Us and them: the advantages of being both
‘My father was always busy and barely spoke to us – and never in Hindi. He felt that “children were the mother’s province”, so we were brought up without even the basics of Indian culture.’
Umi Sinha talks to Writers Mosaic about her mixed-race heritage and how it informs her novel Belonging.
Umi Sinha delves into her own past
Novelist Umi Sinha delves into her own past to write Belonging, the beautiful and brutal story of Anglo Indian conflict during the days of the Raj.
She is interviewed here by Colin Grant at Writers Mosaic.
Does the writer have a responsibility?
Umi Sinha talks to Writers Mosaic about why she writes and the responsibilities of the writer.
Historical fiction: ‘You couldn't make it up, could you?’
We often distinguish between history and story, forgetting that history has always been brought to life by creative artists, whether in the form of carved and painted images, through oral storytelling traditions, or the written word.
Umi Sinha joined playwright and theatre director Patricia Cumper and novelist Ingrid Persaud, winner of the 2020 Costa First Novel Award, to discuss how fiction sits side-by-side with history writing. WritersMosaic’s director, Colin Grant, chairs this essential and timely conversation.
Notable Mentions from 2020 by bookstagrammer Pri's Reads
Bad Form Young Writers' Prize 2020
The
Bad Form Young Writers’ Prize has been founded by Bad Form, a literary review magazine by Black, Asian, Arab and other non-white people as part of their ongoing work to support and promote British authors from backgrounds underrepresented in the publishing industry. Submissions will open Monday 15 June, and close Monday 6 July.
Myriad will be gifting the winning author a selection of graphic novels, fiction and nonfiction books, with authors
Umi Sinha and
Elaine Chiew offering one-to-one mentor sessions to the shortlisted author. We’re elated to be able to support such a wonderful prize and hope Bad Form are inundated with submissions.
Amy Baxter, editor of Bad Form commented “We’re so thrilled to be able to use our contacts in the British publishing industry to support the work of young, underrepresented writers in such a practical way. These past few weeks have seen a sudden shift in the industry, and I hope that this is a sign of long-term change to come.”
Top 3 Ultimate Feminist Books by The Feminist Bookshop
Belonging by Umi Sinha was chosen as one of the three ultimate feminist books by Ruth Wainwright as she was interviewed by Brighton Journal about the opening of The Feminist Bookshop.
If you haven’t yet been to Brighton’s one and only feminist bookshop, you can find them on Upper North Street, a 10-minute walk from the train station!
International Women's Day: Belonging with Umi and Ruth
Authors Ruth Figgest and Umi Sinha joined for an author talk at this year’s International Women’s Day event at Brighton Dome. They discussed topics which featured across their writing; feeling disconnected from the land you live and family relationships. They also answered audience questions about the publishing industry and working as writers. The talk was enigmatic and both authors were captivating.
The day was a total hit and featured a wonderful array of supportive charities, organisations and advocates for women’s rights. Over 3000 people attended the event, The Feminist Bookshop had a huge pop-up shop and graphic novelists Hannah Eaton and Ottilie Hainsworth were graphic reporters for the event, drawing scenes from various workshops for all to see in the Founder’s Room. We were incredibly proud to be part of such a brilliant event and thank Brighton Women’s Centre for organising it.
Head over to our Facebook page to view an album of photographs and video’s taken during Ruth and Umi’s talk and the day in general.
Interview with Mash Stories
‘It seems to me that our real task in life as human beings is to achieve not outward success but inward self-knowledge, which involves becoming conscious of the things that drive us.’
Umi Sinha is interviewed by Jen Harvey for Mash Stories.
Interview with TripFiction
‘Everything is so extreme, the heat, the sun, the wild animals and the ever-present smell of death…’
Umi Sinha is interviewed about the background to her debut novel by TripFiction.
Writing tips on Bookanista
‘What I have learnt, over the many years I have struggled with writing, is that fear of one’s own inadequacy is the biggest block. There is always a way through.’
Umi Sinha shares her top tips for writing a novel with Bookanista.
Interview with Story Scavenger
‘I had been trying to get a big enough idea for a novel for a long time and one night I simply asked my unconscious mind for one before I went to sleep. I woke the next morning with a whole scene playing in my head, and I knew at once it was the opening of a novel…’
Umi Sinha is interviewed about her writing routine by Wendy Ann Greenhaigh for Story Scavenger.