MD E-Book Gift Pack

Three of Media Diversified's anthologies in one easy download!

1. From the Lines of Dissent is an anthology of select articles, comment pieces and academic analysis originally commissioned for Media Diversified's online platform, covering politics, literature, sexuality, education, religion, media and much more. These writings deal not only with specific current events but with the larger political and socioeconomic issues that shape contemporary global society, ensuring their continued relevance for readers.

   The book also features a foreword by leading journalist Gary Younge of the Guardian who said:

   "There is a sharp intelligence here and some crisp critiques. But it is the fearlessness to take on the dominant narratives - of race among others - in ways that are both playful and polemic that are the most striking."

   The book aims to bring about positive change in journalism by introducing readers to perspectives outside the conventional commentariat.

   Artistic director of the award winning Bush Theatre, Madani Younis said, “Media Diversified cuts through the bullshit and reflects the plurality of the world that I actually live in. .... Lines of Dissent is another example of why Media Diversfied and the work of Anthony Anaxagorou fill a space that the broad sheets have systematically failed to respond too.

   First published in print by Out-spoken Press

   Out-Spoken Press is a London-based independent publisher of poetry and critical writing. It was established in 2015 by poet and Editor Anthony Anaxagorou with the aim of providing a platform for compelling writing from voices that were (and remain) under-represented in mainstream publishing.

   Featuring essays:

   Decolonise, not Diversify by Kavita Bhanot
   Why science fiction matters to life in the postcolony by Haris A. Durrani
   Too Black to be Arab, too Arab to be Black by Leena Habiballa
   Porn: Our colour blind spot when it comes to racism by Yomi Adegoke
   ‘Her nose was straight with a soft tip at the end’ ” Writing Race at School by Clare Warner
   ‘Integration’ or ‘Assimilation’ is a Two-sided Negotiation by Chimene Suleyman
   Breaking tongues: carrying names across borders by Sinthujan Varatharajah
   No Reconciliation without Recognition: A Personal History of the Armenian Genocide by Robert Kazandjian
   Why British Historians Must be De-colonised by Marcus Daniel
   Diversity is Dead, and Whiteness Killed It by Shane Thomas
   Visible Ordinariness: the journey towards protection, acceptance and equality for trans people Or: Clear and Present Transgender by Suzy Wrong
   Your fascination with Muslim women’s bodies has a long misogynistic history by Nadia Atia
   Among A Race Of Others: An Overview Of Western Racial Classification And Colourism by Anthony Anaxagorou
   Language, Life and Love: Our Immigrant Parents by Jamal Mehmood
   Death, Legacy and Publishing by Samantha Asumadu
   Racism is! by Shane Thomas

   
   

2. “Complicit No More” is a collection of essays curated by Yasmin Gunaratnam. It tackles the crosscutting facets of complicity as they play out within our relationships to our bodies, each other, our communities, to media representations and to mobilisation.

   - In “Toxic Wars” vs. Conscientious Feminism Minna Salami's draws upon cross-cultural activism and dialogue to offer 'Conscientious Feminism' as an antidote to 'toxic feminism' and an ethical 'compass that can be used to navigate the labyrinth of oppression'.

   - Touched by Patsey's struggles in the Oscar winning film '12 Years a Slave', Karen Williams' describes how the film helped her to recognise and articulate the depths of latter day racism in her own 'Public Life of Intimate Violence'

   - In 'Washing Our Dirty Linen in Public' Sukhwant Dhaliwal reflects on 25 years of Women Against Fundamentalism, a coalition of women brought together in the aftermath of the Rushdie affair. For Dhaliwal, control of women’s bodies and minds lies at the heart of all religious fundamentalism.

   - Carolyn Wysinger takes us on a journey into the corporate workplace, where as the 'first boi in' her inventive transgression of gender dress codes also means getting used to 'the daily stares, the interested glances of some and the disdain of others.'

   - Stunning traditional henna designs on hands, backs and legs are the subject of artist Hina Ali's photo essay, exploring skin as a 'repository of honour & canvass of oppression'.

   - What use is diversity in popular culture when it still conforms to narrow aesthetic norms? Sunny Singh discusses women's "range of life stories, complete with joys and tragedies"

   - In a vivid and sometimes playful account, cultural critic and 'master code-switcher' Désirée Wariaro explores racial mixedness. 'Ontological doubt' is a constant companion for the 'tragic mulatto' when 'much of the world is blind to the inherent genius of the way my body dissects and pollutes tradition.'

   - Honour-Based Violence is part of a spectrum of violence against women that all too readily has become associated with certain cultures. Drawing from her research and activism Aisha K. Gill tackles the racialisation of HBV and women's complicity with it

   - Professor Heidi Mizra reflects upon her involvement in black feminism and the changes she has witnessed over the past 30 years. She is hopeful about new generations of activists and reminds us that "black women’s activism has been central in tackling problems within our local communities."

   
   

3. Fantasy's Other Fetish, Fantasy and science fiction allow for limitless creation, innovation, and exploration. Yet what we actually get are Eurocentric worlds that demonize or erase people of colour. Why do authors and readers accept this? Where did it start? And going forward, how do we resist?

   SFF author and critic Phenderson Djeli Clark examines these issues in Fantasy's Othering Fetish, the latest ebook from Media Diversified. Featuring a foreword by novelist Daniel José Older, this book discusses everything from medieval Arthurian romance to Tolkien and Game of Thrones, and provides a overview of contemporary work by global SFF authors of colour. With its sharp, insightful critique and Clark's deep knowledge of and passion for the genre, Fantasy's Othering Fetish is a much-needed antidote to the whitewashed worlds of mainstream SFF.