The Diverse Bookshelf

On the show this week, I'm speaking with Reem Gaafar, author of the novel, A Mouthful of Salt. This book is a really stunning, powerful story of a community in the north of Sudan, struck by calamity and loss. The book opens with a devastating scene of a boy gone missing and presumed to have drown, and the panic and grief in the wake of his search. Reem explores so much in this novel, including motherhood, the power of education, othering, community structures, tribalism and so much more. In this episode, we talk about all the themes Reem writes about, and the current war in Sudan, which has, at time of recording been going on for over 1 year. The war has led to millions of people being displaced, with nowhere to escape the violence, and over 18 million people are experiencing extreme hunger. As a trigger warning, we also talk about some sensitive issues including FGM, infertility, death, loss of children and trauma. If you don’t feel comfortable hearing about these issues right now, please do consider listening to another episode again and perhaps revisiting at a time that is better for you. Reem Gaafar is a writer, physician and filmmaker. Her writing has appeared in African Arguments, African Feminism, Teakisi Magazine, Andariya and 500 Words Magazine, among others. Her short story ‘Light of the Desert’ was published in I Know Two Sudans (Gipping Press UK, 2014) where it was awarded an Honourable Mention. Her short story ‘Finding Descartes’ was published in Relations: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices (HarperVia, 2023). A Mouth Full of Salt is her debut novel and Winner of the Island Prize 2023. Gaafar lives in Canada with her husband and three sons. ---- 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/thediversebookshelfpod Support the Show.

This episode is a special bonus episode with scholar, writer and translator, Shaimaa Abulebda, from within Rafah, in Gaza. Shaymaa’s family home in east Khan Younis brings together her 8 married siblings, and for her nieces and nephews, it is their grandparents’ house. Shaimaa has lived through the second intifada, and all the aggressions on Gaza since 2008 until this curren ongoing genocide.With dreams of getting a PhD in literature, Shaimaa looked forwad to a bright future. She was lecturing at the Islamic University of Gaza, which has now been destroyed. Since October 7th, Shaimaa and her parents have been displaced three times and are now living in an over-crowded refugee camp in Rafah, where there is no food, clean water or electricity. Shaimaa is currently raising funds so her and her parents can leave Gaza and find safety in Egypt first, before thinking about what could come next. You can donate and support Shaimaa and her family here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-evacuate-shaimaa-and-her-parents-from-gaza-o In her own words, Shaimaa has described the extensive stress, pain and pressure on the people of Gaza, the way in which everyone is losing weight and strength due to forced starvation, how nobody can clean themselves properly, and how Shaymaa’s short term memory is being impacted every single day. I invited Shaimaa onto the podcast so she can share her story, and we can hear first-hand what life is like in Gaza, both today but also in the years that Shaimaa grew up. Due to a lack of strong internet connection and a quiet space, this episode has been put together from separate recordings, and Shaimaa recorded her story during the night from a refugee camp. While listening you might hear some sound disturbances and hear background noise: war planes, drones, and other people. --- 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/thediversebookshelfpod Support the Show.

On the show this week, I spoke to Nigar Alam about her stunning debut Novel, Under the Tamarind Tree, which I absolutely love. In this episode we talk all about Partition voices an d stories, Pakistan, class, identity, friendships, displacement and so much more. Author Nigar Alam was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and spent her childhood in Turkey, Nigeria, Italy, Kenya, Indonesia and the United States. She currently lives in Minnesota and teaches at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. “Under the Tamarind Tree” is Alam’s debut novel and is set in the seaside city of Karachi. The main character, a woman named Rozeena, opens the novel sitting on her veranda near a garden shaded by palm and Ashoka trees, where she receives a call from someone she knew in the past. The rest of the book fluctuates between a dual timeline and follows Rozeena and her friends in the decades after the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. 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/thediversebookshelfpod Support the Show.

On this week’s show, I’m speaking to Ela Lee, author of the debut novel, Jaded. Now, I absolutely loved Jaded. I cried several times while reading it, and found a sense of commoradory, validation and being seen that I didn’t even know was missing. Ela writes a multi-layered story of her character, Jade, who is British-Korean-Turkish. Having gone to a prestigious University, Jade is now a 20-something professional lawyer working in a law firm in London. One night, a devastating incident takes place that sparks a huge internal and external unravelling for Jade, and the novel explores themes of identity, privilege, race, patriarchy, corporate success and so much more. Ela Lee is a London-based author. She studied Law at the University of Oxford and previously practised as a City lawyer. During the pandemic, Ela decided to focus on her love of writing and began work on her debut novel, Jaded, that explores themes of consent, race, and identity. 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/thediversebookshelfpod Support the Show.

On this week’s episode, I’m talking to the incredible Dana Dajani, Palestinian spoken word-artist, singer, actress and activist. We’re talking about the incredible power of storytelling and poetry in preserving history, connecting us to our ancestors, resistance and activism. I ask Dana about her Palestinian heritage, the life of her beloved grandmother and so much more. Dana Dajani is an award-winning Palestinian writer, performer, and advocate. She lives and works between the Middle East, Europe, and the US. Dana’s work as an actress, trainer, and consultant has taken her around the world- from performing at the Sydney Opera House and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, to creating a Drama Therapy Program for children with Autism in the UAE, where she was honored as Emirates Woman “Artist of the Year”, and received the “Young Arab Award for Entertainment” among other recognitions. Known for her original spoken word poetry, Dana’s background in theatre has informed and influenced writing, and allowed her to create a unique style of solo performance. Part spoken-word, part one-woman show, Dana uses gesture, character, and a simple scarf to transport audiences across various social justice themes through her characters. 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/thediversebookshelfpod Support the Show.

