The Diverse Bookshelf

In this episode, I chat to the lovely Jyoti Patel, author of the Merky Books Young Writer's Prize for 2021. Her debut novel is a stunning, moving coming-of-age story of a British-Gujarati family living in North London.  The Things That We Lost s told from the perspectives of 18-year-old Nik and his British Indian mother Avani, flitting between the past and present as Nik searches for answers...

In this episode, I talk to the lovely Melissa Fu about her debut novel, Peach Blossom Spring. We talk about the origins of the story, finding home, confused identities and the constant longing for belonging, acceptance and self-love. Melissa Fu grew up in Northern New Mexico and now lives near Cambridge, UK, with her husband and children. She graduated from Rice University, cum laude, with a doubl...

In this episode, I talk to the lovely Tasneem Abdur-Rashid about her debut novel, Finding Mr. Perfectly Fine. We talk about the struggles of modern dating for young Muslims, finding love, writing and the stories we wish we had while growing up.  Tasneem Abdur-Rashid is a British Bengali writer born and raised in London. A mother of two, Tasneem has worked across media, PR and communications both i...

In this episode, I chat to the lovely Jendella Benson about her debut novel, Hope & Glory. We had a great chat about her writing, the messiness of family life, love, south London, class, gentrification and growing up with immigrant parents. Jendella is author of the novel Hope & Glory and Head of Editorial at Black Ballad – the award-winning digital platform for Black British women. She is...

Sabba Khan is a born and bred East Londoner. Originally trained as an architect at Central Saint Martins and The University of Westminster, Sabba frames her minimal architectural comics through the lived experience of her working class, second generation immigrant upbringing. Sabba’s debut graphic novel ‘The Roles We Play’ has won the Jhalak Prize ’22, and Broken Frontier’s Break Out Talent ’22. N...

I read Shahd Alshammari's memoir, Head Above Water, a few months ago and was blown away from the first page! Shahd writes so beautifully, in a way that is poetic, raw and open. She gives us an insight into her life, living with Multiple Sclerosis. In this conversation, we talk about her diagnosis, how her illness has affected her life, what she wishes more people knew, and the field of academ...

On this episode, I chat to the lovely Zoulfa Katouh about her debut novel, As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow. This stunningly beautiful YA novel is the heart-breaking story of 18 year old Salama, working in a hospital in the Syria during the war. Salama witnesses unimaginable horrors, and is faced with the gut-wrenching decision of whether to stay, or to leave and seek refuge elsewhere. Zoulfa Katou...

In this episode, I talk to the wonderful Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai,  author of The Mountains Sing. We talk about her beautiful debut novel as well as a whole host of things including family, story-telling, history, decolonising literature and her upcoming novel. Dr Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is an award-winning Vietnamese writer and journalist. She is the author of eleven books of poetry, short fiction and non...

In this episode, I talk with Noreen Nasim about her debut book, Expelled from Uganda, which is a fictionalised account of her father's life and his forced migration from Uganda to the UK in 1972 under the orders of dictator, Idi Amin.  We talk about the events of 1972, where over 80,000 Asians in Uganda were given just 90 days to leave Uganda, many of whom had been living in the country for c...

Soraya Chemaly is an award-winning author and activist. She writes and speaks frequently on topics related to gender norms, inclusivity, social justice, free speech, sexualized violence, and technology. The former Executive Director of The Representation Project and Director and co-founder of the Women’s Media Center Speech Project, she has long been committed to expanding women’s civic and politi...

Sairish Hussain was born and brought up in Bradford, West Yorkshire. She studied English Language and Literature at the University of Huddersfield and progressed onto an MA in Creative Writing. Sairish completed her PhD in 2019 after being awarded the university’s Vice-Chancellors Scholarship. Her debut novel, The Family Tree , was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, and longlisted for th...

Brought up in London, Christy Lefteri is the child of Cypriot refugees. She is a lecturer in creative writing at Brunel University. The Beekeeper of Aleppo was born out of her time working as a volunteer at a Unicef supported refugee centre in Athens. It became a Sunday Times bestseller and the winner of the 2020 Aspen Words Literary Prize. Christy's latest novel, Songbirds, is about the plig...

Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan is a writer, poet and educator disrupting understandings of history, race, knowledge and violence. She works to equip herself and others with the tools and faith to resist the unliveable conditions we find ourselves in, and work towards another reality. In 2019 Suhaiymah’s debut poetry collection Postcolonial Banter was published, featuring eight years worth of poetry includ...