During a liberating lull between peaks of COVID infection in London in October of 2021, I attended an event in the foyer of Queen Elizabeth Hall, as part of the London Literature Festival.  Three of the ‘4 Brown Girls Who Write’ performed recent work and discussed their collaborative working methods.  It was a joyous celebration of South Asian creativity and identity, yet arguably, the group’s unacknowledged roots reach back to the London of the 1980s, when the pivotal Asian Women Writers’ Workshop (AWWW) was founded: “the first of its kind for Asian women writers in Britain” (AWWW 1).

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, it is important that the AWWW’s innovative writing is also reclaimed for its significant achievement in carving out a space in the multiple intersections of race, gender, class, age and sexual orientation, thus representing the heterogeneity of the British community and promoting inclusivity.  In 1980s’ Britain, “black” became the marginalised space for non-white, British, post-colonial migrants to act collectively and seek empowerment irrespective of differences in language, race, class, religion or culture. Black feminism became the space for identification for non-white women to voice their otherness and invoke their agency and the AWWW was very much a part of this movement.  The black British feminist movement focussed on claiming a space for the hitherto invisible black women’s experience and instigated the development of a critique of white feminist theory, to: “reveal other ways of knowing that challenge the normative discourse” (Mirza 5). The AWWW emerged from such a space of resistance and critique in response to the socio-political crucible of 1980s’ Thatcherite reconstructive policies, Ken Livingstone’s corrective Greater London Council (GLC), along with a second wave feminism that intersected with the development of Black British racial identity and Black feminism . 

The AWWW was established in 1984 by Ravinder Randhawa, who placed an advertisement in the London Time Out magazine, inviting Asian women writers to join a weekly workshop.  Randhawa had been a member of the Black Ink Collective which was established in 1978 to provide a platform for young black Britons to write and publish their work.  Randhawa felt a similar platform would benefit Asian women writers, and with the support of Black Ink, she was successful in winning funding from the GLC.  Explaining her reasons for founding the AWWW, Randhawa, recalls: “There was no British Asian writing at the time.  We did not know if what we were writing was of any use to anyone at all.  Does anyone want to publish it or does anyone want to read it. (Manuel)

In the eighties, Asian women were amongst the most silenced groups in Britain.  The first generation of women immigrants were mainly from the poorer rural areas of the subcontinent, did not speak English and, for the most part, were not formally educated. Their disparate religious and cultural backgrounds heightened their isolation which was exacerbated by a lack of established writing traditions and role models in the UK.   The AWWW was successful in drawing some of these women out of isolation and creating a supportive space for several generations of women with common cultural references.  The initial group consisted of eight women: Ravinder ‘Ravi’ Randhawa, Rukhsana Ahmad, Leena Dhingra, Rahila Gupta, Sibani Raychaudhuri, Shazia Sahail, Meera Syal and Kanta Talukdar.  In an interview for an anthology, published by the South Asian Diaspora Literature and Arts Archive (SALIDAA), Meera Syal, perhaps the most well-known in the group, acknowledged: “the AWWC’s role in providing invaluable support and feedback when she first came to London to pursue a career in the arts” (SALIDAA 14).

Working in a group gave the women encouragement, visibility and access to funding, publishing, institutions, and community groups which as individuals they may not have had the confidence or the ability to access hitherto. Significantly, it provided the energy and validation to pursue ambitious, individual projects in works of drama and more extended works of fiction and non-fiction.  Rukhsana Ahmad’s memory of joining the group was: ‘To step into a cosy den full of kindred spirits was instant joy. I felt I belonged. I was planning a work of non-fiction; the AWWC led me astray, but it also anchored me as a writer’. (SALIDAA 44)

The members of the AWWW were middle-class women, a large majority of whom had received an English education in the subcontinent.  Their writing is sometimes rooted in life within the sub-continent but more often they reveal semi-autobiographical narratives of the Asian community making a life in urban Britain, frequently subverting the Asian stereotype, particularly that of the passive and acquiescent woman.  A consequence of their imperial education was that they wrote in the English language and to some extent adopted European literary traditions and forms such as the short story, the novel, and the bildungsroman genre.  However, they adapted these forms to suit their narratives.  Drawing encouragement from each other, this group exercised their agency through their writing, and whilst remaining loyal to their cultural heritage, sought to carve out a new space for themselves and for future generations in Britain. 

