The Diverse Bookshelf

Today, I’m so honoured to welcome Hala Alyan to the podcast. Hala is an award-winning Palestinian American writer, poet, and clinical psychologist whose work has long explored the intimate spaces between memory, home, displacement, and the inner worlds we navigate. Many readers know her through her poetry and her acclaimed novels Salt Houses and The Arsonists’ City , but her latest book, I’ll Tell...

This week, I'm joined by Ova Ceren, whose debut novel The Book of Heartbreak is a raw, tender, and compelling exploration of love, loss, and healing amid a fantasy world of angels and the other side. With lyrical prose and unflinching honesty, Ova takes readers on a journey through the intensity of different types of love and loss, while also throwing us into a family of secrets, unspoken his...

Today I’m joined joined by Saima Begum, a British-Bangladeshi writer whose voice is courageous, lyrical, and intent on bringing untold histories out of the silence. Saima Begum lives in London, and though The First Jasmines is her debut novel, she has already made her mark - she won the MFest Short Story Competition in 2021.  Her novel The First Jasmines (published 31 July 2025 with Hajar Press) i...

This week, I'm thrilled to be in conversation with Professor Sunny Singh. Sunny Singh was born in India and over the years her life has spanned continents and languages.  She earned a BA in English and American Literature at Brandeis University, followed by a master’s in Spanish Literature from Jawaharlal Nehru University, and a PhD from the University of Barcelona. Over time, she has written...

For today’s episode, I’m joined by Tasneem Abdur-Rashid for the third time in three years! Tasneem is a communications professional, writer, and author of the powerful new novel Odd Girl Out . Tasneem’s work explores identity, faith, family, and belonging, with characters and stories that speak to experiences rarely seen in mainstream publishing. Odd Girl Out follows the story of 15-year-old Maari...

After a three-month hiatus, I'm so pleased to be bringing back this podcast with more amazing conversations. This week, I’m joined by Sabrin Hasbun, writer, researcher, and author of the beautiful and moving book Crossing . Born in Italy to a Palestinian father and Italian mother, Sabrin grew up navigating languages, cultures, and identities – experiences that deeply inform her work. Crossing...

In today’s episode, I’m joined by the brilliant Chitra Nagarajan – a writer, researcher, and activist whose work spans human rights, conflict, migration, and climate justice. Chitra has spent many years working across West Africa, particularly in the Lake Chad Basin region, and brings a deep commitment to centering the voices of those often left unheard. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian ,...

In today’s episode, I’m joined by the extraordinary Juhea Kim to discuss her latest novel, City of Night Birds—a haunting and lyrical exploration of artistry, love, and redemption set against the backdrop of the Russian ballet world. The novel centers on Natalia Leonova, once the most celebrated ballerina of her generation. After a catastrophic accident ends her career, Natalia returns to St. Pete...

This week, I’m speaking with the brilliant Ibtisam Azem—novelist, journalist, and storyteller—about her powerful and thought-provoking book, The Book of Disappearance. Set across 1948 Palestine, in Jaffa and also Tel Aviv, this novel asks a haunting question: what if all the Palestinians suddenly disappeared? Through the intertwining narratives of Alaa, a young Palestinian man who vanishes without...

For this week's episode, I have the immense honour of speaking with Elif Shafak — an internationally acclaimed and award-winning author whose work has been translated into more than 55 languages. With 21 published books to her name, including 13 novels, Elif has built a remarkable body of work that spans continents, cultures, and generations. Her writing is rich, lyrical, and deeply political...

Today’s episode is part of a special mini-series called Ramadan reflections, where I talk to guests about faith, life and Ramadan.   I’m thrilled to be joined by poet and creative producer, Imrana Mahmood for a conversation about creativity and faith, the role of Ramadan in the creative process, and the importance of Muslim representation in literature and on stage and screen. Imrana Mahmood is a...

Today’s episode is part of a special mini-series called Ramadan reflections, where I talk to guests about faith, life and Ramadan. I’m honoured to be speaking with Yasmin Stannard, a mother, advocate, and campaigner, who has been raising awareness and funds for brain cancer in memory of her beloved daughter, Amani. Amani was just 22 years old when she passed away from brain cancer three years ago....

