About

I'm Uyghur, born on Kaurna land, and based in the US. My author bios tend to say that I am a poet, translator, scientist and Uyghur advocate, so here's a little breakdown!

Translation: I translate primarily from Uyghur to English. Currently I'm a mentee in the ATLA  Emerging Translator Mentorship Program! I believe translating Uyghur literature is really important since Uyghur literature is so rich, underrated, and inaccessible to most of the world.

Activism: I have helped my community organise protests and events, translate testimonies, and write speeches, grants, and articles to raise awareness about Uyghurs and the atrocities we face under China's oppression. Happy to fill in any gaps to help Uyghurs in any way I can, whether that's individually or as part of an organisation.

Community: Just trying to build things I've always wanted as an Uyghur kid growing up in the diaspora. My main thing is online, with Uyghur Collective and The Tarim Network. I'm also always happy to help organise in-person events surrounding culture, community, art, and so on. 

Research: Currently I work in a research group at BUMC in the department of Hematology and Medical Oncology. You can read more about our lab's work here. I (extremely) occasionally dabble in the social sciences. You can find all that CV jazz on my LinkedIn.

Poetry: Something I've had a keen interest in since childhood. I'm just beginning to publish some of my poems in various journals and hope to continue doing so! I'm also a member of the World Uyghur Writer's Union.

Art: Was recently an apprentice in Uyghur Calligraphy with Ablikim Amat under the Mass Cultural Council's Traditional Arts Apprenticeship program.