Afleveringen
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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 other lives we could have lived, the complexities of coming of age, the strength of friendship, and the nuances of the immigrant experience. Salutation Road is a deeply moving novel that navigates family, heritage, and self-discovery, and Salma’s insights are so thought-provoking and inspiring.
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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 her work. She is the author of Mrs Death Misses Death, With Love, Grief and Fury, and the memoir Springfield Road, and has been widely recognized for her contributions to literature and spoken word.
In our conversation, we explore the deep connections between love and loss, the urgency of caring for our planet, the passage of time, and how memory shapes identity. Salena’s words are raw, powerful, and filled with both tenderness and fire—this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.
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I hope you loved listening to this episode and found things that will stay with you. I’d love to hear from you, so please do reach out on social media and don’t forget to like, subscribe and leave a review as it can really help.
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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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 man to captain a Yorkshire side and the first person of Asian descent to do so. His talent was undeniable, and doors were opening for him.
But there was something Azeem was bottling up and it was about to explode out of him and shake the whole cricket world, and wider society, out of their slumber. It's Not Banter, It's Racism is the never before-told truth behind the racism accusations that shocked a nation, from the moment Azeem spoke up to the resulting events that have altered his world entirely.
Just a disclaimer, this episode mentions feelings and attempts of suicide, miscarriage and the loss of a child.
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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 heritage identity in modern china while living with her American mother, Sloane, who is adamant she wants to stay. We also meet her step father, Lu Fang who is a man of secrets, complexities and a deep pain and trauma he hides from the world.
Aube Rey Lescure is a French-Chinese-American writer. She grew up between France, northern China, and Shanghai, and graduated from Yale University in 2015. She is the co-author and translator of two books on Chinese politics and economics. Aube’s debut novel, River East, River West has been shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, the Maya Angelou Book Award, and the Stanfords' Fiction with a Sense of Place Award
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I hope you loved listening to this episode and found things that will stay with you. I’d love to hear from you, so please do reach out on social media and don’t forget to like, subscribe and leave a review as it can really help.
If you're feeling extra generous, please consider buying me a "coffee" so I can keep putting great conversations like this out into the world:
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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 New York.
Her novel, Ghost Season is an exploration of Sudan’s almost unrecognised history, through five vibrant and interesting characters who find themselves working for an NGO in a border town between north and south Sudan. It is a really powerful story of power dynamics, colonialism, history, love, friendship, identity, belonging, self-acceptance and so much more.
After more than 16 months of war, Sudan has descended into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The country is at imminent risk of collapsing after over a year and a half of violent conflict and is on the verge of mass famine with its food supply decimated and young children now starving to death in its cities, villages, and displacement camps. Over 10 million people have been displaced, and every single person in Sudan is affected by this worsening crisis.
I hope this conversations helps us to keep Sudan in our thoughts, hearts, mind, prayers and in our activism always.
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As always, please do like, subscribe and follow. Connect with me on social media - I'd love to hear from you :)
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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 stranger. It’s no surprise that this sweeping story is being adapted for TV, and it is such a brilliant read.
Wiz Wharton was born in London of Chinese-European heritage. She is a prize-winning graduate of the National Film and Television school, where she studied screenwriting under the filmmakers Mike Leigh, Stephen Frears and Kenith Trodd. Her debut novel Ghost Girl, Banana deals with issues of identity, belonging and familial secrets.
In 2023, she was named by the Scottish Government Expo Fund as one of the 40 writers predicted to set the literary world alight. I’m so glad she's my guest today.Support the show
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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 up in Pakistan, and later lived in the UK for her studies. Her memoir offers us a deep and reflective insight into her life, but also into important themes such as gender roles, motherhood, mental health, love and marriage, and so much more.
Mahvish is a former economist, successful content creator, and now an author. Mahvish’s debut book, On My Way has become an Amazon bestseller, offering reflections on her personal growth and experiences in a new country.
In addition to her writing, Mahvish runs a thriving clothing line and a travel company. Based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, she manages a popular Instagram blog that addresses women-centric issues such as challenging societal norms, advocating self-love, mental health awareness, conscious parenting, and the realities of motherhood.
You can find Mahvish on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/mahvish.ahmad/Support the show
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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 Juliette Touma and Jayyab Abusafia have worked on a stunning and heartbreaking book called Daybreak in Gaza. Daybreak in Gaza is a collection of almost 50 accounts, essays, interviews and diary entry from Palestinians, mainly in Gaza. They share their experiences of life in Gaza over the last year amid genocide, bombardments, raids and immense loss of life. What permeates through the pages of this book is not only courage, but hope, in essence, the day-break in Gaza.Mahmoud Muna, born in Jerusalem and raised in a refugee camp (Shu’fat), is a notable Palestinian figure known as the bookseller of Jerusalem. He runs his family’s two renowned bookshops: The Educational Bookshop and the Bookshop at the American Colony Hotel. Muna is a computer science graduate and a trained communicator who has become an influential voice in Palestinian cultural and literary circles. His work extends to writing for local and international cultural magazines and newspapers, and he is deeply involved in various cultural initiatives.
Order Daybreak in Gaza here: https://saqibooks.com/books/saqi/daybreak-in-gaza/
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If you find my podcast helpful, inspiring or thoughtful, please do consider supporting me so I can put out great episodes like this. You can buy me a coffee (or anything really) here:
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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 pheonomenal book, focusing on intersectionality, offering us a perspective that merges race, class and other elements of identity when talking about motherhood and infertility.
