolation imposed by COVID, I started as a volunteer at the Collection Care Unit of the Portico Library. Today, after nearly two years, I said my goodbyes to the staff and other volunteers. Thank you to everyone at the Portico Library for making the last two years' Wednesdays special. I consider myself very lucky to have had the honour of working alongside the unique and inclusive team of the Portico. Thanks particularly to Jim and Tim for sharing their knowledge and teaching me how to look after the printed treasures of the Portico Library. Today I also made my last two book-stands for displaying books at the next exhibition, Bookends and Beginnings. Looking forward to going back to visit the exhibition soon. My last two book stands My last two book stands with the books they are supporting.

A year has passed since Mahsa Amini was killed by the morality police in Iran. A year that has changed everything. A year since the brave people of Iran stood up against the dictatorship, oppression, injustice and destruction of the country's wealth and natural sources. The brutality of the morality police in Iran is known to everyone, even to those with a family member working in such organisations. At the anniversary of Mahsa's murder let's take a moment to remember all who lost their lives, injured, taken to prison and tortured. In the name of #freedon #liberty and with respect for the #women_life_freedom revolution. Stay safe در سالگرد قتل مهسا (ژینا) امینی با یادی از فرزندان شجاع ایران که جان خود را در راه ازادی از دست داده‌اند، یادی هم داشته باشیم از زندانیان و مجروحین انقلاب زن زندگی آزادی و خانواده‌های آنها. با احترام به انقلاب #زن_زندگی_آزادی و به امید روزهای بهتر برای میهن.

Just finished reading Typhoon by Qaisra Shahraz. What a story! Well done Qaisra jan. I enjoyed the story; I laughed and cried with your characters. I also enjoyed the command of language displayed throughout the book. All together a praiseworthy book. +++ I guess my take on the story would differ a lot from other average readers. As I come from a land where women are classified as second-class gender. Not that the equality of men and women is fully established elsewhere. Only a few days ago the story of women in sport facing sexual harassment and abuse was brought to surface after a female footballer was kissed on the lips by the Spanish Football Federation president. For me Typhoon was not a story that might happen in a faraway land. It was a reality, a day to day routine. The daily trauma of living with the guilt that being a woman demands. To expect respect is an impossibility, asking for too much. You are but a temptation, an offensive being that should remain out of sight. Reading Typhoon, the fear of being in the wrong place at a wrong time reignited vividly in my memory. In Typhoon, a neighbour, that happened to be a woman, threw her sandal to hit another woman who was judge guilty by the village gossiper. Was this in the story or a scene that I had witnessed in reality? We are getting near the 1st anniversary of Mahsa (Jina) Amini's death. Mahsa is the girl that was killed by the morality police because her scarf was not approved by those who arrested her. Typhoon reminded me of the pain of being a woman, the harassments and insults women are subjected to on daily bases. The phrase 'bare head' سر لخت used a few times in the book, was not just a familiar phrase. It was a legitimate reason to be killed for. I hope one day we are human enough to think of every race and gender as humans with equal rights. دردی بس آشنا از میان برگ‌های داستان بیرون می‌جهید و راه گلویم را به بغض سد می‌کرد. درد جهل. درد زنی زیبا در پاکستان. زنی که توسط پچپچه‌های زنان نادان محل به گناهی محکوم شد و بزرگ روستا به قضاوت وی نشست. بزرگی که در بستر مرگ زن را فرامی‌خواند و طلب بخشش می‌کند تا با وجدانی آسوده به دیدار پروردگار خود بشتابد. تجارب خیلی از ما نیز به ردپای چنین زنانی آلوده است. زنان نادانی که هیچ آرزویی در ژرفای وجودشان نمی‌درخشد و در تخلف هر مرد جز ردپایی زن به دنبال هیچ توجیه دیگری نیستند. با عشق بیگانه‌اند و مهر را جز تمکین بی‌قید و شرط به مردی که مالک آنان است نمی‌دانند. چه خوب که نسل جدید کمتر به آفت جهل آلوده است و چه خوب که نسل جدید می‌خواهند سکان زندگی خود را خود در دست داشته باشند. ممنون از زنان آگاه ایران که تجربه‌ای را که هم سن و سالهای من و امثال من قادر به تصور آن هم نبودند را رقم زدند. با آرزوی روزهای بهتر برای ایران و ایرانی. با احترام به جنبش #زن-زندگی-آزادی

Manchester Cathedral https://g.co/kgs/sMZna2

زنان در جام جهانی ۲۰۲۳ غوغا کردند. آفرین به تک‌تک این پهلوانان در مبارزه برای برابری زنان. امیدوارم در جام جهانی بعدی شاهد حضور تیم زنان ایران نیز باشیم. شاهد شجاعت زنان ایران در اجتماع بودیم و مطمئنا شجاعت و توانایی آنان در عرصه ورزش هم افتخار آفرین خواهد بود. زنده باد حرکت زنان برای کسب برابری در همه زمینه‌ها. Enjoyed watching 2023 World Cup, and I am so proud of each and every team who took part. Despite lack of advertisement, actually, despite copious negative publicity, the teams created many enjoyable and exciting moments. They made it for every woman everywhere. Hope to see Iran's national team in the next World Cup. Related Posts: Women's World Cup 2023

