St Margaret’s School for Girls will welcome award-winning author and former parent Leila Aboulelah back to the school on Wednesday, June 12, to read from and chat about her latest novel, Bird Summons.
A Conversation with Leila Aboulelah will be hosted by third year pupils and is open to the public. The reading will be followed by a Q&A and there will be an opportunity to buy signed copies of her books, courtesy of Waterstones in Aberdeen, who will attend on the day.
Leila, whose daughter Manaal attended St Margaret’s, Aberdeen’s only all-girls school, will read a passage from Bird Summons, the fascinating story of three Muslim women living in Scotland who embark on a pilgrimage to visit the grave of Lady Evelyn Cobbold, the first British woman to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Born in Cairo, Leila grew up in Khartoum and moved in her mid-twenties to Aberdeen. She is the author of five novels, Bird Summons, The Translator (a New York Times 100 Notable Books of the Year), The Kindness of Enemies, Minaret and Lyrics Alley (Fiction Winner of the Scottish Book Awards). Her work has received critical recognition and a high profile for its distinctive exploration of identity, migration and Islamic spirituality. She was the first winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing and her latest story collection, Elsewhere, Home won the Saltire Fiction Book of the Year Award.
Leila’s work has been translated into fifteen languages and she was long-listed three times for the Orange Prize for Fiction. Her plays The Insider, The Mystic Life and others were broadcast on BBC Radio and her fiction included in publications such as Freeman’s and Harper’s Magazine.
St Margaret’s head teacher Anna Tomlinson said that she hoped the girls would draw inspiration from the event. “We are very much looking forward to welcoming Leila back to the school on Wednesday, and we are delighted that she has taken time out from her extremely busy schedule to visit us, read to us and to answer our many questions about her stories and the path her career has taken.
“The themes of Leila’s stories are particularly relevant – immigration, homesickness and identity – and we are keen to explore what inspires her.”
The event will be held in the school on Wednesday, June 12, from 2.30-3.30pm. Tickets are free and can be ordered by registering at: http://stmargaretsevents.com/
Leila Aboulelah