Pragya Agarwal, Ph.D., is a visiting professor of social inequities and injustice at Loughborough University, writer, speaker, and consultant. Following a Ph.D. from the University of Nottingham, Pragya held the prestigious Leverhulme Fellowship and has held senior academic positions and visiting fellowships at various U.S. and U.K. universities.
Pragya is the author of a number of scholarly articles and four non-fiction books.
Just a little trigger warning, in this episode, we talk about some difficult topics including infertility, IVF, abortion and baby and pregnancy loss. So if you need to return to this episode at a later date, or skip it altogether, please do.
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This week on the show, I’m speaking to activist and all-round incredible human being, Payzee Mahmod. I learned of the amazing work Payzee is doing, and her story after learning about the devastating brutal killing of Payzee’s older sister, Banaz Mahmod in a so-called “honour-killing” in 2006. Banaz was a young woman with a huge appetite for life, laughter and kindness, and her death had far-reaching and long-lasting impacts for all those who knew and loved her, and also for the world at large.
Payzee Mahmod is a survivor and activist tackling gender based violence. As a British Kurd with lived experience, she is a passionate advocate and campaigner raising awareness about harmful practices including child marriage, female genital mutilation, virginity testing and hymenoplasty.
After being forced into a child marriage aged 16, Payzee lead the 3 year long campaign to change the legal age of marriage from 16 to 18, in England and Wales (Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Bill, 2023).
Payzee now uses her platform to spread awareness on “honour” based abuse, child marriage and promoting the importance of gender inclusion and raising money for good causes.
Just a little trigger warning, in this episode, we talk about some difficult topics including loss of a sibling, abusive relationships and FGM. There is also mention of suicide. So if you need to return to this episode at a later date, or skip it altogether, please do.Support the show
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On this week's episode, I'm speaking to the incredible Jamaica Kincaid, and I am absolutely thrilled!
Jamaica has been writing for decades, and is often considered a classical author of our time, bringing us work that is timeless, important and emotive.
Born in Antigua, Jamaica Kincaid is a Caribbean American writer whose essays, stories, and novels are evocative portrayals of family relationships and her native Antigua.
Kincaid settled in New York City when she left Antigua at age 16. She first worked as an au pair in Manhattan. She later won a photography scholarship in New Hampshire but returned to New York within two years. In 1973 she changed her name to Jamaica Kincaid, from the name she was born with - Elaine Potter Richardson This was (partly because she wished the anonymity for her writing), and the following year she began regularly submitting articles to The New Yorker magazine, where she became a staff writer for twenty years.
She has won multiple awards over an incredible career, including the Prix Femina Etranger, RSL International Writer and The Paris Review Hadada prize for lifetime achievement.
A keen gardener, she has written several books on the subject, including My Garden (2000) and Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalaya (2005), a memoir about a seed-gathering trek with three botanist friends.
Her latest book is poetic, illuminating and surprisingly witty. An Encyclopedia of Gardening for Coloured Children is a delightful ABC of the plants that define our world and reveals the often-brutal history behind them. Jamaica’s decolonial investigation of the garden world is supplemented by brilliant illustrations from the great American artist, Kara Walker, resulting in an inventive and sometimes quite practical exploration of the truths of history in our gardens – perfect for all ages.Support the show
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If you’re looking for a book that’s wholesome, hilarious, real, authentic and based on finding love, this week’s episode is definitely for you. On the show today, I’m joined by Tasneem Abdur-Rashid, author of the newly published Thirty Before Thirty List, and her debut, Finding Mr. Perfectly Fine. Tasneem is dedicated to tell authentic stories of British Bengali, Muslim characters as they navigate life and love, presenting the complexities, beauties and challenges that life throws at 20-something year old women trying to build the life they want. I loved the Thirty Before Thirty List, and I laughed my way through, finding such affinity with Maya and all the other characters.
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 in the UK and in the UAE. Tasneem’s rom-com Finding Mr Perfectly Fine was published by Zaffre/Bonnier in July 2022 and The Thirty Before Thirty List was released in July 2024. She co-hosts the award-winning podcast Not Another Mum Pod and is also a phenomenal home cook.
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On this week’s episode, I’m speaking to Israeli, anti-zionist historian and academic, Professor Ilan Pappé . Professor Pappé has dedicated dedcades of his life to writing and speaking about the Nakba of 1948, shedding light on what actually happened and what a grave catastrophe it was and continues to be. He calls for a one-state solution and for the right of return of all Palestinians. His books have sought to tackle the myths around Israel and Zionism, providing much needed insight, information, thoughtfulness and nuance reflections. He is one of the major historians of our times writing on Palestine. As the current aggression and genocide in gaza continues well into its tenth month, Ilan encourages us to understand the root of the violence – the illegal occupation of Palestine.
Ilan Pappé is an Israeli historian and socialist activist. He is a professor with the College of Social Sciences and International Studies at the University of Exeter, director of the university's European Centre for Palestine Studies, and co-director of the Exeter Centre for Ethno-Political Studies. His latest book is Ten Myths About Israel. His books also include The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine and The Idea of Israel: A History of Power and Knowledge. Pappé’s research focuses on the modern Middle East and in particular the history of Israel and Palestine.
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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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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 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 :)
Come connect with me on social media - I'd love to chat:
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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 :)
Come connect with me on social media - I'd love to chat:
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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 :)
Come connect with me on social media - I'd love to chat:
www.instagram.com/readwithsamia
www.instagram.com/thediversebookshelfpodSupport the show
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