Memoirist Table
Event description
Delving into their past experiences, Abdi Aden, Sara El-Sayed and Mona Shiny take us on a whirlwind journey of writing and publishing their memoirs. These debut novelists of migrant and refugee backgrounds will explore their upbringing, their origins and why their stories needed to be told.
ABOUT THE PANELLISTS
Abdi Aden
Abdi Aden is an author and inspirational speaker. Abdi’s is the author of Shining: the story of a lucky man’s and Yes I Can. He was just sixteen years old when he arrived in Melbourne. He had no English, no family or friends, no money, no home. Yet, against the odds, he not only survived, he thrived. Abdi went on to complete secondary education and later university. He became a youth worker, was acknowledged with the 2007 Victorian Refugee Recognition Award and was featured in the SBS second series of Go Back to Where You Came From.
Sara El-Sayed
Sara El Sayed is a writer based in Meanjin (Brisbane). Her debut memoir Muddy People is currently shortlisted for the Queensland Premier's Award for a Work of State Significance, the University of Queensland Non-Fiction Book Award, and the People’s Choice Queensland Book of the Year Award. In 2020 she received a Queensland Writers Fellowship, and was shortlisted for the Queensland Premier’s Young Publishers and Writers Award.
Mona Shindy
Captain Mona Shindy, CSC is a retired Naval officer with over 30 years of military and business experience. Drawing upon strong academic credentials and the lessons and skills gained throughout a truly inspiring career, Captain Shindy now imparts knowledge to others as an international keynote speaker and strategic leadership and management consultant.
With degree qualifications in Engineering, Commerce (Advanced Major in Organisation and Management Studies) and Arts (Masters in Politics and Policy), Mona has been a trailblazer in male dominated environments, consistently delivering outstanding organisational outcomes .
In 2015 she was recognised as the National Telstra Business Woman of the Year and was awarded a Conspicuous Service Cross in the Australia Day honours list for outstanding service as a strategic intercultural advisor.
CAPT Shindy is now a highly sought after author, speaker and strategic business leadership and management consultant.