Meeting the Water - appeal for support !

Once in a lifetime journey to close a personal chapter on a life-changing global event.

Dear Subscribers,

This is not my usual offering of prose, poetry or podcast. But it is a rather urgent appeal to support a project that will bring you much more of these from me in the near future, so please read on…

In 2004 my first child Delia was born… 24 days later my beloved mother Parvin Azadeh Rieu died in the Boxing Day Tsunami. For the 20^th anniversary in December I will travel – with the support of my family – to the beach Mum died on in Phuket, Thailand (pictured above on Christmas Day, 2004, taken by her surviving partner).

I am reaching out to you after being rejected for an Arts Council England DYCP funding for this personal, pivotal & timely project. I am asking for your support to help me close a chapter on this experience which has deeply shaped the last two decades of my life & art, connected to an event of global significance. Marking & documenting this through writing, audio & film, we will walk the coast, witness Boxing Day commemorations, Lantern Night, Buddhist & multi-faith ceremonies & search for mum on the tsunami memorial walls.

For the first time, I will witness the 20 year legacy of this major climate catastrophe, meet Thai people & others who have so brilliantly supported survivor communities since – including honouring those unfound & unnamed.

I hope this journey will also be transformative as we finally fulfil Mum’s wish that we return with her one day to the place she so loved. On my return I will re-walk the Sussex chalk coastline, writing through a new lens on ecological loss, climate justice & psychological restoration.

I need to raise a minimum of 10k to cover remaining trip costs, recording equipment, support & time to complete a book draft by next Spring, to mark Mum’s birthday & Persian New Year. We will hold a live sharing event so if you are subscribed to this Substack you will receive an invite & of course all my creative updates in between.

I feel the urgency of the tsunami 20^th anniversary personally; but there is a much wider consideration reflecting climate change & ancestral healing which feels vital to capture at this time. It will also shape the next phase of my writing journey, public projects and what I share on this Substack.

I am deeply grateful for any support you can offer, whether through:

·      a donation via my Paypal fundraiser here

·      opting to become a paid Subscriber or gifting a paid subscription on this Substack if you aren’t already.

·      buying one of my artworks from my website

·      or simply sharing this campaign widely with your networks on Substack and beyond as soon as possible.

Thank you so much for being part of this journey. This campaign runs until December 15^th.

…and a very warm welcome to those who have just arrived from over the border of Mailchimp onto this Substack where you will be receiving my updates from now on, read ‘about’ for more of what’s in store or browse my archive of story, poetry, podcast…

Alinah xx