Episodios
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This week, my guest on the show is the incredibly talented, Safia Elhillo. Safia’s work always leaves me mesmerised and craving for more. In her beautiful poetry, she explores themes of belonging, identity, home, friendship, love, pain, suffering, and so much more.
Safia Elhillo is the author of The January Children (University of Nebraska Press, 2017), which received the the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets and an Arab American Book Award, Girls That Never Die (One World/Random House, 2022), and the novel in verse Home Is Not A Country (Make Me A World/Random House, 2021), which was longlisted for the National Book Award and received a Coretta Scott King Book Award Author Honor.
Sudanese by way of Washington, DC, Safia received the 2015 Brunel International African Poetry Prize, and was listed in Forbes Africa’s 2018 “30 Under 30.” Her work appears in POETRY Magazine, Callaloo, and The Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-day series, among others
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On the show this week, I'm talking to researcher, brain health trainer and parent coach, Taiba Bajar about her book, Unlock Autism. Taiba has developed a unique seven-step action plan to helping unlock a child's potential within 12 months. Taiba's son is autistic, and upon receiving his diagnosis, she went on a mission to do everything in her power to help her son, manage his autism and help him to thrive. In this episode, we talk about the treatment of autism in the NHS, rewiring the brain, South Asian experiences and so much more.
Taiba Bajar is an award-winning researcher and licensed brain health trainer. With a seasoned background as a corporate professional and parent coach, she holds two science degrees from the University of Bristol with a background in neuroscience.Taiba founded Autism Brain Empowerment, a successful parent coaching business following her journey as a parent to her autistic son. Drawing from her professional expertise and personal experiences, Taiba equips parents to guide their children in reducing autism symptoms, unlocking their potential, and fostering their leadership in the world.
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On this week’s episode, I’m speaking to Saima Mir, journalist and crime novelist, author of The Khan, and its sequel, Vengeance.
In her books, Saima introduces us to Jia Khan. A successful lawyer, her London life is a long way from the grubby Northern streets she knew as a child, where her father headed up the Pakistani community and ran the local organised crime syndicate. Often his Jirga rule - the old way - was violent and bloody, but it was always justice of a kind.
In her books, Saima explores morality, humanity, family, kinship, community, patriarchy and the unfair expectations placed on women. She explores what people are forced to do to survive, and the grey lines between right and wrong.Saima Mir is an award-winning journalist and writer. She has written for The Guardian, The Times, The Independent and The Daily Telegraph, and worked for the BBC.
Her work appeared in the anthology, It’s Not About the Burqa in 2019, and The Best Most Awful Job in 2020. Her novel The Khan is being published by Point Blank and is due on in January 2021. The Khan has been optioned by BBC Studios.
Saima is a recipient of The Commonwealth Broadcast Association World View Award, and The K Blundell Trust Award. Saima’s work has been longlisted for The SI Leeds Literary Prize, and The Bath Novel Award.
Her screenplay Ruby & Matt has been optioned by Rendition Films
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On this week’s episode, I’m speaking to Susan Muaddi Darraj about her new novel, behind you is the sea, s set in Baltimore and follows the stories of a Palestinian American immigrant community. It is a tender, sweeping novel of a family grappling with so much – loss of identity, struggling to exist in a country that is so hostile towards them, strained family dynamics, love, difficult marriages, parent-child relationships and so much more. Behind you is the sea is a story of a Palestinian Christian community, and Palestinian Christians face huge erasure and genocide as the war on Gaza continues well into its seventh month.
Susan Muaddi Darraj is an award-winning writer of books for adults and children. She won an American Book Award, two Arab American Book Awards, and a Maryland State Arts Council Independent Artists Award. In 2018, she was named a USA Artists Ford Fellow.
