Manchester Lit & Phil Patrons
Professor Erinma Bell MBE DL JP
Professor Erinma Bell co-founded the Community Alliance for Renewal Inner South Manchester Area (also known as CARISMA Services). This is a front-line community-based group set up to offer life-chances for people in the community by giving them positive alternatives other than violent street, gun and gang crimes.
Erinma’s transformative work has promoted social cohesion within communities, in turn bringing about peace and conflict resolution. Her highly successful ‘models for change’ have enabled a 92% decrease in gun and gang crime in Manchester.
She continues to lead on work around issues such as Restorative Justice, Peace and Conflict Resolution as well as Peace Making, Peace Keeping and Peace Building within an urban environment. Erinma’s passion for community peace has seen her travel widely nationally and internationally to share her stories and experiences with others seeking peace in communities across the world.
Qaisra Shahraz MBE JP FRSA
Qaisra Shahraz MBE JP FRSA is the Founder and Executive director of MACFEST, international Muslim Arts and Culture Festival, hosted across the North West. A critically-acclaimed novelist Qaisra uses her novels The Holy Woman, Typhoon, Revolt and short fiction A Pair of Jeans to promote intercultural dialogue and understanding, especially in German schools.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a literary judge, a former Director of Gatehouse Books Qaisra is advisor to the University of Salford’s school of Arts and Media, Demilitarise Education and International Journal IJRHS. She has gained two Masters Degrees in English & European literature and scriptwriting for television. Qaisra has enjoyed a successful, long career in education as an Ofsted inspector, a quality manager, education consultant and is a trustee of Manchester Young Lives and Manchester Muslim-Jewish Forum.
A prize-winning culture champion, peace and gender activist Qaisra is highly committed to promoting community cohesion, inclusivity, interfaith work, and challenging Islamophobia. Through her various initiatives; ‘Muslim Women’s Arts Foundation’, ‘Muslim Arts Awards’ and ‘Youth Festival’ she is passionate about celebrating women’s lives, diversity, arts, empowering artists and working with young people.
Winner of the National Diversity, ‘Lifetime Achievement Awards’ (2016), Manchester People’s Culture Award (2023), Qaisra has been recognised for her work as Number 1 Most Influential Woman by ‘Lov’in Manchester (2017) and listed in Embryo; 1 of ‘100 Northerners,’ (2024).
