Fahmidan Newsletter

October 2025

Dear Reader,

Welcome to this latest installment of the Fahmidan newsletter, where our mission is always to be drivers of diversity in action! The last month has been as busy as ever at Fahmidan with workshops, the release of our Autumn Issue and, many many submissions read! Thank you for submitting, reading and being part of the Fahmidan Family where diversity isn’t jargon and chit chat, but progressive action and accessible support.

NEW Newsletter Discount 10% off services: here.

You can expect new reading, reader wishes, intriguing trivia, as well as submission opportunity updates and other monthly musings. We have also recently launched our Chapbook Editing/Feedback Service, Editor Consultations and offer Editorial Feedback. As a completely self-funded literary journal and publishing house, we appreciate all support to continue our mission of practicing Diversity in Action.

You can request Chapbook Editing/ Consultations: here

Issue 23 is now out! Why not check it out for free here?

Autumn ‘25 cover by Tara Toni

You can also check out our archive of issues here.

Editor Requests:

Poetry reader Lily Sadighmehr would like to read more form poetry that confronts the current horrors of the world and integrates the interiority with exteriority.

Poetry reader Johannah Simon would like to read more prose poems that deal with longing & desire in a fresh and unexpected way. (Did I do it right?)

Editor in Chief A.R.Arthur would like to read more nonfiction reflecting on the human spirit in the late/postmodern era.

Fahmidan Education Spotlight

Iterations & Reinventions: A generative workshop - bring a poem you want to re-invent.- Nikki Dudley

Oct 26th 12pm EST/5PM CET

Iterations - bring a poem you want to re-invent. We'll take your poem and find new ways to re-work it and make something new. You will end up with different versions and you can choose the one you think works best! You'll also have lots of techniques to apply to other poems so you'll always have different ideas you can bring to the page. Some of the techniques we will cover are: -sounds -N+7 -re-writing in different forms -a visual interpretation -redactions and space, and more!

Crafting a Memoir Based on Almost No Memory- Prof Will Carter

Sat Nov 1st 10am-12pm EST/5PM CET

In this two-hour workshop, memoirist and Lecturer of English at Kennesaw State University, Will Carter, will walk you through how you can craft a memoir based on a traumatic event for which your memory is foggy or absent. Will Carter’s memoir, Getting Better, chronicles the first seven months of his recovery after suffering a brain injury, stroke, and being put into a medically induced coma during October of his senior year of high school. Will admits in the introduction that his memory of the events of the memoir is foggy at best, but he chronicles an inspiring journey of seven months from coma to graduation. Will is going to lead writers through a workshop on how he was able to create a powerful, vivid memoir based on scraps of memory and help you write your riveting story based on what memory you have as well, regardless of how small. By the end, you will have a plan for how to take what piece of your life you can recall and turn them into a fully fleshed out memoir.

Secret Third Thing: A (Re)Introduction to Hybrid Forms-November 15th & 23rd (2 sessions) 10am EST/4 PM CET - Cavar

You may have seen "hybrid" as an option on Submittable, a container for writing that doesn't quite "fit" the categories of poetry and prose. But what would it mean to create hybrid forms with intentionality, craft, and a conscious connection to existing hybrid works? In this workshop, we'll collectively close-read contemporary hybrid works to inspire writing unbound by formal conventions, and discuss submission strategies for works that break the mold over two sessions!

Sound Delights - Creating Sonic Landscapes In Writing. A Multi-Genre Workshop with Donna Vorreyer

November 29th 2025 1pm EST

When people discuss sound in writing, they often refer to the three most common elements: rhyme, alliteration, and assonance. These are excellent and time-honored ways of paying attention to sound in poems, however, there are other ways to incorporate sounds in interesting and playful ways. This workshop will use those ideas in new contexts, expanding to explore the creation of “sonic landscapes” for writing, using linguistic soundscapes and anagrams to experiment with connotation and wordplay.

How to Break the Glass Ceiling--Strategies Towards International Publishing for Marginalized Writers - Mandira Pattnaik

Dec 6th 10am-12pm EST/4-6PM CET

This workshop breaks-down the mystery around international publishing and lists out strategies you can adopt for successfully navigating it. Having your instructor as a writer from the global south who has published widely and entered Wigleaf Top 50 main-list as the first India-based writer to do so, be assured that you are in knowledgeable hands. The two-hour session is broken into four half-hour sessions. First session provides a broad idea--what submitting your work entails, how should you search for submission opportunities, and what the process requires, including how to craft an impressive cover letter. The next half hour is about finding your ground--meaning how to zero in on topics and themes that are both easy for you and will also impress readers, particularly those who may not be familiar with your culture.