Susan Muaddi Darraj’s short story collection, A Curious Land: Stories from Home, was named the winner of the AWP Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction, judged by Jaime Manrique. It also won the 2016 Arab American Book Award, a 2016 American Book Award, and was shortlisted for a Palestine Book Award. Her previous short story collection, The Inheritance of Exile, was published in 2007 by University of Notre Dame Press. For children, she has written numerous YA biographies, as well as the Farah Rocks chapter book series, the first to feature an Arab American protagonist.
Her new novel, Behind You Is the Sea . The book was published in the USA in January 2024, and will be releasing in the UK in early June.
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On this week’s episode, I’m talking to Vanessa Chan about her debut novel, an absolutely mesmerising story set across two timelines: 1930s and 1945 in Malaya – what Malaysia was called before independence. It is a story with four different perspectives, following the decision made by one woman to become a spy for Japan, and the dreadful consequences that befall her family and country, afterwards.
Vanessa Chan is the Malaysian author of The Storm We Made, a national bestseller, Good Morning America Book Club Pick and BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick. Acquired by international publishers in a flurry of auctions, the novel, her first, will be published in more than twenty languages worldwide. Her other work has been published in Vogue, Esquire, and more. Vanessa grew up in Malaysia and is now based mostly in Brooklyn.
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I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do think about leaving a review, and like, subscribe and rate wherever you listen to this show :)
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This week, I'm talking to Ishi Robinson, author of the delightful novel, Sweetness In the Skin. In this book, we meet the absolutely wonderful character of Pumpkin, a teenage girl trying to make her way in the world and be true to who she really is. The story is moving and wholesome, while tackling some darker issues including colourism, classism, abusive and absent parents, strained family relationships and so much more.
Ishi Robinson is a Jamaican writer living in Berlin. Her first published work was a short story in the national newspaper when she was eleven years old. Since then, she’s written opinion pieces and short stories of fiction for various publications in Kingston, Toronto, Rome, and Berlin. SWEETNESS IN THE SKIN is her first novel.
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I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do think about leaving a review, and like, subscribe and rate wherever you listen to this show :)
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This week on the show, I’m talking to Jassa Ahluwalia about his book and memoir, Both Not Half. Both Not Half is a poignant exploration of Jassa’s own heritage – Punjabi and English – and other forms of identity including faith, class, gender and sexuality. Jassa reminds us that we are never fractions of an identity, but always whole, in a myriad of beautiful, overlapping, confusing but empowering ways.
Jassa Ahluwalia is a British actor, writer, filmmaker, and trade unionist. Born in Coventry to a white English mom and a brown Punjabi dad in 1990, he attended school in Leicester and was raised in an extended family environment. He spoke English in the playground and Punjabi with his grandparents and spent various summer holidays in India. He came to prominence as Rocky in the hit BBC Three series Some Girls, followed by starring roles in Unforgotten, Ripper Street, and Peaky Blinders.
Jassa created the hashtag #BothNotHalf to explore mixed identity in light of his own British-Indian heritage. His TEDx talk on “How Language Shapes Identity” has clocked up over 170k views, and his BBC One documentary Am I English? won an Asian Media Award in 2022.
Both Not Half is publishing on 16th May 2024 in the UK. Get your copy here:
https://uk.bookshop.org/a/5890/9781788708319
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I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do think about leaving a review, and like, subscribe and rate wherever you listen to this show :)
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On the show this week, I'm speaking with Reem Gaafar, author of the novel, A Mouthful of Salt. This book is a really stunning, powerful story of a community in the north of Sudan, struck by calamity and loss. The book opens with a devastating scene of a boy gone missing and presumed to have drown, and the panic and grief in the wake of his search. Reem explores so much in this novel, including motherhood, the power of education, othering, community structures, tribalism and so much more.
In this episode, we talk about all the themes Reem writes about, and the current war in Sudan, which has, at time of recording been going on for over 1 year. The war has led to millions of people being displaced, with nowhere to escape the violence, and over 18 million people are experiencing extreme hunger. As a trigger warning, we also talk about some sensitive issues including FGM, infertility, death, loss of children and trauma. If you don’t feel comfortable hearing about these issues right now, please do consider listening to another episode again and perhaps revisiting at a time that is better for you.
