33-541: The SI Leeds Literary Prize is a biennial award founded in 2012 by Soroptimist International of Leeds (SI Leeds) – a branch of the worldwide women's organization Soroptimist International – for unpublished fiction written by Black and Asian women resident in the UK. Submissions must be of more than 30,000 words of fiction and entrants must be aged 18 years and over. The prize offers support for writers to develop their work and to help build new audiences. Described as "groundbreaking",
66-615: A Venture Club was formed in Bristol, UK , with encouragement by the Bristol Rotary Club (formed in 1917) with Eleanor Addison Phillips (headmistress of Clifton High School, Bristol ) as founder and its first president. In 1930, when it was realised that Venture Clubs and Soroptimist Clubs had shared goals, the two organisations amalgamated. In July 2021, to commemorate 100 years of the Bristol Club (and celebrate Eleanor Addison Phillips),
99-538: A blue plaque was unveiled at Clifton High School. Sources agree that the Soroptimist movement was influenced by the existence of Rotarianism , though sources differ on the precise relationship between the two. For instance, Davis, in reference to early Soroptimism in the U.S., wrote that Soroptimism was a women's organisation connected to the Rotary Clubs for men that promoted the support of professional women as well as
132-594: A four-year project to help disadvantaged women and children in Sierra Leone , in partnership with the international charity Hope and Homes for Children . As of 2016, the Soroptimist movement continues to provide practical assistance for women in need via means such as educational grants, domestic violence shelters, and mammograms. Soroptimist International is an umbrella organisation with its headquarters in Ely , UK. Within this umbrella, there are five federations: SI of
165-455: A loudspeaker for Black and Asian women's voices, enabling fresh and original literary voices from a group disproportionately under-represented in mainstream literary culture to reach new audiences." Irenosen Okojie, speaking of the necessity for the prize, states: "There's a big disparity between what we see reflected on the shelves and the wonderful diverse voices that are out there. The prize aims to address that imbalance somewhat and to provide
198-424: A platform for marginalized voices that are largely ignored.... There are also very few black and Asian professionals working within the industry which has an impact in terms of who the gatekeepers are. Who gets to decide what voices should be heard and which stories are worth publishing?...If we have more diversity within the infrastructure, that might filter through to work that gets commissioned. A national prize like
231-903: Is a graduate of Birmingham University , in England , where she majored in West African studies. She then became a freelance journalist, and from the mid-1990s until 1998 she worked as a black literature development co-ordinator for the Centreprise Literature Development Project, where she set up the newspaper Calabash . In 2001, she founded Sable LitMag . Sesay has edited or co-edited several books, including Burning Words, Flaming Images: Poems and Short Stories by Writers of African Descent (1996), IC3: The Penguin Book of New Black Writing in Britain (with Courttia Newland , 2000), Dance
264-405: Is co-director of Peepal Tree Press 's writer development programme, Inscribe , alongside fellow poet Dorothea Smartt . Sesay's first full collection of poems, entitled Irki , was published in 2013. Her poetry, short stories and essays have appeared in a range of publications, including the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa , edited by Margaret Busby . Sesay was appointed Member of
297-456: Is huge. And for the runner-up and the other shortlisted authors there is a combination of writer development support and manuscript assessment from The Literary Consultancy; and one-to-one professional development support from Peepal Tree Press. So the prize is an all round package to help writers develop not just reward them for their existing achievements." In the words of patron Carolyn Choa, "The prize endeavours to encourage those not born into
330-595: The Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, September 1995). In the 2000s, Soroptimist International repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to the Beijing Declaration , which emerged from the latter conference. At least as early as 2003, Soroptimist International had gained consultative status with ECOSOC and official relations with the WHO . In 2007, Soroptimist International initiated Project Sierra,
363-643: The Alpha Club, founded in 1928, from which they grew, with the chain listing the names of the club's presidents from 1942 to 2006. These included Olympic fencer Elizabeth Carnegy-Arbuthnott and comedian Helena Millais. The chain is now held at the V&;A Museum . Mills was a member of the Soroptimist Greater London club, for which she created an enamelled President's badge in 1933. The federation, Soroptimist International of Great Britain & Ireland (SIGBI),