On today's episode, I’m speaking with the wonderful Preethi Nair—an author, entrepreneur, and storyteller with an incredible journey into publishing. Preethi left her career as a management consultant to pursue her dream of writing, but after facing multiple rejections from publishers, she took matters into her own hands. She set up her own publishing company, took on a secret identity as a p...

Today’s episode is part of a special mini-series called Ramadan reflections, where I talk to guests about faith, life and Ramadan.  I’m joined by the incredible Leanne from LC Fitness. Leanne is a passionate personal trainer and fitness coach who helps people build strength, confidence, and a positive relationship with their bodies. She has built a real community, bringing together women to look a...

Today, I’m thrilled to be joined by the award-winning writer and journalist, Omar El Akkad. Omar is a journalist and novelist whose work masterfully blurs the lines between fiction and reality, forcing us to confront the most urgent issues of our time. His debut novel, American War , was a haunting and unflinching look at climate change, war, and displacement. His second novel, What Strange Paradi...

For this week's episode, I’m super excited to be welcoming back one of my favourite guests – Huda Fahmy. Huda is a seriously talented writer and artist, using comic style storytelling to explore wider, serious issues pertaining to identity, current affairs, faith, being a visibly Muslim person in the States, growing up and so much more. She explores these issues through comedy and in a light-...

In this episode, I’m joined by writer and editor Salma Ibrahim to discuss her powerful debut novel, Salutation Road . Salma is a British-Somali author whose work explores themes of identity, migration, and belonging. She is also the founder of literary organisation, Literary Natives , which champions writers from underrepresented backgrounds. In our conversation, we delve into the idea of the othe...

Disclaimer: this episode features mention of suicide, infertility and loss.  On this week’s episode, I’m joined by the incredible poet, author, and activist Salena Godden. A leading voice in British poetry, Salena is known for her electrifying performances and fearless writing. Her work spans poetry, memoir, fiction, and activism, with themes of love, grief, identity, and justice running through h...

On the show this week, I’m joined by former cricket superstar, Azeem Rafiq.  When Azeem was a young boy playing cricket near his home in Pakistan, he could never have foreseen that this sport would change his life forever. He fell in love with the game quickly and it wasn't long before the white flannels and green grass felt like home to him. When he moved to England, he became the youngest m...

On the show this week, I'm talking to Aube Rey Lescure, author of the mesmerising, sweeping novel, River East, River West. If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while, you will probably know I love a family drama, inter-generational novel, especially one that has a dual timeline. River East, River West is exactly that as we follow teenager, Alva, navigating her American-Chinese dual h...

Fatin Abbas was born in Khartoum, Sudan, but her parents were forced to leave Sudan when the military seized power there in 1989, when Fatin was just 8 years old. The family settled in New York. She earned a BA in English literature from the University of Cambridge, a PhD in Comparative Literature from Harvard University, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Hunter College, the City University of N...

This week I’m speaking to the wonderful Wharton , who is of Chinese and white European heritage. Wiz’s debut nove, Ghost Girl, Banana follows Sook-Yin in 1960s England, exiled from Kowloon, and her daughter Lily in 1990s, embarking on a secret pilgrimage to Hong Kong to discover the lost side of her identity, following  a mysterious letter telling her she has inherited a LOT of money from a strang...

On the show this week, I’m joined by Mahvish Ahmed, talking about her beautiful and poignant memoir, On My Way, which has been one of my favourite recent reads. Mahvish has had a super interesting life so far, full of love, empowerment, change, new adventures, unlearning and re-learning, establishing new boundaries, and challenging those things that no longer serve her. Mahvish was born and grew u...

Today marks one year since the most recent escalation of violence and aggression against Gaza, and the genocide that has unfolded before us. This episode was recorded prior to recent bombardments of Lebanon.  On this week’s episode, I’m speaking to Mahmoud Muna, who's taking part in this conversation from his bookshop in Jerusalem. Mahmoud Muna, along with co-editor Matthew Teller and with Ju...

On this week’s episode, I’m speaking to Dr. Pragya Agarwal all about motherhood, gender-based stereotypes and biases, infertility and so much more. In her book, Motherhood – on the choices of being a woman – Pragya shares her own journey of becoming a mother at a young age, and then facing years of secondary infertility until her two beautiful twin daughters were born through surrogacy. It’s a phe...