The AWWW members met weekly in rent-free accommodation provided by the GLC at A Woman’s Place in Hungerford House on the Embankment.  The focus of the AWWW was original writing and the group was organised informally with Randhawa managing the administration.  The members took turns running the workshops.  The meetings necessitated self-discipline as the members knew they would be called upon to read their work every few weeks and would receive feedback.  The group also invited guest writers to talk about their work or lead workshops. 

As Ahmad recalls: “Ravi’s intention was to provide criticism in a spirit of support and co-operation rather than rivalry” (SALIDAA 44).  However, as the women got to know each other, they grew bolder in their criticism and a professional competitiveness emerged.  If the work was collectively appreciated, it was saved in a box file.  When they had sufficient material for a publication, Ahmad was delegated to find a publisher.  The Women’s Press readily accepted the debut anthology, granting the group full editorial control.  The result was the collection Right of Way published in 1988 which is an anthology of short stories and poetry by the eight founding members.  The book was reprinted and published in India in 1993 by Rupa & Company.  The preface describes the anthology as being developed through a workshop process whereby every piece had been read and discussed by every member and was the first of its kind to be published in Britain (AWWWfrontispiece). At the time, most of the women had never been published, and their time for writing had to be negotiated alongside commitments to family and work.  Leena Dhingra, a founder member, reminisced that with a full-time job and a young child: “this was my little slot which I pulled out for me” (Dhingra). The AWWW meetings constituted a space where Dhingra could engage with like-minded women and devote herself towards creating a voice through her art.

The introduction to Right of Way explains that as members initially shared their writing at workshops and public readings, they concerned themselves with performative aspects and concentrated on making their work: “short, punchy, direct, rhetorical and dramatic” (5).  With the decision to publish their first anthology, they had to consider writerly features such as structure and viewpoint.  The form of the short story was chosen as it facilitated a collective publication.  Another probable reason was that the form suited members for whom writing was a part-time commitment.  Predictably as a women’s group, most stories featured female protagonists.  A common motif was the use of dreams to express or foretell traumatic experiences; and a significantly large proportion of the work contains a moralistic or philosophical theme.  Criticism on political grounds was simple to explicate but aesthetically the group remained divided and at the time Right of Way was published, the opinion was that: “As a group we have yet to define our literary criteria” (3). 

In these weekly meetings life-long friendships were formed and over three decades later, most of the women are still in touch. Ahmad reflects that she looks back at these times with nostalgia: “there was great trust and camaraderie, and we could write about abuse which was not talked about; we did not view the others as the ‘other’” (Ahmad).  Two members commenting on these relationships, revealed that they still relied upon other members to review their work (Dhingra, Manuel).

In 1987, there was a push from the more politicised members to convert to a collective organisation as they believed this would facilitate more democratic group decisions.  After some debate, the group decided to convert and the Asian Women Writers Collective (AWWC) was born (the AWWW converted to AWWC is February 1987.  When the group is considered in its transitory stage or in discussions which encompass the AWWW & AWWC, they will be referred to as AWWW/C).  There was no formal declaration or manifesto.  However, the group organised itself formally with a management committee which provided strategic direction.  At the time of the conversion, the group’s name was passionately debated. This discussion centred on two political identities: Black versus Asian and Feminist versus Women.   Whilst the AWWW/C frequently presented feminist ideas in their writing, they declined the labels of "black" and "feminist." 

