Afaf will read from her book A Handful of Pennies, telling the story of her journey from Haifa to Lebanon and eventually to Bedford. The book encompasses themes of faith, fear, war and identity as Afaf’s journey continues to a place of purpose of peace. Afaf is known locally through her association with the Jaffa Orchard café on Castle Road.

Sharif’s novel – The Lone Leopard, charts the journey of Ahmad as he flees Afghanistan. The fictional story relates closely to Sharif’s own journey as a refugee from Afghanistan. He has a PhD on Afghanistan and continues to study the history and development of Afghanistan and neighbouring countries.

Both authors will be talking about their writing and experiences. Copies of the books will be available to buy after the talk.