Reem Gaafar is a writer, physician and filmmaker. Her writing has appeared in African Arguments, African Feminism, Teakisi Magazine, Andariya and 500 Words Magazine, among others. Her short story ‘Light of the Desert’ was published in I Know Two Sudans (Gipping Press UK, 2014) where it was awarded an Honourable Mention. Her short story ‘Finding Descartes’ was published in Relations: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices (HarperVia, 2023). A Mouth Full of Salt is her debut novel and Winner of the Island Prize 2023. Gaafar lives in Canada with her husband and three sons.
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I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do think about leaving a review, and like, subscribe and rate wherever you listen to this show :)
Come connect with me on social media - I'd love to chat:
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This episode is a special bonus episode with scholar, writer and translator, Shaimaa Abulebda, from within Rafah, in Gaza.
Shaymaa’s family home in east Khan Younis brings together her 8 married siblings, and for her nieces and nephews, it is their grandparents’ house.
Shaimaa has lived through the second intifada, and all the aggressions on Gaza since 2008 until this curren ongoing genocide.With dreams of getting a PhD in literature, Shaimaa looked forwad to a bright future. She was lecturing at the Islamic University of Gaza, which has now been destroyed.
Since October 7th, Shaimaa and her parents have been displaced three times and are now living in an over-crowded refugee camp in Rafah, where there is no food, clean water or electricity.
Shaimaa is currently raising funds so her and her parents can leave Gaza and find safety in Egypt first, before thinking about what could come next.
You can donate and support Shaimaa and her family here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-evacuate-shaimaa-and-her-parents-from-gaza-o
In her own words, Shaimaa has described the extensive stress, pain and pressure on the people of Gaza, the way in which everyone is losing weight and strength due to forced starvation, how nobody can clean themselves properly, and how Shaymaa’s short term memory is being impacted every single day.I invited Shaimaa onto the podcast so she can share her story, and we can hear first-hand what life is like in Gaza, both today but also in the years that Shaimaa grew up.
Due to a lack of strong internet connection and a quiet space, this episode has been put together from separate recordings, and Shaimaa recorded her story during the night from a refugee camp. While listening you might hear some sound disturbances and hear background noise: war planes, drones, and other people.
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I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do think about leaving a review, and like, subscribe and rate wherever you listen to this show :)
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On the show this week, I spoke to Nigar Alam about her stunning debut Novel, Under the Tamarind Tree, which I absolutely love. In this episode we talk all about Partition voices an d stories, Pakistan, class, identity, friendships, displacement and so much more.
Author Nigar Alam was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and spent her childhood in Turkey, Nigeria, Italy, Kenya, Indonesia and the United States. She currently lives in Minnesota and teaches at Anoka-Ramsey Community College.“Under the Tamarind Tree” is Alam’s debut novel and is set in the seaside city of Karachi.
The main character, a woman named Rozeena, opens the novel sitting on her veranda near a garden shaded by palm and Ashoka trees, where she receives a call from someone she knew in the past.
The rest of the book fluctuates between a dual timeline and follows Rozeena and her friends in the decades after the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do think about leaving a review, and like, subscribe and rate wherever you listen to this show :)
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On this week’s show, I’m speaking to Ela Lee, author of the debut novel, Jaded. Now, I absolutely loved Jaded. I cried several times while reading it, and found a sense of commoradory, validation and being seen that I didn’t even know was missing. Ela writes a multi-layered story of her character, Jade, who is British-Korean-Turkish. Having gone to a prestigious University, Jade is now a 20-something professional lawyer working in a law firm in London. One night, a devastating incident takes place that sparks a huge internal and external unravelling for Jade, and the novel explores themes of identity, privilege, race, patriarchy, corporate success and so much more.