There was a feeling that the “Asian” label should be replaced by “Black” because of the political origin and to unite with African-Caribbean women who faced similar oppression. However, by this time the co-operation between diverse black communities was faltering and some in the group felt that Asians needed their own group as the cultures were perceived as too dissimilar.  Black women had organised themselves against racial and political inequalities as early as 1978 when the OWAAD or the Organisation of Women of African and Asian Descent was founded and led campaigns on several issues including immigration, deportation, education and policing.  However, it folded in 1982, a victim of the argument of limited focus of the group, and the need to give visibility to differences of culture, religion and sexuality.  This movement towards greater heterogeneity came to be expressed through several autonomous organisations representing marginalised groups.  AWAZ was the first organisation of feminist Asian women activists which took up causes such as the ‘virginity tests’.  An organisation that was established at this time and continues to be active is the Southall Black Sisters (SBS).  The SBS led several highly visible campaigns, two of which – domestic abuse victims Balwant Kaur and Kiranjit Ahluwalia – inspired creative projects by the AWWW/C.   Another reason to maintain Asian in the name was to reflect the group’s composition and so encourage young Asian writers to join. The argument to retain “Asian” finally won with the caveat that the group should work closely with other black women’s groups. Thus, there was a focus towards intersectional practices between Asian-Black feminisms and activisms that continued to foster.   

The second debate was generated by the label, “women”.  There were those in the group who felt that an “Asian feminist” name would more accurately reflect the group’s ethos.  However, within the group, there were differences in the “understanding of feminism” (AWWW, 4) which would make membership selection on this basis, impractical.  The opposing argument was that the term “feminist” was strongly associated with white middle-class women and that Western feminism at that time appeared to marginalise questions of race, religion, caste and socio-economic class which are essential to any consideration of Asian identity.  It was also felt that a feminist emphasis could result in exclusions which would be contrary to the originating idea which was that the workshop should be inclusive of all Asian women.  Political agendas can be divisive in communities.  “In the Asian community, many of the cherished ideals and beliefs are embedded in religion and tradition in stark contrast with politics” (AWWC, xv).  The difficult balance was for the Collective to provide a space for women who identified with the Collective’s agenda but held relatively conservative cultural and religious views. Ironically, noting the gulf between Asian feminists and the vast majority of conservative Asian women for whom they campaigned, Rahila Gupta explained that often concepts of feminism and patriarchal oppression had to be toned down to encourage Asian women to join women’s groups or access women’s centres (Gupta 1988).  Eventually, it was agreed that “women” should be retained.

Over time the member numbers grew, varying between forty and fifty.  An early AWWC document on membership states the emerging policy as: “AWWC opposes writings and attitudes which are racist, sexist or communalist, or are oppressive to others on the grounds of disability or sexuality” (Asian-women-writers collective/membership-information document).  Whilst initially the group was mainly drawn from the South Asian diaspora, an interest from other Asian communities resulted in the group adopting a proactive approach in redefining and widening its membership to encourage women writers from regions spanning east to west Asia. This expansion drew in women from China, Korea and Iran as well as women with mixed heritage backgrounds which led to vigorous analysis of Asian cultures and language, for example, Indian English and Chinese English. The group felt it was important to explore common identities without losing sight of the particularities in culture and experience.

The members were invited to present their work at public events, in schools and universities, which afforded them exposure to new audiences.  This was consolidated by outreach events organised in London and the regions. Ahmad, Gupta and Randhawa were members of the Royal Literary Fund fellowship which placed writers in universities to assist students.  Additionally, Ahmad and Gupta ran writing workshops for women as part of the Adult Education services.  A promotional video produced by member Preethi Manuel in 1990, Take up your Pen! remains an invaluable record of the group’s activities featuring a writing workshop, a poetry performance, members’ interviews, readings and a rehearsal of a theatre piece.

The group frequently used experimental techniques such as group poems and collective development of character.   After Right of Way, there followed two in-house publications of members’ works, Read On in 1990 and a poetry collection, Read On 2 in 1994.  Flaming Spirit published to mark the tenth anniversary of the Collective was the group’s final publication.  The anthology opens with a poem collectively written, the opening line defiantly declaring, “I am a Blackwoman”, and closes buoyantly with, “I am the colour of hope” (AWWC ix).  The poem reflects a confident Asian woman, determined to be independent though aware that she is: “seen as a terrified, misunderstood product of a xenophobic society” (AWWC ix). Interestingly, despite its toned down ‘feminisms,’ the group emerged in creating important intersectional feminist spaces between Black and Asian gendered spaces that developed a lasting alliance.

