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
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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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.
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/
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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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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