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#1732899070989396-488: The Americas (SIA); SI Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI); SI of Europe (SIE); SI of South East Asia Pacific (SISEAP) and SI Africa (SIAF). Each of these federations in turn contain local clubs. Kadija George Kadija George MBE , Hon. FRSL (born 1962), also known as Kadija Sesay , is a British literary activist , short story writer and poet of Sierra Leonean descent, and the publisher and managing editor of
429-745: The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at the United Nations , which gives it a voice on important discussion papers. It also allows them to attend the Commission of the Status of Women in New York each year where the Soroptimist International President leads a delegation. Every two years, Soroptimist International launches a Soroptimist International President's Appeal. The name "Soroptimist"
462-613: The Guns to Silence: 100 Poems for Ken Saro-Wiwa ( Flipped Eye Publishing , 2005), and (as Kadija George) Six Plays by Black and Asian Women Writers (Aurora Metro Books, 2005), Write Black, Write British: From Post Colonial to Black British Literature ( Hansib Publications , 2005). In 2007, she created the first SABLE Literary Festival in The Gambia, where she now programmes the Mboka literary festival and bookfair, which she co-founded in 2016. She
495-576: The Hammer of the Bell , and Anita Sivakumaran won third prize for The Queen . The SI Readers' Choice award, chosen from the shortlist by some 20 SI members, went to Kit de Waal for Blue in Green . The 2016 winner — judged by Kadija George , Margaret Oldroyd, Karen Onojaife and Susan Yearwood — was Amita Murray for Marmite and Mango Chutney , with second prize going to Winnie M. Li for Dark Chapter and third prize, and
528-688: The Nazis' consolidation of power. In 1939, many members of the burgeoning Kaunas club were killed or deported. In 1943, Marthe Hirsch, the director of a chocolate factory and the first president of the Belgian Soroptimist Club, committed suicide to avoid arrest by the Gestapo . After WWII, Noël resumed expansion. The Communist coup prevented her attempt to found a club in Czechoslovakia in 1948, but she
561-481: The Netherlands (1927), Italy (1929), Austria (1929), Germany (1930), Belgium (1930), Switzerland (1930), Estonia (1931), India (1932), Norway (1933), Hungary (1934), and Denmark (1936). The inauguration of the first Lithuanian club was interrupted by the start of WWII . Prior to WWII , Soroptimists worked to assist refugees fleeing unrest in central Europe. Many Soroptimists themselves ultimately fled from
594-586: The Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to publishing. In 2021, she was elected an honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature . In 2021, with Joan Anim-Addo and Deirdre Osborne she curated This is The Canon: Decolonize Your Bookshelf in 50 Books – in the words of Nikesh Shukla "a vital and timely introduction to some of the best books I've ever read" – which
627-600: The SI Leeds Literary Prize is about celebrating the voices of black and Asian women." Kerry Young , chair of the 2014 panel of judges, said in an interview for Sable magazine: "It's the only prize for unpublished fiction by Black and Asian women writers. That's the first thing. Secondly, it's the opportunities it offers not just in the cash awards but, for the winning author, to have a free place on an Arvon creative writing course of their choice; and for Peepal Tree Press to consider their manuscript for publication. That
660-476: The SI Readers' Choice award, to Jamilah Ahmed for Recognising Strangers . The 2018 Aspire-igen first prize winner – chosen by a judging panel chaired by Susheila Nasta – was Shereen Tadros for Say Goodbye to Her , second prize going to Yvonne Singh for One Man's Revolution , and third prize to Kavita Bhanot for Baba ji on Boulton Road , with the SI Readers' Choice award, based on 22 votes from SI members across
693-487: The SI Readers' Choice award; and tied third were A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing by Emily Midorikawa, and Storybank: The Milkfarm Years by Jane Steele. Also shortlisted were Katy Massey for The Book of Ghosts and Anita Sivakumaran for The Weekend for Sex . The 2014 judges – Kerry Young, Gail Bolland, Elise Dillsworth and Kadija George – chose as first prizewinner Mahsuda Snaith for The Constellation of Ravine Roy . Season Butler won second prize for Hanging from
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#1732899070989726-458: The UK and Nepal, going to Omega Douglas for Hibiscus, Rose, Jacaranda . The Aspire-igen first prize went to Wenyan Lu for The Funeral Cryer , LM Dillsworth took the runner-up award for The Sun Sets in the East , and Sumana Khan won third prize and the SI Readers' Choice award for The Good Twin . In 2022, the first prize and The Opportunity Centre award was won by Suad Kamardeen for Never Enough ,
759-635: The first conference of the Federation to be held in the southern hemisphere. c. 1988 –1990, efforts by Soroptimists led to the founding of Caring for Carers Ireland . At the World Summit for Social Development in March 1995, Soroptimist International advocated for girls and women to have universal access to basic education and equal access to higher education. It urged that summit to ensure that specific measures to achieve that goal would emerge from