Introducing Flaming Spirit, the editors commented that the: “literary climate is much less tolerant now, more hostile to progressive ideas’” (AWWC xviii).  Paradoxically, whilst the Right of Way was edited collectively, this sequel anthology was less collaborative.  Publisher Virago was less supportive of the AWWC’s collective and egalitarian ethos and instead favoured work by women who had been published before. However, by devoting time to develop works with newer writers, the AWWC co-editors ensured that the anthology contained work by both published and unpublished writers.  Thus, the collective spirit persisted, and Flaming Spirit includes a wide spectrum of themes that encompass the styles and perspectives of younger and older generations.

The AWWW was primarily a literary group but confronted and exposed social issues such as alienation and patriarchy that affected the Asian community. The space created by the AWWW/C provided psychological and emotional support to the members as writers and readers.  As Ahmad recalls:
“All of us were on a quest for self-expression.  With our stories from other-where, stories with women at the helm, we were still uncertain of our audience. We became that for each other: an engaged, critical and enthusiastic audience, an embryonic readership” (SALIDAA 44). In addition to receiving creative satisfaction, Asian women were now representing themselves rather than being represented; and creating a textual space and an emerging presence both within their own communities and with the host community.  When the AWWW converted to the AWWC, it became more actively involved with women’s rights groups and participated in demonstrations in support of feminism and anti-racism.

The anthologies that were produced by this group are generally social realist in style, with humour and satire constituting the prominent narrative modes. Predominantly located in the UK, a few works are set in the subcontinent.  In Flaming Spirit, there is a break with conservative Asian representations with stories of gay relationships.  The literary works can broadly be grouped into categories of domestic abuse, dealing with challenging issues within the Asian community, and negotiating a way of life in Britain.  In the tightly-knit Asian community, where family is key, and culture and religion tend towards legitimising gender inequalities, breaking the silence required courage and the security of mutual support, and these anthologies created an enabling subversive space.

During the eighties, several cases came to light that highlighted the problem of domestic violence within Asian families.  In 1985, Balwant Kaur, was murdered by her husband in front of her children despite escaping to a refuge.  The case of Balwant Kaur moved Rahila Gupta to write the poem, ‘Blood-Lust to Dust’ which appeared in the Right of Way and was later read at a fund-raising memorial.  A defiant poem, it promises repercussions and appropriates the image of the raised fist from the Black Panthers which in 2020 was adopted by the Black Lives Matter movement highlighting the growing solidarities within the resistance spaces. ‘Blood-Lust to Dust’ also inspired Ahmad’s play, Song for a Sanctuary.  Rita Wolf, a British Indian actress and theatre director, was outraged at the scant attention Kaur’s murder received and hearing about Ahmad’s play, was determined it should be staged.  Wolf and Ahmad then set up the Kali Theatre and Song for Sanctuary became its inaugural production.  Ahmad remained the Artistic Director of the Kali Theatre until 2002.  Kali Theatre remains an active theatre company and continues to develop and present contemporary theatre by women writers of South Asian descent.

