Enter two richly imagined stories full of strife, rebellion and the struggle to find one’s own path.
In Rebecca Zahabi’s The Collarbound, rebellion is brewing and refugees have begun to trickle into the Nest, a fortress full of mages who offer protection, but also embody everything the rebellion is fighting against. When Isha arrives as a refugee, her Kher tattoo brands her as an outcast. A chance meeting with the enigmatic Tatters leads to an unlikely partnership, but as secrets of the past are discovered, will Isha and Tatters find themselves on opposite side of the conflict?
In Saara El-Arifi’s debut The Final Strife, a set of trials to determine the land's new rulers threatens to unleash bloody revolution. Among the contestants are Sylah, Anoor and Hassa, all with personal agendas that go beyond becoming the future wardens of Strength, Knowledge, Truth and Duty. The stage is set for blood to flow, power to shift, and cities to burn.
Chaired by C.L. Clark
About the event
Running time: 60 minutes
Venue: Pleasance Upper Hall
Price: £10/£8 concession - In Person - or £6/£4 concession - Live Stream - (plus 50p booking fee)
This event takes place in person and is broadcast via live stream.
About the authors
Rebecca Zahabi is a mixed-race writer (a third British, a third French and a third Iranian, if the mix is of interest to you). She started writing in her home village in France at age 12 - a massive epic where women were knights and men were she-witches which set out to revolutionise feminism. Since, she learnt how to actually write, and has slightly re-jigged her expectations of what she can achieve with a keyboard and a blank page. The plan of taking over the world, however, has not changed. After honing in her craft in a variety of genres - playwriting, short stories, an attempt at Icelandic sagas - she hopes to write novels that can make a difference. She is currently working on Tales of the Edge, an ambitious trilogy blending magic and structural violence.
Visit Rebecca Zahabi’s website.
With a DNA profile that lights up like a satellite photograph of earth, Saara El-Arifi's heritage is intrinsically linked to the themes she explores in her writing. She was raised in the Middle East until her formative years, when her family swapped the Abu Dhabi desert for the English Peak District hills. This change of climate had a significant impact on her growth—not physically, she’s nearly 6ft—and she learned what it was to be Black in a white world. Saara knew she was a storyteller from the moment she told her first lie. Though her stories have developed beyond the ramblings of a child, she still appreciates the thrill of a well-told tale. The Final Strife is her debut novel, the first part of a trilogy inspired by Ghanaian folklore and Arabian myths.
Follow Saara El-Arifi on Twitter @saaraelarifi or visit her website.