Stay ConnectedWelcome to The Diverse Bookshelf. I’m Samia Aziz, celebrating the power of literature and the voices of authors and change makers from the global majority. Join me as we explore the stories that inspire, connect, and transform our world. Each week I interview an inspiring guest about a whole host of themes and issues while focusing on diverse literature.
Let’s uncover the stories that truly matter—together.
Copyright: © 2025 The Diverse Bookshelf
Today’s episode is part of a special mini-series called Ramadan reflections, where I talk to guests about faith, life and Ramadan.
I’m thrilled to be joined by poet and creative producer, Imrana Mahmood for a conversation about creativity and faith, the role of Ramadan in the creative process, and the importance of Muslim representation in literature and on stage and screen.
Imrana Mahmood is a poet, curator, and creative producer who has dedicated her career to amplifying underrepresented voices in the arts. With a background in community-driven projects, she has worked extensively to create spaces for diverse creatives to thrive. Her work is deeply rooted in storytelling, activism, and faith, exploring themes of identity, belonging, and spirituality. She has collaborated with leading arts organizations and has played a key role in shaping conversations around Muslim representation in the UK’s literary and creative industries.
In this episode, we’ll be diving into Imrana’s journey—how faith informs her creativity, the challenges and opportunities for Muslim artists today, and what true representation looks like in the arts.
Today’s episode is part of a special mini-series called Ramadan reflections, where I talk to guests about faith, life and Ramadan.
I’m honoured to be speaking with Yasmin Stannard, a mother, advocate, and campaigner, who has been raising awareness and funds for brain cancer in memory of her beloved daughter, Amani.
Amani was just 22 years old when she passed away from brain cancer three years ago. Since then, Yasmin and her family have dedicated themselves to honouring Amani’s legacy—through fundraising, awareness campaigns, and by sharing their journey of love, loss, and faith. In this conversation, we reflect on grief, healing, and the ways in which faith helps navigate unimaginable loss, especially during Ramadan, a time of deep spirituality and remembrance.
This is a conversation that I hope it brings comfort and connection to anyone who has experienced grief.
Join Yasmin & Amani's community on instagram to learn more:
www.instagram.com/fight4amani
On today's episode, I’m speaking with the wonderful Preethi Nair—an author, entrepreneur, and storyteller with an incredible journey into publishing.
Preethi left her career as a management consultant to pursue her dream of writing, but after facing multiple rejections from publishers, she took matters into her own hands. She set up her own publishing company, took on a secret identity as a publicist, and successfully got her debut novel Gypsy Masala a whole load of press and attention. Her creative marketing and perseverance led to a three-book deal with HarperCollins, and she has since gone on to inspire countless aspiring writers with her story.
In this episode, we talk about her novel Unravelling, a beautifully written story about family, love, and self-discovery. We also explore the deeper themes of identity, resilience, and the unconventional path she took to bring her books into the world. Unravelling is indepdnently published, and this is a conversation full of warmth, wisdom, and inspiration, and I can’t wait for you to hear it.
Today’s episode is part of a special mini-series called Ramadan reflections, where I talk to guests about faith, life and Ramadan.
I’m joined by the incredible Leanne from LC Fitness. Leanne is a passionate personal trainer and fitness coach who helps people build strength, confidence, and a positive relationship with their bodies. She has built a real community, bringing together women to look after themselves and also look after each other. In this episode, we’re diving into a really important conversation about Ramadan, faith, fitness, wellbeing, and mental health. Leanne shares her insights on the connection between health and spirituality, the impact of social media on body image, and the importance of looking after both our physical and mental health.
I can’t wait for you to hear this conversation—let’s get into it
Today, I’m thrilled to be joined by the award-winning writer and journalist, Omar El Akkad.
Omar is a journalist and novelist whose work masterfully blurs the lines between fiction and reality, forcing us to confront the most urgent issues of our time. His debut novel, American War, was a haunting and unflinching look at climate change, war, and displacement. His second novel, What Strange Paradise, won the Giller Prize and offered a deeply human perspective on the refugee crisis. And now, with his latest book, One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, he turns his attention to the genocide in Gaza, power, identity, and the way history remembers—or erases—those who resist.
In this conversation, we talk about the stories behind his stories—the historical and political forces that shape his work, the deeply personal nature of writing about conflict and displacement at the time it’s happening, and how writing can help us make sense of an increasingly fractured world. We also explore themes of belonging, compassion, and what it means to be on the margins of history.
For this week's episode, I’m super excited to be welcoming back one of my favourite guests – Huda Fahmy.
Huda is a seriously talented writer and artist, using comic style storytelling to explore wider, serious issues pertaining to identity, current affairs, faith, being a visibly Muslim person in the States, growing up and so much more. She explores these issues through comedy and in a light-hearted way, while both resonating with those experiencing them, and offering some insight to those who aren’t.
Huda is back with a hilarious and poignant follow-up book in her Huda F series, Huda F Wants to Know. In this book, Huda's life and worldview are turned upside down when her parents announce they're divorcing and Huda grapples with the change.
Huda Fahmy is ready for junior year. She’s got a plan to join all the clubs, volunteer everywhere, ace the ACTs, write the most awe-inspiring essay for her scholarship applications. Easy.
But then Mama and Baba announce the most unthinkable news: they’re getting a divorce.
Huda is devastated. She worries about what this will mean for her family, their place in the Muslim community, and her future. Her grades start tanking, she has a big fight with her best friend, and everything feels out of control. Will her life ever feel normal again? Huda F wants to know.
Huda Fahmy grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, and has loved comics since she was a kid. She attended the University of Michigan where she majored in English. She taught English to middle and high schoolers for eight years before she started writing about her experiences as a visibly Muslim woman in America and was encouraged by her older sister to turn these stories into comics. Huda, her husband, Gehad, and their children reside in Houston, Texas.
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.
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.
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:
https://ko-fi.com/readwithsamia
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.
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:
https://ko-fi.com/readwithsamia
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