Ela Lee is a London-based author. She studied Law at the University of Oxford and previously practised as a City lawyer. During the pandemic, Ela decided to focus on her love of writing and began work on her debut novel, Jaded, that explores themes of consent, race, and identity.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do think about leaving a review, and like, subscribe and rate wherever you listen to this show :)
Come connect with me on social media - I'd love to chat:
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On this week’s episode, I’m talking to the incredible Dana Dajani, Palestinian spoken word-artist, singer, actress and activist. We’re talking about the incredible power of storytelling and poetry in preserving history, connecting us to our ancestors, resistance and activism. I ask Dana about her Palestinian heritage, the life of her beloved grandmother and so much more.
Dana Dajani is an award-winning Palestinian writer, performer, and advocate. She lives and works between the Middle East, Europe, and the US.
Dana’s work as an actress, trainer, and consultant has taken her around the world- from performing at the Sydney Opera House and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, to creating a Drama Therapy Program for children with Autism in the UAE, where she was honored as Emirates Woman “Artist of the Year”, and received the “Young Arab Award for Entertainment” among other recognitions.
Known for her original spoken word poetry, Dana’s background in theatre has informed and influenced writing, and allowed her to create a unique style of solo performance. Part spoken-word, part one-woman show, Dana uses gesture, character, and a simple scarf to transport audiences across various social justice themes through her characters.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do think about leaving a review, and like, subscribe and rate wherever you listen to this show :)
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This week on the podcast, I’m welcoming back my friend, the incredibly insightful and thoughtful, Dr. Sofia Rehman. Sofia now has a second book out in the world, called Gendering the Hadith: Recentering the Authority of Aisha, Mother of the Believers, which is her Phd thesis published as a book. On the show this week, we dig deep into understanding translations and interpretations, understanding Aisha bint Abu Bakr even better, what we can learn from Aisha and the Prophet (saw) about justice, hope and resilience, and so much more.
Dr Sofia Rehman is an independent scholar specialising in Islam and Gender. She works as a knowledge building consultant for Musawah Movement, a global organisation committed to the reform of Muslim family law in line with gender egalitarian readings of Islam. As a PhD candidate she was a PG Impact Fellow at the Centre of Religion and Public Life and PRHS Scholar.
She is founder of the Islam and Gender read alongs in which she facilitates readings of academic texts penned by Muslim scholars in conversation with a global virtual audience and has recently been featured by Vogue Arabia, Refinery29 and The Independent. She is the author of a Treasury of Aisha bint Abu Bakr (Kube publishing) and, Gendering the Hadith: Recentering the Authority of Aisha, Mother of the Believers (Oxford University Press). She is a contributor to Mapping Faith: Theologies of Migration edited by Lia Shimada, Cut From the Same Cloth? Edited by Sabeena Akhtar, Violent Phenomena: 21 Essays on Translation (Tilted Axis), and Gathering: Women of Colour on Nature (404Ink). You can connect with her on her Instagram @Sofia_reading where she talks about all things related to books, faith and academia.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do think about leaving a review, and like, subscribe and rate wherever you listen to this show :)
Come connect with me on social media - I'd love to chat:
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Today’s episode was brought to you by Muslim Charity, a faith-based international charity, working around the world to tackle poverty, hunger and thirst. They deliver your Zakat and Sadaqah with honesty and transparency, reaching those in need with impactful projects, all year round. Muslim Charity provide vulnerable communities with life-saving healthcare, clean water, food, livelihood opportunities and education, helping everyone to thrive.If you’re looking for a charity you can trust, especially when it comes to your Zakat and Sadaqah, Muslim Charity is the one for you. Visit www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia to check out some of my favourite, impactful projects.
www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia
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On this week’s episode, I’m talking to Matthew Robinson, humanitarian filmmaker about his work and debut book, 104 In the Shade: Travels of a Humanitarian Filmmaker. I speak to Matthew about his experiences, what he’s learnt, and how we can do more to protect dignity and empowerment when it comes to marketing and social media in the humanitarian sector.
