Dr Shahnaz Akhter is a research fellow and outreach officer at the University of Warwick, where she co-founded the Colonial Hangover Project. Her work focuses on the securitisation of British Muslim communities, and she is currently researching the colonial roots of securitisation. She uses spoken word as part of her teaching and research practices. Her poetry reflects on her heritage which, as a proud Coventry kid is entwined with the city's history and the journey her parents made to make Coventry their own.