Photo from the Portico Library Collection, Manchester

A Persian pencase, V&A Museum In preparation for the next exhibition at the Portico library, I chose to read Persia as it is by C. J. Wills (1887). He lived in Persia (Iran) for 15 years between 1866 to 1881. I will be writing about the book separately. Here I would like to focus on one item only: pencase. In the chapter 14 of the book, Sir Wills refers to pencases as boxes of papier-mache, nine inches long, an inch and half width and the same dept. "These are painted by artists and the one painted by artists of renown are of great value, forty pounds being a common price paid for such a work of art by a rich amateur." He goes on to say, "It is possible to spend a year's hard work on the miniatures painted on a pencase. These are very minute and beautiful." (Page 121) According to Sir Wills, artists in Iran, during 1866 to 1881, worked either on traditional copies of the popular scenes or the painting on pencases. The latter being where they made their earning. Sir Wills referred to several fine specimens that "may be seen in the Persian Collection at the South Kensington Museum". I had seen pencases from Iran at the Victoria & Albert Museum previously. On making enquiries to Chiara De Nicolais | Assistant Curator Middle East of the museum, it became apparent that the following pencases were acquired in 1876 and would have been on view at the Museum in 1887. Hence, it is very likely that the pencases identified by the links below are the pencases that Sir Wills was referring to: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O53755/pen-box-isfahani-muhammad-ismail/ https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O53751/pen-box-qalamdan/ https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O55183/pen-box-qalamdan/ https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O55179/pen-box-qalamdan/ مشغول آماده شدن برای نمایشگاه بعدی کتابخانه پورتیکو هستیم و کتابی را که خلاصه‌ای از آن را برای نمایشگاه آماده می‌کنم کتابی با قدمت بیش از 150 سال است: پرشیا همانگونه که هست، سر ویلز. سر ویلز پزشکی انگلیسی است که مدت 15 سال در ایران زندگی کرده. کتاب خلاصه‌ای از تجربیات و خاطرات وی به همراه گزارش‌هایی که جمع‌آوری می‌کرده هست. در اینجا فقط به نکته‌ای که او در مورد جا قلمی (قلمدان) نوشته اشاره می‌کنم. طبق نوشته سر ویلز، در ایران زمان قاجار، نقاشان یا آثار پرطرفدار سنتی را کپی می‌کردند یا روی قلمدان نقاشی می‌کردند. نقاشی روی قلمدان درواقع منبع اصلی درامد نقاشان بوده. لینک‌های بالا قلمدان‌های ایرانی را به نمایش می‌گذارد که در آن سال‌ها در موزه ویکتوریا و آلبرت نگهداری می‌شده.

This year, Women's World Cup is shown live across BBC and ITV. If you were someone from the future reading the above text, would you have assumed this was referring to the 21st century? We, as humans, have a long way to go yet to overcome discrimination that is thriving in every shapes and form. And what a fantastic World Cup. جام جهانی زنان امسال از کانال‌های اصلی تلوزیون انگلستان پخش می‌شود. اگر کسی از آیندگان جمله بالا را بخواند هیچ فکر خواهد کرد که این جمله در سال 2023 میلادی نوشته شده؟ راه زیادی داریم تا سیاهی غلیظ تبعیض، که هر آنی به شکلی ظاهر می‌شود، را کمرنگ‌تر سازیم.

"The first small group of asylum seekers has boarded the controversial Bibby Stockholm housing barge after a series of delays over safety concerns..." Sometimes it is difficult to believe what you hear in support of prisons/camps for refugees. In an interview an official said, "these are not prisons, here people have their own bed and their own space!" The brag is nothing short of a prison, that is for sure. But, are these so-called accommodation to be used for all refugees or are refugees from certain regions exempt from living there? If they are only to be used for refugees from a particular region, what are the exclusion criteria and how the selection or deselection process is justifies. Are we witnessing yet another version of ethnic profiling of refugees? PS: Asylum seekers moved off controversial UK barge after deadly bacteria found in ship’s water به دنبال باخت نبرد حقوقی بر سر فرستادن پناهجویان به رواندا، دولت بریتانیا با ترفندی دیگر جلو می‌رود. نخستین پناهجویان به شناور بی‌بی استکهلم در جنوب بریتانیا، منتقل شدند. سوال اینجاست آیا همه پناهجویان به این سرنوشت دچار خواهند شد یا فقط پناهجویانی که از خاورمیانه یا افریقا میایند؟ روزی سیاه برای انسانیت. پی نوشت: بی‌بی‌سی نوشت: صبح امروز - جمعه ۱۱ اوت - گزارش شد به دلیل کشف باکتری لژیونلا در سیستم آب این شناور همه پناهجویان به طور موقت از این شناور به مکانی دیگر منتقل می‌شوند. لژیونلا باکتری است که در سیستم آب و محیط مرطوب سیستم‌های تهویه‌ زندگی می‌کند و می‌تواند باعث نوعی بیماری سینه پهلو یا حتی عفونت ریه شود.

Doosti community was one of the groups participating in this year's Lowry Open Day. People were invited to write their own messages of hello and welcome in any language. This is how they chose to use the white board provided. با گروه دوستی در گالری هنر لاری در سالفورد و پیام‌های بازدیدکنندگان بر تخته سفید.