792-481: The ideals of service and internationalism. By contrast, Doughan wrote that the Soroptimist movement in Britain originally arose as a reaction against Rotarian and other masculinism among women who saw similar opportunities for service, but had no connection with Rotary men, or even if they did, were unwilling to accept the subordinate position implied by the structure of the Inner Wheel . The Soroptimist Club of London
825-911: The magazine SABLE LitMag . Her work has earned her many awards and nominations, including the Cosmopolitan Woman of Achievement in 1994, Candace Woman of Achievement in 1996, The Voice Community Award in Literature in 1999 and the Millennium Woman of the Year in 2000. She is the General Secretary for African Writers Abroad ( PEN International ) and organises the Writers' HotSpot – trips for writers abroad, where she teaches creative writing and journalism courses. Born in London of Sierra Leonean heritage, Sesay
858-454: The mainstream of British culture, and offers a possible course towards the rich, all-embracing intellectual landscape of which Britain so rightly boasts." The 2012 prize (judged by Margaret Busby , Hannah Bannister and Gail Bolland) was won by Minoli Salgado for A Little Dust on the Eyes (published in 2014 by Peepal Tree Press). In second place was Borrowed Light by Karen Onojaife, who also won
891-623: The prize has been developed and managed by SI Leeds in partnership with Ilkley Literature Festival and Leeds -based publishers Peepal Tree Press . Among other partners are The Literary Consultancy (TLC), Writing on the Wall (WOW), the Arvon Foundation , New Writing North , and Leeds Library and Information Service. According to TLC Director Aki Schilz : "The SI Leeds Prize offers a vital opportunity to women writers from black and Asian communities whose voices as we all know are often marginalised from
924-894: The publishing landscape. It is encouraging to feel that that landscape is finally making shifts in the direction of genuinely more representative and inclusive publishing, with a springing-up of initiatives and a rallying cry from those demanding to be heard and for the right to tell their stories as well as be given the critical artistic freedom to write creatively." As of 2014, patrons of the prize include Bernardine Evaristo , Bidisha , Bonnie Greer , Carolyn Choa, Diana Evans , Diana Howse, Dreda Say Mitchell , Hannah Pool , Margaret Oldroyd (president of Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland), Maya Jaggi , Pippa Small , Sue Woodford-Hollick and Yasmin Alibhai-Brown , with Margaret Busby as prize ambassador and Irenosen Okojie as prize advocate. The SI Leeds Literary Prize "aims to act as
957-537: The runner up being Sometimes the Sky is Blue by Latoyah Innerarity, while third place and the SI Readers' Choice award went to Lying Perfectly Still by Laura Fish. Soroptimist International Soroptimist International ( SI ) was founded in 1921 as a global volunteer service for women with almost 66,000 members in 118 countries worldwide. Soroptimist International also offers Associate Membership and E-Clubs. Soroptimist International has special consultative status at
990-556: Was coined by combining the Latin words soror "sister" and optima "best", and can be taken to mean "best for women." The organization has its roots in the Soroptimist movement, started in the U.S. in 1921 by Stuart Morrow, and in particular in the Soroptimist Club of Oakland, California , founded that same year, with Violet Richardson as president. In parallel, in May 1920,
1023-538: Was officially formed in 1934. From 1924 onwards, Suzanne Noël was highly instrumental in the growth of Soroptimism. Inspired by Morrow, who had come to Paris, Noël founded a Soroptimist Club in that city that year, whose membership included Thérèse Bertrand-Fontaine , Cécile Brunschvicg , Anna de Noailles , and Jeanne Lanvin Alice La Mazière . With the support of her Soroptimist contacts, Noël rapidly expanded Soroptimist internationally, founding new clubs in
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1056-465: Was started in 1923 and received its charter in 1924 from Morrow. Its founding members included George Bernard Shaw 's secretary. Other early members included Sybil Thorndike , Flora Drummond , and Mary Allen . The Soroptimist International of London Mayfair commissioned a painted enamel President's badge in 1946 from Arts and Crafts enameller Ernestine Mills , paying seven guineas for it. The design included their founding date of 1942 and commemorates
1089-643: Was successful in Turkey (1949) and Greece (1950). By 1952, at least one club existed in Australia, under the auspices of the Federation of Soroptimist Clubs of Great Britain and Ireland, which included clubs throughout the Commonwealth. Thelma Eileen Jarrett joined this club in 1952 and became a prominent international Soroptimist, being elected president of that Federation in 1972. In 1973, in Sydney, Australia, she chaired
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