Mayar Akash is a multidisciplinary creator, poet, artist, writer, and publisher whose work spans cultural heritage, community memory, and contemporary storytelling. Now based in Penzance, Cornwall, Mayar continues to build a creative and archival practice shaped by his deep roots in Bethnal Green, Spitalfields, and Whitechapel. His work bridges these two worlds — the urban history of London’s East End and the coastal cultural landscape of West Cornwall — giving his projects a distinctive sense of place, identity, and lived experience. As the founder of MAPublisher, Mayar champions emerging and established voices across poetry, visual art, local history, children’s literature, and cultural heritage. His editorial vision centres on authenticity, cultural stewardship, and amplifying stories that might otherwise be lost. His publishing work uplifts both British Bangladeshi diaspora narratives and Cornish writers and artists, reflecting a commitment to preserving community identity across regions. Before relocating to Cornwall, Mayar spent over 30 years in youth and community work, rising through the voluntary sector and serving in multiple roles within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Youth & Community Service. His early life in East London — shaped by youth clubs, grassroots activism, and community organising — continues to inform his approach to storytelling, documentation, and cultural preservation. A lifelong artist, Mayar has been writing since 1985, painting since 1989, photographing since 1992, and later expanded into documentary filmmaking. His creative archive captures the evolving landscape of the East End, particularly the experiences of young Bangladeshis during the 1990s. His extensive catalogue includes dozens of published works spanning poetry, historical documentation, photographic archives, and cultural studies. Now rooted in Penzance, Mayar continues to develop a body of work grounded in memory, resilience, identity, and community storytelling — a practice that connects past and present, city and coast, heritage and imagination.
Across the UK, poetry has always been a meeting place — a space where voices, histories, and identities converge. With BAME Poetry, I wanted to create a platform that brings together writers from across Britain’s Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities, celebrating the depth, diversity, and creative power of our shared experiences. This project grew […]
