a wordsmith weaving memory into stories

A SEASON OF DEEP TENDING.

I'm stepping into a quieter season, pulling back from mentoring to tend to my PhD in Creative Writing.

I'm crafting a generational story that weaves together Partition, the legacy of generational culinary stories, and identity's complex tapestry. This work asks for my whole heart—the kind of slow, intentional crafting that cannot be rushed.

Just as the best flavours need time to develop, this story needs space to breathe and become what it's meant to be.

In the meantime, stay in touch by joining my monthly newsletter or join my writer’s membership, Qissa.

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studying the stories that shaped us

I found freedom in flavour & words

A SANCTUARY OF SPICE & STORY

ll good writing starts with trusting your own voice. The stories we create are about community, creativity, connection, and kindness to ourselves. Here you’ll find comfort in flavour, creativity in the craft of writing and wisdom through the art of words.

You’re one of us.

A

MY OFFERINGS

JOIN QISSA

If you’re looking for an online writing community, join QISSA - a sanctuary for stories.

QISSA is my writer’s membership where we meet online monthly for chats on the quarterly topics I set for writing growth and I offer support to writer’s looking for community, connection and consistency in the development of their craft.

Learn more

the language I lost

Understanding the inheritance of erasure

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“My writing is seasoned with inherited memory, migration, and the quiet yearning of nostalgia. I explore identity through the poetry of kitchens and the power of generational stories.”

Sumayya x

A HAVEN OF HERITAGE AND HEART

About Sumayya

I found my writing voice through cuisine

Welcome to this space, a sacred sanctuary of serendipity, spice and story.

I’m Sumayya, an author, mentor and memory keeper - it’s wonderful to have you here.

This space is for putting pen to paper. For creativity and connection.

I wandered the world on board merchant ships in childhood, later grew up in Pakistan and now I live in beautiful Scotland. My heritage is infused into all that I do and what I offer. Here you will discover your writing voice but also uncover the village, something that is at the core of my culture, a strong community that nurtures and inspires one another.

My passion lies in helping writers unearth their creative confidence in their voices and developing their craft through Qissa, my monthly membership community, my online courses and mentoring.

I found my writing career in my forties and my way back to university in my fifties, doing my PhD in Creative Writing.

So I know that it’s never too late to tell your tale.

LEARN ABOUT MY WRITING JOURNEY

"Working with Sumayya has been a genuinely valuable experience in my writing journey. I only had the seed of an idea, but her insightful mentorship has really shaped my grief memoir, and she guided me through finding my voice and understanding what truly resonates with a reader. Her generous feedback has allowed me to grow as a writer."

Maha Sardar
"SUMAYYA IS A GENEROUS AND CREATIVE SOUL WITH A STEADY GUIDING HAND. She has a unique way of honing in on just the right points with clarity and honesty, in a gentle and thoughtful way."

Sonya Poller
"in a stroke of serendipitous fortune I found sumayya usmani's qissa membership. her approach in writing is wholistic and it takes into account all facets of life. Within a short period i have gained insights into my projects and really sunk into the nuance of the work. Thanks sumayya!

Pauline English
"I WOULD RECOMMEND SUMAYYA TO ANYONE WHO IS FEELING EMOTIONALLY STUCK WITH THEIR WRITING EFFORTS. IT HAS HELPED ME CONTINUTE TO NURTURE THE WRITER IN ME WITH SELF COMPASSION"

Yolanda Fernandez
"sumayya's structured programmes with gentle writing prompts, advice and guidance was just what I needed."

Muna Al-Mousa
"I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND WORKING WITH SUMAYYA TO ANYONE WHO IS COMMITTED TO IMPROVING THEIR WRITING AND WANTS NURTURING SUPPORT TO CREATE IN THEIR OWN VOICE.”

Shauna H.
"Working with Sumayya has given me such inspiration. Her guidance is always very personal, accompanying you on the subject you are interested in”

Marianne Kitzing
"being in sumayya's qissa membership has really given me space and time to think about what it is i want to say and how i want to write. I'm having a great time indulging myself

Halona Black
“WHAT SUMAYYA SHARES IS WHAT MAKES HER CLASSES SO MAGICAL.” “It’s not just the techniques, knowledge and understanding that shines in Sumayya, it’s the cultural passion of a land she grew up in as a child, and the numerous tales and experiences. What Sumayya shares in the classes is what made both experiences so magical.”

Julian Rolfe
“I LOVED THAT SUMAYYA Emphasizes FOLLOWing YOUR INSTINCTS WITH SPICES.”

Katrina Brink
“SUMAYYA’S FOOD IS FRAGRANT, BEAUTIFUL, FULL OF FLAVOUR AND FABULOUSLY PRESENTED If you want to learn more about spices, create amazing Pakistani cuisine and become an accomplished cook of mouthwatering curries then look no further.”

