Ajaz Qureshi - Bio
Bio
Ajaz Qureshi is a British South Asian writer, teacher, and artist from Nelson, Lancashire. He holds a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Creative Writing, and an MA in Creative Practice, receiving distinctions. His creative practice revolves around the intersections of culture and heritage, place and community, and individual and plural identity.
Ajaz found his art at the ripe age of 16 during a three-month retreat into a hermitage on a Lancashire farm. He has since been longlisted and shortlisted for literary prizes, most notably, The Nature Writing Prize (2023) and the Mono Poetry Prize (2023). His work has been supported by Arts Council England, The UK Government, and his local councils and authorities.
Ajaz has a strong track record of public engagement and community involvement is an active member of numerous local, cultural, and community organisations, such as ‘The Super Slow Way’, ‘The Walt Whitman Initiative’, ‘Live From Worktown’, and the artists' collectives ‘Ursa Major Media’ and ‘Anything, Here’. He has been commissioned to produce poetry and short stories for arts and cultural organisations nationally and internationally, with work featured, publicly displayed, and performed around the globe.
Previously, Ajaz has worked as a teacher and a course coordinator for language and teaching-based institutions around the world, including Heriot-Watt University and the Centre of English Studies in Edinburgh, Saudi Electronic University in Saudi Arabia, MLA (Moving Language Ahead) in Italy, and Pendle Vale College in his hometown, Nelson, where he presently resides, reconnecting to his familial and cultural roots. His first publication, Full Nelson, is a mediation on his respective relationship to the industrial town he calls home once more.
Currently, Ajaz is the director of ‘To Whom Editorial’ - a writing, tutoring, and coaching service.