Founder of Migration Films, artist and film maker Matthew Robinson (Muhammad Abdul Mateen) has worked in the media industry for 25 years, as an editor on TV staples such as Strictly Come Dancing, Xtra Factor Rewind, The Only Way is Essex and Big Brother, SAS Who Dares Wins, and as a Director shooting short films for artists such as David Lachapelle and Dale vN Collins; music videos for Mark Owen of Take That and British rapper Roots Manuva; and editing movies ‘The Story Of’ and ‘White Collar Hooligan 2’.
In the last 6 years Matthew has moved into production for the charity sector, where he has applied his skills to make a tangible difference to people’s lives, making videos and documentaries for various projects. Subjects include filming a cross-Europe aid convoy to Greece; refugee camps in Lebanon and Turkey; open heart surgery on babies in Tanzania; water wells in Ethiopia and Bangladesh; food and water distributions in the desert in Somalia and Yemen; marathons in Morocco and Palestine and a rickshaw challenge in Pakistan.
In 2020 he studied ‘Humanitarian Response to Conflict and Disaster’ at Harvard University and has since set up Migration Relief, a charity aimed at serving refugees and internally displaced people.
‘104 IN THE SHADE: Travels Of A Humanitarian Film Maker’ is his debut book.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do think about leaving a review, and like, subscribe and rate wherever you listen to this show :)
Come connect with me on social media - I'd love to chat:
www.instagram.com/readwithsamia
www.instagram.com/thediversebookshelfpod
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Today’s episode was brought to you by Muslim Charity, a faith-based international charity, working around the world to tackle poverty, hunger and thirst. They deliver your Zakat and Sadaqah with honesty and transparency, reaching those in need with impactful projects, all year round. Muslim Charity provide vulnerable communities with life-saving healthcare, clean water, food, livelihood opportunities and education, helping everyone to thrive.If you’re looking for a charity you can trust, especially when it comes to your Zakat and Sadaqah, Muslim Charity is the one for you. Visit www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia to check out some of my favourite, impactful projects.
www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia
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I really hope this week’s episode helps you feel empowered, uplifted and inspired. Today, my guest is the powerhouse, Sarah Joseph, who has been working in media for decades. Sarah Joseph came to Islam at the age of just 16, having moved away from the Catholic church. She has been on a phenomenal journey with her faith, sharing with us all her experiences, insights and reflections about faith, loving God, doing good and about justice. Sarah has been someone I have looked up to for a very long time, and am always so grateful for her guidance, support and love, and I’m so glad she’s my guest today.
On the show, we talk about what's happening in Palestine and around the world, slowing down in Ramadan, justice, peace, the future, the power of reading and so much moreSarah Joseph is a globally renowned Muslim figure, respected for her innovative and independent thinking. She is a writer and broadcaster specialising in topics pertaining to faith, social change, environment, and education. She was listed as one of the World’s 500 most influential Muslims, one of Europe’s most influential leaders under 40, and has an OBE from the Queen.
A graduate of King’s College London and University College London, Sarah is an internationally recognised public speaker.
In 2003 Sarah founded emel - a brand which first created the concept and then detailed the progression of Muslim Lifestyle. The brand fundamentally changed the way Muslims were marketed to, and made Sarah an expert in contemporary Muslim consumers and ethics.