Claire Major
“SUMAYYA’S COOKING IS A JOY FOR THE SENSES”

Collette Sherriffs

BEHIND THE SCENES on instagram

You’ve been gone a year today. Each day I think of you. Each day I remember the way I opened that door in a Karachi apartment and saw your little Siamese face pop out of a brown basket.

I was deeply unhappy in a marriage that nearly broke me

This is the time in twenty years since I left Pakistan, that I’ve been here for Independence Day. So much has changed for me, even my feelings about 14th August.

I think deeply about what we’ve lost rather than just want we might have g

Spice. Story. Sacred sanctuary.

I’ve stripped my writers membership Qissa back to what matters most.

Monthly gatherings.
Real connection.
Quarterly challenges
Writers supporting writers.

Less noise, more heart. Less teaching, more tendin

It feels like summer has come and it has taken so much with it.

I’ve been quiet on my feed because the world feels so broken. Yet, to find beauty in moments and nature feels like the gracious act of kindness we all need.

What small moments

I’m no longer the woman I used to be.

And I’m so glad I’m not.

It seems as I’ve grown older, I reflect a lot on who I used to be and be glad I’m not her any more. If there is anything age has taught me it’s tha

May peace prosper.

This week has stirred a myriad of emotions. Of imminent loss, of anticipated pain, of history repeating itself in a modern world. What would it have meant for India and Pakistan to go to war, what would it have meant for us, the

May peace prevail.

I don’t post anything like this normally and I have zero interest in sharing anything anti anyone. I have only this to say, as all this is too close to my heart…

This is not the time to share biased, one sided views

Research roadblocks: the complex reality of borders and funding priorities.

⚠️warning - rant ahead! ⚠️

As I develop my research on culinary legacies across Partition, displacement and generational trauma of lost/forgotten lands, I’m navigati

Some days I stand in my kitchen, surrounded by familiar spices, and feel a strange hesitation. The recipes that once flowed effortlessly through my fingers now pause at my fingertips. Lately, I barely cook Pakistani food, it’s almost as if my h

✨ Stories unfold with patience, not pressure ✨

Qissa— an Urdu word meaning “a story, a fable, a narrative”— this is my writers membership and it’s where you can find their rhythm in a world that’s always rushing.

#ChaiHoJaey 🍵✨

Today, while recording a video for The 2025 Scottish Food Heritage Symposium, their theme being “Tea” , I cradle my cup of cardamom chai and I’m instantly transported back home.

My hands remember my mother’s

Grab a cup of chai and join my journey of spice, story and serendipity.

JOIN ME ON INSTAGRAM

A SEASON OF DEEP TENDING.

studying the stories that shaped us

I found freedom in flavour & words

A SANCTUARY OF SPICE & STORY

JOIN QISSA

the language I lost

JOIN THE INTUITION SEEKER

Sumayya x

A HAVEN OF HERITAGE AND HEART

About Sumayya

I found my writing voice through cuisine

"SUMAYYA IS A GENEROUS AND CREATIVE SOUL WITH A STEADY GUIDING HAND. She has a unique way of honing in on just the right points with clarity and honesty, in a gentle and thoughtful way."

"in a stroke of serendipitous fortune I found sumayya usmani's qissa membership. her approach in writing is wholistic and it takes into account all facets of life. Within a short period i have gained insights into my projects and really sunk into the nuance of the work. Thanks sumayya!

"I WOULD RECOMMEND SUMAYYA TO ANYONE WHO IS FEELING EMOTIONALLY STUCK WITH THEIR WRITING EFFORTS. IT HAS HELPED ME CONTINUTE TO NURTURE THE WRITER IN ME WITH SELF COMPASSION"

"sumayya's structured programmes with gentle writing prompts, advice and guidance was just what I needed."

"I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND WORKING WITH SUMAYYA TO ANYONE WHO IS COMMITTED TO IMPROVING THEIR WRITING AND WANTS NURTURING SUPPORT TO CREATE IN THEIR OWN VOICE.”

"Working with Sumayya has given me such inspiration. Her guidance is always very personal, accompanying you on the subject you are interested in”

"being in sumayya's qissa membership has really given me space and time to think about what it is i want to say and how i want to write. I'm having a great time indulging myself

“I LOVED THAT SUMAYYA Emphasizes FOLLOWing YOUR INSTINCTS WITH SPICES.”

“SUMAYYA’S FOOD IS FRAGRANT, BEAUTIFUL, FULL OF FLAVOUR AND FABULOUSLY PRESENTED If you want to learn more about spices, create amazing Pakistani cuisine and become an accomplished cook of mouthwatering curries then look no further.”

“SUMAYYA’S COOKING IS A JOY FOR THE SENSES”

BEHIND THE SCENES on instagram

JOIN The intuition seeker newsletter