Raising the profile of South Asian writers since 2007
Q. Let’s start with your Discoveries win. Tell me more about your writing journey up until that point and what shifted for you when you found out you’d won? It’s been a long old journey and when I reflect on the twists and turns it has taken, I am both humbled and hugely grateful to …
by Leila Rasheed Are you an aspiring children’s or young adult fiction writer? Could a year focused on completing a novel, with 1-1 mentoring, workshops and connections to agents and publishers, transform your writing life? If you think so, The Megaphone Writer Development scheme could be for you. I launched the scheme in 2016 because, …
by Saarah Ismail Growing up my bookshelves were filled with the likes of Jaqueline Wilson, Roald Dahl, Michael Morpurgo and John Green. It never once occurred to me that there was and should be a place for the names of people like me on the cover. The first time I came across a book by …
by Fatima Jaffry For South Asian Heritage Month immerse yourself in a literary journey of love. From romance to friendship, these books will leave you warm and fuzzy. So, grab a cup of chai and tuck in. Top pick Kartography by award winning author Kamila Shamsie holds a special place in my heart as it …
Set in 1887, the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, Tanika Gupta’s The Empress tells the story of the sixteen-year-old Rani Das, ayah (nursemaid) to an English family, who arrives at Tilbury docks after a long voyage from India, to start a new life in Britain. On the boat, Rani befriends a lascar (sailor), an …
The London edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival makes its return this month for an inspiring weekend of words, books, music, food and camaraderie (10-11 June). From ‘Bollywood Narratives’ to ‘Letters to a Writer of Colour’, from ‘The Double to Diaspora’ to ‘Brown Speak’, the 10th year of JLF in London features a packed programme …
A new festival is putting Panjabi and Pahari-Pothwari voices centre stage. JAAG: Panjabi and Pahari-Pothwari Language and Literature Festival takes place in Birmingham next week (Saturday 13 May). The event, organised by the Jaag Collective, will see nearly 40 artists coming together for a jam-packed day of events featuring talks, workshops, discussions and performances. Artists taking …
Aftermath by Preti Taneja has been named the winner of the tenth annual Gordon Burn Prize at Durham Book Festival (13 October). Taneja’s second book Aftermath strives to make sense of the London Bridge terror attack in 2019. Usman Khan was a convicted terrorist who spent eight years in prison and went on to kill …
The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka has been named winner of the Booker Prize 2022 (17 October). The author was presented with his trophy by Her Majesty the Queen Consort in a new-look ceremony held at the Roundhouse. The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, published by the independent press Sort of Books, …
Norman Erikson Pasaribu can light up a room. I remember first meeting him in my hometown of Leicesster where he was – at the time – on tour with the British Council, having been touted as a young Indonesian writer to watch. I was sad not to be able to attend the session he delivered …