On this episode, I spoke to the lovely Cecile Pin about her debut novel, Wandering Souls.  Wandering Souls is such a strong debut, and has been long-listed for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2023! In this episode, we talk about Cecile's own family, her drive for telling the story of Vietnamese refugees, and why it is so important we understand the challenges faced by refugees everywhere.

I loved speaking with Cecile, and definitely think she's an author to watch!

Cecile Pin grew up in Paris and New York City. She moved to London at eighteen to study Philosophy at University College London, followed by an MA at King’s College London. She previously worked in publishing. She writes for Bad Form Review and is a London Writers Awards 2021 winner.Wandering Souls is her first novel and is longlisted for the Women’s Prize for fiction. It is being published in eleven territories in 2023. 

If you enjoyed this episode, please do consider rating and leaving a review on your podcast platform of choice, as it really helps more people find the podcast. Also, connect with me on social media - I'd love to hear from you!

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In this episode, I spoke to the highly talented and inspiring poet, Taher Adel. We talk about how and why poetry is such a great creative outlet and a way to explore one's identity and engage with the world. We also talked about his upcoming book, The Divine Names, which is a collection of short poems which each speak to each of Allah's 99 names. 

This episode is part of a mini-series for the month of Ramadan. Millions of Muslims are fasting from dawn to dusk for 30 days as part of a month of heightened spirituality and worship.

Taher Adel is a British-Bahraini poet and spoken word artist. He has an MA in Creative Writing and Poetry from the University of East Anglia in 2021. He was poet in residence for Wells-next-the-sea in 2019. He is the author of Lost&Found and The Names. His poems have also been published in Ambit, SMOKE Magazine, The New European, Gulf Daily News, Glassworks Magazine, Tedx, Poetry London Magazine and Poetry Salzburg Review.

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In this episode, I spoke to the insightful and inspiring, Suma Din, about her book Turning the Tide. We talk about the challenges women face today, the importance of making duaa, the soul, gratitude, aging, and so much more.

This episode is part of a mini-series for the month of Ramadan. Millions of Muslims are fasting from dawn to dusk for 30 days as part of a month of heightened spirituality and worship.

Suma Din is an author, researcher, educator and freelance writer. Her books range from children's to adult titles, specialising in writing for Muslim women. She continues her passion for strengthening the position of  families through her work to work with women and girls through professional  projects and in the voluntary sector. Suma is married and mum to three adult children. 

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On this episode, I talked to the inspiring, Aliyah Umm Raiyaan. Aliyah's debut book, Ramadan Reflections has been flying off bookshop shelves around the world, totally selling out in the UK, and  becoming a Sunday Times best-seller!

In this episode, we talk about her writing journey, and important topics around healing from trauma, forgiveness, truly understanding Allah (swt), being present, healing from your past and so much more. We talk about so many things, and Aliyah's wisdom and warmth oozes out, leaving us with so much to think about.

Aliyah Umm Raiyaan converted to Islam 23 years ago and has been involved in UK dawah for over 20 years. In 2010, she founded Solace UK, a charity that helps women who have converted to Islam and find themselves in difficulty. In 2019 she launched a YouTube show called Honest Tea Talk which brought unscripted conversations to the table about raw unspoken topics related to the Muslim community. She continues to devote her time to helping women achieve their full potential whilst emphasising the importance of developing a personal and close relationship with Allah.  Her book, Ramadan Reflections, published by Penguin, is now available. She lives in East London where she home educates her children.

This episode is part of a little mini-series for the month of Ramadan, focusing on spirituality and Islam. During Ramadan, millions of Muslims around the world are fasting, abstaining from food and drink from dawn to dusk for 30 days, as part of a month of heightened spirituality and God-consciousness.

If you enjoyed this episode, please do rate and review as it helps more people find the podcast. Also, I'd love to connect with you on social media:

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On this episode, I spoke to the wonderful Sofia Rehman, whose book reviews and recommendations on Instagram (@sofia_reading) have bought an immense amount of goodness in my life! Sofia's first book, A Treasury of Aisha bint Abu Bakr - Guidance from the Beloved of the Beloved was recently published by Kube Publishing.

We talk about so much in this episode, including why we need more literature by and about women, Sofia's own writing journey, the pursuit of justice, love for Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and being patient with all that we pray and ask for.

I loved every moment of speaking to Sofia. This conversation was full of so much depth, personal insight and beauty. I hope you too, find something healing and powerful to take from this. 

This episode is part of a little mini-series for the month of Ramadan, focusing on spirituality and Islam. During Ramadan, millions of Muslims around the world fast, abstaining from food and drink from dawn to dusk for 30 days, as part of a month of heightened spirituality and God-consciousness.

Please do follow Sofia on Instagram to learn more about her work: www.instagram.com/sofia_reading

If you enjoyed this episode, please do rate and review as it helps more people find the podcast. Also, I'd love to connect with you on social media:

www.instagram.com/readwithsamia
www.instagram.com/thediversebookshelfpod 

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Today's episode is part of a little mini-series for the month of Ramadan, focusing on spirituality and Islam. During Ramadan, millions of Muslims around the world fast, abstaining from food and drink from dawn to dusk for 30 days, as part of a month of heightened spirituality and God-consciousness.

In today's episode, I chat to the lovely Ruzina Ahad, about her book, Dream, Dua, Do. Dream, Dua, Do is a self-help book and journal with a twist - it is grounded in Islamic thought and faith, giving us the tools to harness the power of prayer, while dreaming big and living our best lives.