Sign Up: here.

Literary Trivia

1. As A Schoolboy, Roald Dahl Was A Taste Tester For Cadbury’s Chocolate Eggs.

2. John Steinbeck’s Dog Ate The Original Script For “Of Mice And Men”.

3. Celebrated Novelist George Eliot Was Actually A Woman.

4. The Monster In Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” Has No Name.

5. The English Motorway M6 Was Built Upon 2.5 Million Discarded Copies Of Romance Novels.

If you’re looking for new collections to read, then check out the Fahmidan Bookstore for E-Chapbooks galore + check out the launch of the Second Edition of About Devotion by Sarah Al Zuraiqi here.

Check out our friends over at Anodyne:

After lifetimes of silencing by an unaccommodating system, we have had enough. Our voices have been muffled, our needs ignored, misdiagnosed, and misunderstood. Billions of FLINTA* people exist, frustrated by patriarchal structures and standards for health. It’s our time to be heard.

Anodyne (meaning pain relief) Magazine is a biyearly periodical offering an opportunity to voice our experiences to the masses. We exist not only for catharsis, but also for progress. With the intersectional contributions featured in our magazine, we hope to change the existing health paradigm. (ISSN 3052-1289)

Learn More Here: here

Check out our friends over at the European Writers Salon

EWS would love for you to join us! All are welcome, wherever you live. Find more information and details of how to book here.

EWS Online Open Mic Salon

When: 28 October 2025, 7-8:30 CET

Where: Online via Zoom (link sent on registration)

Back by popular demand, our online open mic salon hosted by Kik Lodge. This event is free.

As always, we’ll talk books, get to know each other through an open mic reading, and take a highly serious and competitive quiz. This month’s quiz theme: Road Signs.

Reading spots have filled up, but we’d love for you to come along for the rest of the fun. BYO wine. We prioritise those who haven’t read before, so make sure you subscribe to our newsletter to grab a reading spot next time! Book here.

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Debate Mate- What is Debate Mate?

Are you a UK University Student or do you know one? Only Open to UK Students

Debate Mate aims to tackle educational disadvantage in some of Britain’s most disadvantaged communities.

It does this by recruiting and training university students to run extra-curricular debate workshops in schools with an above-average percentage of children eligible for Free School Meals.

Our programmes increase speaking and listening attainment and improve a range of higher-order thinking skills and non-cognitive abilities such as confidence, teamwork, and leadership.

In doing so, our programmes address the widening skills gap between education and employment, raising aspirations and helping students make informed post-18 choices.

Why Mentor for Debate Mate?

No Experience Needed

Our programme does not require you to have any debating experience or any experience of working with young people. We train you up and teach you everything you need to be a successful mentor, you just need a passion for making a difference.

Make a real difference

Our programmes are proven to help change the lives of young people around the world. Join us and make a real difference to the next generation!

Enhance your CV

You don’t need any previous tutoring, teaching or debating experience to join! Become a mentor and you’ll develop key employability skills such as communication, leadership, and organisation – all things your future employer will love.

Flexibility around your schedule

Juggling university, part-time work, hobbies, and a social life can be tricky. Luckily, at Debate Mate, we make it easy to fit around your schedule, so you can work as much or as little as you like.

Regular socials & mentor events

Meet like-minded people at our social events and build your professional network at exclusive events such as our careers fair and corporate partner events.

If this sounds like an opportunity you’d be interested in, please fill in THIS FORM and we will be in touch with more information!

Just in case the link above doesn’t work try the following: the sign up link for prospective mentors is the following.

We are open for Winter Issue 25 submissions until Dec 14th 2025:

• We pay $35.

• We have a guaranteed 25 day response time.

• We accept Poetry, Fiction & Non-Fiction.

• We accept simultaneous submissions.

• We offer both reader & editorial feedback.

Submit to Fahmidan Journal here

We hope to read your writing this coming month!

Will you be submitting?

Warm Regards

Team Fahmidan

Diversity in Action