Inspiring New Knowledges
October 3 at 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Inspiring New Knowledges (INK) offers two sessions on October 3 with leading Kenyan authors Munira Hussein, Ellah Hallets, Hellen Mwololo, Jacquie (TJ) Nzioka, and Rehama Zuberi (Resh).
Starting at noon, these authors, collectively known as The Girlship Collective, will talk about their co-authored short story collection Seeing Our Sisters, as well as the collaborative process of producing the book and what it means to work as a collective.
At 1 pm, The Girlship Collective will offer a special interactive session for Scholars of Tomorrow students focusing on turning dreams into realities and giving space for participants to focus on their unique goals.
Students with an interest in creative writing and writing projects can sign up for a one-on-one mentorship that enables students to workshop a story or poem they have written with one of the authors. Those interested in participating in this opportunity should send a brief description of their project no later than September 18 to joanna.cockerline@ubc.ca to get connected with an author.
This event is organized by English and Cultural Studies Lecturer Joanna Cockerline, and supported by the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies. It is part of the 2026 Abaantu Festival, organized by Kinfolk Nation. Abaantu: Festival of Stories unites diverse narratives through a week-long celebration of African and I-BPOC creativity, fostering connections across cultures. Join us to explore a rich tapestry of artistic expressions that include spoken word, music and visual art, all while engaging in meaningful dialogues and community building.
About the Girlship Collective
The Girlship Collective is an all-women writing collective that came into being in 2022 with the goal of providing mutual support and creating the short story anthology Seeing Our Sisters, which was published in Kenya and internationally in 2024.
The Girlship Collective (from left to right) includes Hellen Mwololo, Rehema Zuberi (ResH), Ella Hallets, Joanna Cockerline, Munira Hussein, and Jacquie (TJ) Nzioka. All authors are Kenyan except for Joanna Cockerline, who is Canadian and has been friends with the women in the collective for many years.
Seeing Our Sisters is a short story anthology by authors from Kenya and Canada. The book was born out of a beloved community, a desire to empower, sisterhood, a belief in the power of story, and what we can do when we come together. This collection of ten stories, written by a collective of women whose experiences transcend borders – international, demographic, and those societal expectations try to impose – is a celebration of diverse voices.
United by our friendship, our love of storytelling, and our insistence that a spectrum of perspectives and experiences – including those that may be marginalized or formerly unheard – must be shared, this anthology honours both the differences and connections that comprise who we are and how we exist in the world.
