Chimene Suleyman

Writer

Chimene or Chimène[1] Suleyman is a writer from London of Turkish Cypriot descent, who has written on the politics of race and immigration in media including The Guardian, The Independent, the BBC and NPR, and co-edited The Good Immigrant USA in 2019.[2][3][4]

## Personal life

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Suleyman was born in London. Her father's family are from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. She has written about her grandfather's death in 1964, when he was tortured and killed by Greek soldiers in Cyprus, and his (Suleyman Recep) body, with a dozen others, seen in a much-reproduced photograph.[5]

## Career

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Suleyman created the monthly spoken-word event "Kid, I Wrote Back" in London, which ran from 2010 until at least 2013.[6]

In 2014, the writer Laura Bates chose Suleyman's poetry collection  Outside Looking On[1] as one of her "best books" of the year, saying that it "presents startlingly perceptive snapshots of human experience, delving powerfully into themes that range from big-city loneliness and longing, to prejudice and love".[7][8]

In 2017, Suleyman was a contributor to the crowdfunded publication The Good Immigrant, and in 2019 contributed to and co-edited its sequel, The Good Immigrant USA.[9]

In 2021, Suleyman, Monisha Rajesh and professor Sunny Singh received racist abuse on social media as a result of raising concerns about depictions of autism and of students of colour in Kate Clanchy's book Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me.[10]

In 2023, it was announced that Weidenfeld & Nicolson would publish Suleyman's memoir, The Chain, in 2024.[11]

## Selected publications

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* Suleyman, Chimene (2014). Outside Looking On. London: Influx. ISBN 9780992765552.
* Suleyman, Chimene (2017). "My Name is My Name". In Shukla, Nikesh (ed.). The Good Immigrant. London: Unbound. ISBN 9781783522965.
* Suleyman, Chimene (2019). "On Being Kim Kardashian". In Shukla, Nikesh; Suleyman, Chimene (eds.). The Good Immigrant USA: 26 writers reflect on America. London. ISBN 9780349700366.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

## References

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1. ^ a b "Outside Looking On". Influx Press. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
2. ^ "Chimene Suleyman". The Face. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
3. ^ "Chimene Suleyman". The Independent. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
4. ^ "Chimene Suleyman". National Book Foundation. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
5. ^ Suleyman, Chimene (21 August 2014). "No Longer An Allegory Of War: A Personal Reflection On Images & Conflict". The Quietus. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
6. ^ "Review: 'Kid, I Wrote Back' Spoken Word Night". Tribe Nine Studios. 14 February 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
7. ^ "Writers pick the best books of 2014: part one". The Guardian. 29 November 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
8. ^ Whalley, Charles (13 November 2014). "Outside Looking On by Chimène Suleyman". Sabotage. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
9. ^ Khong, Rachel (20 March 2019). "The Good Immigrant USA review – 'our joy is as valuable as our suffering'". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
10. ^ Campbell, Lucy (10 August 2021). "Kate Clanchy to rewrite memoir amid criticism of 'racist and ableist tropes'". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
11. ^ Brown, Lauren (4 September 2023). "W&N wins Suleyman's 'explosive' memoir in four-way auction". The Bookseller. Retrieved 23 November 2023.