Sarah has made countless media appearances including for the BBC, CNN and Al-Jazeera. She has also appeared on the Doha Debates. Sarah has written for international newspapers including UK’s The Times and The Guardian, and scripted and recorded for a variety of BBC and independent radio productions. She has a regular slot on the BBC’s most listened to radio show, The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do think about leaving a review, and like, subscribe and rate wherever you listen to this show :)
Come connect with me on social media - I'd love to chat:
www.instagram.com/readwithsamia
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Today’s episode was brought to you by Muslim Charity, a faith-based international charity, working around the world to tackle poverty, hunger and thirst. They deliver your Zakat and Sadaqah with honesty and transparency, reaching those in need with impactful projects, all year round. Muslim Charity provide vulnerable communities with life-saving healthcare, clean water, food, livelihood opportunities and education, helping everyone to thrive.If you’re looking for a charity you can trust, especially when it comes to your Zakat and Sadaqah, Muslim Charity is the one for you. Visit www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia to check out some of my favourite, impactful projects.
www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia
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We are now in the sacred month of Ramadan, where millions of Muslims around the world will be fasting – abstaining from food and drink, from dawn to dusk every day for 30 days. It is a time of heightened spirituality and worship, and so I think today’s guest is most fitting for the month ahead of us.
On today's episode, I’m speaking to Aliyah Umm Raiyaan about her new book, the Power of Duaa. This book is a beautiful, poignant reminder about turning to God in all times – good and bad, ease and hardship, and improving our relationship with our creator and in turn, harnessing the profound power that dua, making supplication and asking of God, can have.
Aliyah Umm Raiyaan reverted to Islam in 1999. Aliyah is the Sunday Times Bestselling author of Penguin published, 'Ramadan Reflections' and The Power of Du'a. She is also the Founder and CEO of Registered Charity Solace UK who support revert women in difficulty. Aliyah is the co-host of YouTube show Honest Tea Talk. Aliyah lives with her family in East London where she home educates her children.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, so please do think about leaving a review, and like, subscribe and rate wherever you listen to this show :)
Come connect with me on social media - I'd love to chat:
www.instagram.com/readwithsamia
www.instagram.com/thediversebookshelfpod
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Today’s episode was brought to you by Muslim Charity, a faith-based international charity, working around the world to tackle poverty, hunger and thirst. They deliver your Zakat and Sadaqah with honesty and transparency, reaching those in need with impactful projects, all year round. Muslim Charity provide vulnerable communities with life-saving healthcare, clean water, food, livelihood opportunities and education, helping everyone to thrive.If you’re looking for a charity you can trust, especially when it comes to your Zakat and Sadaqah, Muslim Charity is the one for you. Visit www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia to check out some of my favourite, impactful projects.
www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia
Support the Show.
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On today’s show, I’m talking to Suhaiymah Manzoor Khan about her latest book, Seeing For Ourselves: And even stranger possibilities. Suhaiymah is one of the most thoughtful, intelligent and intro-spective people I know, and I absolutely love all the work she is doing and what she puts out into the world. Seeing For Ourselves feels quite different to Suhaiymah’s other books, and offers more personal reflections on identity, faith, belonging, grief, love and activism. In her book, Suhaiymah encourages us to move beyond the white western gaze, and focus on the only gaze that really matters: that of Allah. Its such a powerful little book, forcing us to rethink our values, ideas and intentions, and encouraging us to embrace our true authentic selves, away from the gazes upon us.
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.
Suhaiymah’s latest book, Seeing for Ourselves: And even stranger possibilities came out with Hajar Press in September 2023. Prior to this she authored Tangled in Terror: Uprooting Islamophobia (Pluto Press, 2022) which was widely endorsed by the likes of Lowkey, Moazzam Begg, Fatima Manji, Lola Olufemi and more.
I really hope you enjoy this episode. It would mean so much if you could rate, like and subscribe, and if you could leave a review of the show. It really helps :)
Lets connect on social media:
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Today’s episode was brought to you by Muslim Charity, a faith-based international charity, working around the world to tackle poverty, hunger and thirst. They deliver your Zakat and Sadaqah with honesty and transparency, reaching those in need with impactful projects, all year round. Muslim Charity provide vulnerable communities with life-saving healthcare, clean water, food, livelihood opportunities and education, helping everyone to thrive.If you’re looking for a charity you can trust, especially when it comes to your Zakat and Sadaqah, Muslim Charity is the one for you. Visit www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia to check out some of my favourite, impactful projects.
www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia
Support the Show.
