A Note from Passing Guest: Main Language

This is an excerpt from my book Passing Guest, where I explain my personal relationship between storytelling and language. Beyond my writing, speaking several languages is a big part of my life. I grew up bilingual (Spanish and Catalan) and at different stages of my life I learnt French, English and Chinese, as well as some Korean and Bahasa Indonesia. My relationship with all these languages shaped my experiences and my life away from my home country. In my novel The Mansion South of Maple Street, I wanted to give languages an important value to the story and the are part of the main character’s relationship with the environment in different ways.

Media, English, BooksIris MirNovember 2, 2023language, immigration, identityComment

Comics that Redefine Humankind

Since their foundation in 2013, in Nigeria, Comic Republic has been reminding the world that the heroes and villains of our comics should all have a single mission: to find unity within the diversity of our humanity. Comic Republic’s stories stay away from any of the stereotypes that define African villains in international comics. Instead, they bring a new and much needed approach to the conversation of what it means to be evil.

English, BooksIris MirJanuary 12, 2022Comics, Africa, Nigeria, SuperheroesComment

How to find lost family members: Spanish Civil War and World War II

With this blog post, I want to contribute to the quest for social justice with sharing some of the main resources that I have been using to track my grand uncle down. With the hope that this will help more people like my family to increase their chances to find some degree of peace. And to keep alive the memory of their loved ones who fought for freedom during the Spanish Civil War and the WWII.

EnglishIris MirDecember 10, 2021Freedom, Spanish Civil War, World War II, Human RightsComment

Why I Self Publish: My Journey And A Few Tips On Sharing Your Stories

I have been asked many times what led me to self-publishing in the first place.The truth is there is no specific answer. Multiple factors came into play, and I want to share them here because I think some of the reasons I did so are not often discussed when considering the benefits of self-publishing, and other independent writers might benefit from it.

Books, EnglishIris MirMay 14, 2021writing, creativity, self publishing, self expressionComment

Prologue: Passing Guest, An Experiment in Love

Passing Guest takes the form of a set of fictional short stories led by an imaginary character, a woman, who embodies eight enigmas of love, kindness and hope. She sets herself on a quest that takes her to Hong Kong, South Korea, North Korea and neighbouring mainland China, The Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Uganda, Senegal, and the cities of London and Barcelona.

As she tries to find her answers, she transports herself to different universes, possibilities of being and seeing, and ultimately of finding love. Soon she discovers that who she is (and who we are) can only be answered by the magic of love, which is as beautifully unique as every single one of us who makes up our diverse humanity.

Stories, English, BooksIris MirMay 5, 2021Passing Guest, writing, love, identity, freedomComment

PRESS RELEASE: Searching New Horizons of Meaning Through Love and our Environment

In this collection of fictional stories, Passing Guest, Iris Mir imagines what the futures of random bystanders on the streets would look like if they had the chance to experience love in a new way; one of compassion and kindness toward others.

With this in mind, Mir writes their dreamed stories honouring their lives, their voices and the reason their hypothetical love-experience would matter to our social fabric. Their imaginary stories become a reminder of the importance of many small human acts of kindness that are integral to our survival and are being eroded as a result of our increasingly fragmented and polarised societies.

Media, English, BooksIris MirMay 5, 2021Writing, hope, freedom, identity, loveComment

The 'There You Stay Lady'

A short fiction story by Iris Mir about intergenerational love and romantic love from London, Africa and Asia. The story is published for free to celebrate International Women’s Day 2021.

English, Stories/FictionIris MirMarch 1, 2021international women's day, womanhood, FictionComment

BOOKS - Women Writers for International Women's Day 2021

In commemoration of International Women’s Day, I want to give back to the power storytelling with a selection of eleven titles from women writers and stories from around the world: South Korea, China, Nigeria, Algeria, Brazil, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Jamaica, UK, Spain and the Sahara desert.

Books, EnglishIris MirFebruary 24, 2021books, international women's day, diversity, imagination, literature Comments

I Don't Believe You

At some point in our lives, we all make choices that are out of character not expected from for us or that do not necessarily fit into our usual environment. The feeling of going against the tide, of choosing something different for ourselves is very powerful. And even if we persevere with the choices we make, the pressure on us to be and live in a certain way is so great that it confuses us. Particularly now when we live in an age of homogeneity that is fed by marketing campaigns that influence us all to behave in the same way.

EnglishIris MirJanuary 28, 2021mental health, self expression, freedom, wellbeing, creativity, diversity, open futureComment

Final Note: The Common Good

One of the side effects of progress is that it is contributing to the dehumanization of our societies and the loss of basic human values such as intuition, consciousness, the ability to be in the moment and the importance of our personal and collective identity. The volatile expectations of achieving certain symbols of progress as guarantors of happiness have alienated human beings from the pillars of humanity.

EnglishIris MirJanuary 8, 2021 Comment

Prologue: To Flow

This is the English translation of the prologue of my first novel The Mansion at the South of Maple Street, published in Spanish in 2020

EnglishIris MirDecember 17, 2020Hong Kong, freedom, happiness, coming of age, diversity, identity Comments

Press Release: The Visibility of the Invisible

English, MediaIris MirDecember 16, 2020Hong Kong, Happiness, Freedom, Press release, diversityComment

Seen, Felt, Heard

In life we all want to be seen, felt and heard. There is nothing more discouraging than the feeling of having no voice. That there is no place for us to be seen, felt and heard. That there is no place for us to be who we are. To leave an imprint. Not because of our achievements. Because of our little contribution to this world which is the result of our self, our actions, our beliefs and our uniqueness.

EnglishIris MirNovember 1, 2020fear, journalism, self, others, stories Comments

Movement, a New Domestic Ritual

Our homes are witness of endless domestic rituals created by our imagination. They represent our worldview and how we share this space with ourselves and the rest of our household. Our homes are also the place in which we set our inner Self free, thanks to the intimacy that a home is able to provide. Likewise, our bodies are the homes of who we are. We feel, sense and interact with everything that is outside the boundary of our deepest intimacy through movement. How we move is a representation of who we are, it is a visualisation of our imagination and our way to feel and think about the world and everything around us.

EnglishIris MirOctober 15, 2020movement, livelihood, Self, ritual, home Comments

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