Farhana Shaikh

Boy, Everywhere by AM Dassu chronicles the harrowing journey taken from Syria to the UK by teenager Sami and his family. From privilege to poverty, across countries and continents, from a smuggler’s den in Turkey to a prison in Manchester, it is a story of survival, of family, of bravery. Dassu says she was inspired …

The Little War Cat written by Hiba Noor Khan follows the story of a little grey cat who is caught up in the conflict in war-torn Aleppo. Roaming the streets looking for food one day she meets an unlikely friend who shows her that kindness is there when you look for it. Soon the cat knows …

Bhanu Kapil has won the 2020 T. S. Eliot Prize for her collection How to Wash a Heart (24 January). Judges Lavinia Greenlaw, Mona Arshi and Andrew McMillan chose the winner from a shortlist which included an exciting mixture of established poets and relative newcomers including three debut collections, work from two Americans, as well as …

2021 should have been the year that righted wrongs. A year of redemption, of hope, of moving forward, beyond the you-know-what. As I write we’re six weeks into a national lockdown, bookstores up and down the country remain closed and launch parties and literary festivals are happening in the land of zoom. We are not …

A talent development programme, for writers of colour who are writing for children, is open for applications until the end of the month. Megaphone, led by children’s author and creative writing tutor, Leila Rasheed is offering writers an opportunity to develop their manuscript. The scheme, funded by Arts Council England, will mentor six writers. Rasheed …

HarperFiction has launched a new competition to encourage submissions from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic writers. Killing It: The Killer Reads Competition for Undiscovered Writers aims to support crime writers who are looking to take the next step in their writing career. Writers are being invited to send the first 10,000 words of their fiction …

Avon Books UK has partnered with Silé Edwards at Mushens Entertainment to launch a competition exclusively open to un-agented, unpublished writers of colour. The winner will receive a two-book publishing contract with Avon with an advance against royalties of £10,000 (£5,000 per book), an additional £3,000 grant to support their writing, and representation from Mushens …

Just So You Know, a collection of essays by underrepresented writers from Wales, instantly transports you to a world different to your own. Edited by Hanan Issa, Durre Shahwar and Ozgur Uyanik and published by Parthian Books, the book features original essays of experience from talented new voices. A young woman weaves her experience of …

Of Necessity & Wanting is a collection of lyrical, atmospheric stories of varying lengths set in urban Pakistan. At its forefront are the concerns of people who are lower down on the metaphorical ‘chain’ of status and power, especially in the context of their symbiotic relationship with those they see as ‘other,’ ‘ privileged’ or …