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This week's episode is a conversation with the wonderful and much loved, Sairish Hussain, about her latest novel, Hidden Fires. Sairish was one of the first guests on the show back in 2022, and so it is so lovely to be in conversation again, this time about her new novel. When debut novels are such a success, it can feel daunting to pick up an author’s second novel, wondering if it is just as amazing. But friends, I can confirm, Hidden Fires is incredible. It is the moving story of loss, grief and secrets buried deep within, and the beautiful, unlikely friendship between a grandfather and his teenage granddaughter. In her novel, Sairish writes about family, mental health, growing up, and the Partition of India.
Sairish Hussain is a Bradford based author and Lecturer in Creative Writing. Her debut novel, The Family Tree, was published by HarperCollins and shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, the Portico Prize and The Diverse Book Awards. It was also longlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award and winner of Calibre Audio's 'Hidden Gem' Prize. Sairish was selected by Kei Miller as one of ten ‘unmissable writers working in the UK’ for the International Literature Showcase 2021. She was one of the finalists in the Women’s Prize & Good Housekeeping Futures Award, an initiative which celebrates the most promising emerging female authors today. Hidden Fires is her second novel.
I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I loved speaking to Sairish.
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On the show this week, I’m talking to Nadeine Asabali about her book, Veiled Threat: On being visibly Muslim in Britain.
In her book, Nadeine addresses the myriad of experiences of Muslim hijabi women, and the many different facets of racism, Islamaphobia and mysogigny experienced. Being a mixed raced child, with a Libyan father and a white English mother, Nadeine often passed as a white kid, until she started wearing the hijab and everything changed. In this episode, we talk all about her book, Islamaphobia, the pitfalls of white liberal feminism, the criminalisation of Muslim identity in Britain and so much more.
Nadeine Asbali is a British Muslim writer and secondary school teacher living in east London. Growing up with an English mother and a Libyan father in an overwhelmingly white town and deciding to wear the hijab as a teenager are experiences that have shaped the trajectory of her life and her writing, forming the foundations of a freelance writing career that explores the themes of identity, social policy, racism and Islamophobia for national and international publications, including the i, The Guardian, theNew Arab and Glamour. Nadeine is also a Metro columnist and regularly writes about schools and education policy, specialising in how Muslim and ethnic minority pupils are represented by the British education system.
I hope you find this episode insightful, interesting and enlightening. Please do follow and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. I'd really appreciate it if you would rate and leave a review, as it helps more people find out about the show :)
Also, you can now help support the show by joining me on Patreon. When you subscribe, you could get access to an exclusive episode right to your inbox, each month!
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For this week's podcast episode, I'm speaking to Rowan Hisayo Buchanan about her latest novel, The Sleep Watcher.
We talk about what sleep-watching is, and what we would really discover if we could secretly see the world while asleep. We also talk about mental health, family dynamics, mixed-race identity, writing, and so much more.
This episode was recorded back in September :)
Rowan Hisayo Buchanan is a Japanese-British-Chinese-American writer. Her debut novel, Harmless Like You was published in 2016 by Sceptre and won the Author’s Club First Novel Award and a Betty Trask award. It was also shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize, the Books Are My Bag Breakthrough Author Award and longlisted for the Jhalak Prize. Rowan Hisayo Buchanan was the recipient of a Margins fellowship for the Asian American Writers Workshop, has a BA from Columbia University, an MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is currently working on a PhD at the University of East Anglia. Her writing has appeared in the short story anthology How Much the Heart Can Hold (Sceptre), the Guardian, New York Times, Granta, The Paris Review and The Atlantic among other places. She has lived in London, New York, Tokyo, Madison and Norwich.
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