The concept of home remained central to Asian writing in the 1980s, but the focus shifted away from locations of family origin to representations of Britain as home, reflecting its changing cultural and social composition.  As the introduction to Right of Way observes: “that we needed to set up a group for a particular section of society was an enunciation of the political realities that normally excluded women like us […] and of our need for positive but realistic images of Asian women” (AWWW 4). The AWWW/C members were motivating role models for an emerging second generation of Asian women. Educated, dynamic and successfully published as a group and individually, they provided alternatives to the Asian woman stereotype.  Their work, representing the sameness as well as the differences between Asian culture and Britishness, suggested alternative non-binary identities for Asian women.Furthermore, their feminist writing affected cultural change by challenging patriarchal assumptions and representing positive images of feminine identity which modified cultural constructions of gender roles. By writing as immigrants and about immigrants, they challenged traditions and negotiated new ways of living in Britain. The AWWW/C addressed subjects of racist oppression, patriarchy and identity with a literary sensibility which reverberated amongst a wide section of Asian immigrants and diasporic reader.  Theirs was a space from where Asian women writers could speak boldly, even if from the periphery, rather than feel obliged to align to stereotypes.  This opportunity to share and make sense of racialized and gendered experiences helped challenge alienating stereotypes.

In the later years as membership grew, attracting younger generations, the writing practices of the founding members matured, and they attended the workshops less frequently in order to focus on developing individual work.  Randhawa left to write her novel, A Wicked Old Woman;and Ahmad to devote time to her theatrical commissions.  However, these women were never too far from the group with both women contributing to Flaming Spirit which Ahmad co-edited. By the 1990s, funding cuts introduced by successive governments curtailed the AWWC’s activities to the extent that the group felt its agenda was marginalised. The number of workshops was reduced and the group was only able to continue with voluntary help from members.  Finally in 1997, with no funding available, the co-ordination became an enormous job to manage on a voluntary basis and there appeared no other option for the AWWC but to fold.

The AWWW/C launched many creative careers.  Some like Meera Syal and Tanika Gupta developed successful writing careers in film, radio and television; Jocelyn Watson and Joyoti Grech went on to write for Kali Theatre; and Sita Brand set up Settle Stories in Yorkshire to bring individuals and communities together through storytelling.  The founding members have continued to develop their creative careers.  Rahila Gupta developed a successful career in journalism and in 1997, co-wrote Circle of Light, with Kiranjit Ahluwalia, an Asian woman who suffered years of violence and was imprisoned for killing her husband.  This fictionalisation was reissued in India entitled Provoked and was made into a mainstream film starring Bollywood celebrity Aishwarya Rai in 2006.  Randhawa has continued writing both adult and young adult fiction.  In addition to her successful creation of the Kali Theatre, Ahmad’s literary career has flourished with novels, poetry and translations.  Dhingra, went on to balance a successful acting career with writing. Her latest work, Exhumation: The Life and Death of Madan Lal Dhingra is a gripping hybrid of biography and memoir and explores the legacy of Dhingra’s great uncle, a hero of independence, who was executed by the British in 1909.  His prophetic last words in court were: ‘we shall have our turn in time to come’. Indeed, the ‘4 Brown Girls who Write’ unknowingly come from a rich tradition of Asian women writers writing collectively and the time has indeed come to reclaim the remarkable cultural achievement of the members of the AWWW/C who were in the vanguard of the South Asian women’s literary movement in London of the 1980s and 1990s.

Works Cited

Ahmad, Rukhsana. Interview. Conducted by Melita D’Souza, 08 June 2020 and 09 Aug 2020.
Dhingra, Leena. Interview.  Conducted by Melita D’Souza, 08 June 2020.
Asian Women Writers’ Collective, Ahmad Rukhsana and Rahila Gupta,editor. Flaming Spirit. London: Virago Press Limited, 1994
Asian Women Writers’ Workshop, Right of Way. London: The Women’s Press Ltd, 1988
Against the Grain, Published by the South Asian Diaspora Literature and Arts Archive (SALIDAA), 2013
Grewal, Shabnam et al, editor, Charting the Journey: Writings by Black and Third World Women. London: Sheba Feminist Publishers, 1988.
Manuel, Preethi, director. Take up your pen! Asian Women Writers’ Collective, 1990.
Manuel, Preethi. Interview.  Conducted by Melita D’Souza, 03 July 2020.
Mirza, Heidi Safia, editor. Black British Feminism: A Reader. London: Routledge, 1997.
<sadaa.co.uk/archive/literature/asian-women-writers-collective/membership-information-document>, (Accessed 17-Aug-2020, 11:15)