I am a writer and researcher based in Tiohtià:ke | Montréal. I have been living here since the summer of 2020. I am originally from Ankara. In addition to my hometown, I lived in Ewing, Istanbul, Paris, Chicago, Ann Arbor, and Phoenix before moving to Tiohtià:ke | Montréal.

My writing and research are focused on the idea of belonging. This focus initially emerged out of an academic curiosity about the connections between power, agency, and circulation of books, ideas, and people across borders. Over the last decade, personal and political circumstances alike transformed this curiosity into a more pressing, almost existential wish to understand how we make claims to belong in spaces where we don’t “naturally,” or easily, belong, and what happens when such claims are not recognized, dismissed, or repressed – that is, to unearth the politics of belonging in the first two decades of the 21st century.

Today, my interest in the idea of belonging is at once theoretical and practical, literary and political: How do we imagine a world where belonging is not predicated on creating and policing borders? What kinds of stories can we tell ourselves about our past, present, and future to make such a world a reality? In searching for an answer to these questions, I mull over archival remnants from different parts of the world and draw inspiration from the works of feminist scholars, poets, writers, and activists.

Beyond all this, here are a few mundane facts about me: I love all four seasons, but winter remains my favourite. I read a lot but I wish I could have the time and energy to read more. Farmer’s markets, independent bookstores and movie theatres, swimming in the sea, and ice-skating in the open air bring me joy. I run, occasionally and not very fast. Someday soon, I hope to build up the patience to train for and run a marathon.