With thanks to Arts Council England, we are delighted to be running a second cohort of our Birmingham Editorial Readers Group from 2025-26, a community project with keen readers in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
We received over 300 applications for the 12 spaces in August 2025, and selected the group based on a balance of reading interests, postcode and demographics. Across 6 sessions in October 2025 – March 2026, the group will read our submissions longlist, decide on a shortlist, and then, ultimately, help The Emma Press decide what books to select for publication. Sessions are designed to also provide insight into the publishing industry and processes, and an Industry Day at the end of the project will invite guest speakers in writing and publishing careers to talk to the group.
Introducing our 2025-26 BERG members
Anjem Anwar
Anjem, a Brummie, grew up on books and Bollywood. An ex-teacher with a PGCE in Primary Education and a former toxicologist, he currently tutors young children and is a writer. Through his prose, he hopes to champion South Asian voices and culture. His short stories, “The Jalebi Man” and “Stay with Me,” have been published by Floodgate Press and Dudley Editions. His poem, “A Beautiful Mosaic of Multiculturalism, has been published by Punch Records and his flash fiction “Colonial Shackles” has been published by Carnations, Violets, and Lavender. He is currently looking to pitch his own collection of short stories.
Astrid Solace
Astrid Solace is a writer and performance poet from Birmingham, using writing to explore the queer, the absurd, and the lies she tells herself and others. This year she has commenced a Masters in Creative Writing at University of Birmingham, competed in the Roundhouse Slam grand final, was a member of Apples & Snakes’ residency Words A Stage, and founded, produced, and hosted Pretty Privilege Poetry. Astrid is currently working on her debut poetry pamphlet, as well as a stage show and a short film.
Avika Sharma
Avika is enthusiastic about languages and translated fiction, with a (somewhat) recently obtained degree in Linguistics with Japanese from Newcastle University. She was an editor for the student publication The Courier, and often attends book festivals and literary talks, and enjoys travelling and visiting bookshops abroad.
Charlotte Wheeler
Charlie is an avid reader and enjoys a variety of different forms of art and literature, which she believes is essential to everyday life. From an early age, writing has always been a passion of hers which she then pursued at degree level. Now working as an event manager in the arts in Birmingham she values contributing to the development of the cultural industry outside of London.
Cherine El-Bash
Cherine is a 30-year-old Finnish Arab living in Worcester with their partner, stepdaughter, and Tove & Snufkin – two little but incredibly cheeky cats. Cherine has always been passionate about language and bending its edges, and her debut poetry pamphlet The furthest island (2025, V. Press) features English, Finnish, and Arabic.
Currently, Cherine is hunched in the corner of a pub, writing both their folklore-inspired novella and an essay for Queer Theory: A Companion (spring 2026). You can find them baking at midnight (exclusively) or swimming in a natural body of water.
Clare Donnelly
Clare is a creative at heart and a shameless lover of books. Twice a month, she attends a local writing group, where she shares work in progress of her debut novel, together with her rekindled passion for poetry.
At the Birmingham Literature Festival, she stepped into the spotlight for the Open Door event, reciting two of her poems – a challenge that turned out to be a surprisingly wonderful experience!
Elena Gammone
Elena is originally from Italy and now based in Birmingham, where she has lived for five years. A law graduate working in finance, her greatest passion has always been books. She co-runs the Birmingham Feminist Book Club, where readers explore feminist writing across every genre and share thoughtful, engaging discussion.
Khakan Qureshi B.E.M
Khakan Qureshi B.E.M. is a Birmingham-based writer and LGBTQ+ advocate whose work explores memory, identity, and the intersections of faith and sexuality. Formerly a hostel manager supporting young adults, he continues to champion LGBT+ visibility, equality, and community cohesion through storytelling and creative expression. A recipient of the British Empire Medal and the Prime Minister’s Points of Light Award, Khakan has been nationally recognised for his commitment to advancing LGBTQ+ inclusion and dialogue. Currently studying creative writing and attending the West Bromwich Writers Group, he is writing a memoir about growing up as a gay Muslim — a reflective journey through resilience, belonging, and self-discovery.
Marwah Tariq
Marwah K. Tariq is an undergraduate student reading English Literature at Durham University. Marwah is eagerly engaged with local literary and arts communities, and enjoys reading diverse and challenging works of literature. Her research interests include but are not limited to Medieval English Literature and Modernist literature. She aspires to work in the publishing industry, to champion diverse voices and perspectives as well as sharing the importance of reading and criticism. In her spare time she enjoys solo-travelling, photography, art, writing, reading literary fiction and attending events like literature festivals, book signings and discussions.
Instagram: @marwahktariq
Linkedin: Marwah K. Tariq
Salmah Abdulsalam
Salmah Salam Oiza is a Nigerian writer, poet, and literary curator based in the UK. She is drawn to stories and characters that resist binaries and often explores the intersectionality of faith, feminism and identity. Her writing has appeared in Brittle Paper, JAY Literature, Breadfruit Magazine, and others. She is the author of Foreign in a Long-Familiar Leap Year. Outside writing, Salmah is the curator of the World Economic Forum, Birmingham Global Shapers Hub, and runs a personal lifestyle blog on dearsalmah.co.uk. She enjoys watching sappy rom coms, making elaborate tea rituals and being thoroughly bossed around by her cats. Find her online @dearsalmah.
Vidhi Bhanushali
Vidhi Bhanushali is third year English Literature and Creative Writing student at the University of Birmingham. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the University’s 90-year-old student newspaper, Redbrick and a strong supporter of student journalism. Being the Programmes and Marketing Assistant for Writing West Midlands, a literature development agency, has given the chance of meeting and working with literature enthusiasts and creative professionals in and around Birmingham for events like the Birmingham Literature Festival and Careers in Writing. As a BERG member, Vidhi is thrilled to take her next step into the publishing industry and expand her interests to meet her aspirations of working as a Commissioning Editor or Marketing Director at one of the Big 5 Publishing Houses.
Ella Foster
Ella is a passionate book lover and the Publishing Trainee at The Emma Press! She is very excited to be part of BERG and taking the first step into the publishing industry, with the hopes to continue on this path in the future. Ella has loved books from a young age and now spends all her spare time reading and loves to share her opinions on social media especially TikTok.
TikTok: @ellas_libraryy
LinkedIn: Ella Foster
What our previous BERG Members said:
“It’s taught me so much about writing, editing, and the publishing industry – I feel both inspired and armed with the knowledge I need to move forward with my career.”
“I enjoyed the journey and meeting new people. For the first time, I felt I was part of a community in the literary sense – like-minded people I understood, and vice versa (I hope). I didn’t feel like a drifter on the fringes of small talk, nor find myself without any book lovers to speak to at length.”
“ EP has opened the door to an industry I deemed impenetrable. I believe BERG shouldn’t end here because it’s an opportunity that breaks down barriers with inclusivity at the forefront.”
Discover our 2023-2024 BERG Cohort