Ruzina is a British Bengali author, who lives in the UAE with her husband and kids. She has recently penned ‘dream du’a do’ a book which is a refreshingly engaging how-to guide targeted at Millenial Muslim women, to encourage them to not just survive in today’s world but thrive! She has been a teacher/teacher trainer for almost 15 years and has an MA in Leadership and management in education at Warwick university.

I really enjoyed speaking to Ruzina, and hope you also love this episode.
Please do follow, rate and review on your podcast platform of choice as it really helps more people find the podcast! 

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On this episode, I chat to the incredible poet, spoken word artist and writer, Sophia Thakur.

I’m really honoured to be hosting a poet and spoken word artist on the show for the first time today. Sophia Thakur is an inspirational young woman, delivering poetry that is beautiful, packs a punch and much-needed today. Her words appeal to our deepest sense of selves, as she explores love, family, identity, politics, friendships and so much more. She gives me the boost I need to allow myself to feel, follow my passions and lean into joy. I’m so glad she’s my guest today. 

Sophia Thakur won her first poetry award at 18, and since then she has performed at Glastonbury, Stylist’s Remarkable Women Awards, International conferences, and given multiple TED talks. She is a youth ambassador for the betterment of young Black girls, and has worked with charities including Cancer Research UK, and with brands such as MTV, Samsung and Nike. Sophia also worked with Walker Books in 2017 to create a piece of poetry inspired by The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, called “Poetry for the andem”. Sophia combines words with fashion, sport , music and social responsibility to push the traditional boundaries of poetry. In 2019, she published her first collection of poems, Somebody Give This Heart a Pen, to great critical acclaim, with Angie Thomas saying: “One of the most brilliant and necessary voices. The power of her words will affect generations.” Her second poetry collection Wearing My Mother's Heart was published at the end of 2022 and takes us on an emotionally charged journey through the past lives of women and considers what it means to be a woman in today’s society.

I loved every second of speaking to Sophia, and hope you do too. If you enjoyed the podcast, please follow the Diverse Bookshelf on your podcast platform of choice and connect with me on social media. I would really appreciate it if you could rate and leave a review, as it helps more people find the podcast. 

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Leila Aboulela is one of my go-to authors. I know her words are always full of wisdom and inspiration, telling fascinating and insightful stories. I've read quite a few of her books over the last few years, and so I'm so thrilled that she was my guest on the show.

In this episode, we talk about her new novel, River Spirit which is out in March 2023, published by Saqi Books in the UK. We also talk about historical fiction, re-centring women in historical narratives, understanding slavery and how it differed over time and throughout the world, and the role that faith plays in Leila's writing.

Leila Aboulela is the first-ever winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing. Nominated three times for the Orange Prize (now the Women’s Prize for Fiction), she is the author of numerous novels, including Bird Summons, The Kindness of Enemies, The Translator, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Minaret and Lyrics Alley, which was Fiction Winner of the Scottish Book Awards. Her collection of short stories Elsewhere, Home won the Saltire Fiction Book of the Year. Leila’s work has been translated into fifteen languages, and her plays The Insider, The Mystic Life and others were broadcast on BBC Radio. She grew up in Khartoum, Sudan, and now lives in Aberdeen, Scotland.

You can find Leila on instagram on: @leilaaboulela 

If you enjoyed this episode, please like and follow the podcast on your platform of choice and do consider leaving a review. It helps more people find the podcast.

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On this episode, I spoke to the delightful Aiwanose Odafen about her debut novel, Tomorrow I Become a Woman. We talk about love, complicated relationships, the societal pressures on women and finding hope. We also talk about female friendships, love in absence and writing. This was such a fun and lively conversation, despite the difficult topics we discuss! I hope you enjoy it :)

Aiwanose was born in Lagos, Nigeria. As a high school student, she was a gold and silver medalist in the National Mathematics Olympiad Competition. She graduated top of her class with a first-class degree in Accounting and is certified with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, United Kingdom. She holds an MBA from the Said Business School, University of Oxford and was the youngest graduant in her class at 21.

Prior to becoming a writer, Aiwanose worked as a consultant across industries, most recently, in the public health sector with an international NGO, helping to save lives.

She has contributed to published non-fiction works and participated in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus Trust Writing Workshop. She was longlisted for the 2020 Commonwealth Writers Short Story Prize. Tomorrow I Become a Woman is her first novel.

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On this episode, I chat to the highly intelligent and super inspiring Mikki Kendall. We talk about her book, Hood Feminism, which calls for an intersectional approach to feminism, understanding that until we address fundamental issues affecting black women, we will never have a true, thriving feminist movement.

I loved this conversation, touching base on so many important issues including poverty, race, class, access to healthcare and so much more.

Mikki Kendall is a writer, diversity consultant, and occasional feminist; she has appeared on the BBC, NPR, The Daily Show, PBS, Good Morning America, MSNBC, Al Jazeera, WBEZ, and Showtime, and discusses race, feminism, police violence, tech, and pop culture at institutions and universities across the country. She is the author of the New York Times-bestselling HOOD FEMINISM (recipient of the Chicago Review of Books Award and named a best book of the year by BBC, Bustle, and TIME). She is also the author of AMAZONS, ABOLITIONISTS, AND ACTIVISTS, a graphic novel illustrated by A. D’Amico. Her essays can be found at TIME, the New York Times, The Guardian, the Washington Post, Essence, Vogue, The Boston Globe, NBC, and a host of other sites.

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