This week on the podcast, I’m welcoming back my friend, the incredibly insightful and thoughtful, Dr. Sofia Rehman. Sofia now has a second book out in the world, called Gendering the Hadith: Recentering the Authority of Aisha, Mother of the Believers, which is her Phd thesis published as a book. On the show this week, we dig deep into understanding translations and interpretations, understanding Aisha bint Abu Bakr even better, what we can learn from Aisha and the Prophet (saw) about justice, hope and resilience, and so much more. Dr Sofia Rehman is an independent scholar specialising in Islam and Gender. She works as a knowledge building consultant for Musawah Movement, a global organisation committed to the reform of Muslim family law in line with gender egalitarian readings of Islam. As a PhD candidate she was a PG Impact Fellow at the Centre of Religion and Public Life and PRHS Scholar. She is founder of the Islam and Gender read alongs in which she facilitates readings of academic texts penned by Muslim scholars in conversation with a global virtual audience and has recently been featured by Vogue Arabia, Refinery29 and The Independent. She is the author of a Treasury of Aisha bint Abu Bakr (Kube publishing) and, Gendering the Hadith: Recentering the Authority of Aisha, Mother of the Believers (Oxford University Press). She is a contributor to Mapping Faith: Theologies of Migration edited by Lia Shimada, Cut From the Same Cloth? Edited by Sabeena Akhtar, Violent Phenomena: 21 Essays on Translation (Tilted Axis), and Gathering: Women of Colour on Nature (404Ink). You can connect with her on her Instagram @Sofia_reading where she talks about all things related to books, faith and academia. 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/thediversebookshelfpod ---- Today’s episode was brought to you by Muslim Charity, a faith-based international charity, working around the world to tackle poverty, hunger and thirst. They deliver your Zakat and Sadaqah with honesty and transparency, reaching those in need with impactful projects, all year round. Muslim Charity provide vulnerable communities with life-saving healthcare, clean water, food, livelihood opportunities and education, helping everyone to thrive. If you’re looking for a charity you can trust, especially when it comes to your Zakat and Sadaqah, Muslim Charity is the one for you. Visit www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia to check out some of my favourite, impactful projects. www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia Support the Show.

On this week’s episode, I’m talking to Matthew Robinson, humanitarian filmmaker about his work and debut book, 104 In the Shade: Travels of a Humanitarian Filmmaker. I speak to Matthew about his experiences, what he’s learnt, and how we can do more to protect dignity and empowerment when it comes to marketing and social media in the humanitarian sector. Founder of Migration Films, artist and film maker Matthew Robinson (Muhammad Abdul Mateen) has worked in the media industry for 25 years, as an editor on TV staples such as Strictly Come Dancing, Xtra Factor Rewind, The Only Way is Essex and Big Brother, SAS Who Dares Wins, and as a Director shooting short films for artists such as David Lachapelle and Dale vN Collins; music videos for Mark Owen of Take That and British rapper Roots Manuva; and editing movies ‘The Story Of’ and ‘White Collar Hooligan 2’. In the last 6 years Matthew has moved into production for the charity sector, where he has applied his skills to make a tangible difference to people’s lives, making videos and documentaries for various projects. Subjects include filming a cross-Europe aid convoy to Greece; refugee camps in Lebanon and Turkey; open heart surgery on babies in Tanzania; water wells in Ethiopia and Bangladesh; food and water distributions in the desert in Somalia and Yemen; marathons in Morocco and Palestine and a rickshaw challenge in Pakistan. In 2020 he studied ‘Humanitarian Response to Conflict and Disaster’ at Harvard University and has since set up Migration Relief, a charity aimed at serving refugees and internally displaced people. ‘104 IN THE SHADE: Travels Of A Humanitarian Film Maker’ is his debut book. 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/thediversebookshelfpod ---- Today’s episode was brought to you by Muslim Charity, a faith-based international charity, working around the world to tackle poverty, hunger and thirst. They deliver your Zakat and Sadaqah with honesty and transparency, reaching those in need with impactful projects, all year round. Muslim Charity provide vulnerable communities with life-saving healthcare, clean water, food, livelihood opportunities and education, helping everyone to thrive. If you’re looking for a charity you can trust, especially when it comes to your Zakat and Sadaqah, Muslim Charity is the one for you. Visit www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia to check out some of my favourite, impactful projects. www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia Support the Show.

I really hope this week’s episode helps you feel empowered, uplifted and inspired. Today, my guest is the powerhouse, Sarah Joseph, who has been working in media for decades. Sarah Joseph came to Islam at the age of just 16, having moved away from the Catholic church. She has been on a phenomenal journey with her faith, sharing with us all her experiences, insights and reflections about faith, loving God, doing good and about justice. Sarah has been someone I have looked up to for a very long time, and am always so grateful for her guidance, support and love, and I’m so glad she’s my guest today. On the show, we talk about what's happening in Palestine and around the world, slowing down in Ramadan, justice, peace, the future, the power of reading and so much more Sarah Joseph is a globally renowned Muslim figure, respected for her innovative and independent thinking. She is a writer and broadcaster specialising in topics pertaining to faith, social change, environment, and education. She was listed as one of the World’s 500 most influential Muslims, one of Europe’s most influential leaders under 40, and has an OBE from the Queen. A graduate of King’s College London and University College London, Sarah is an internationally recognised public speaker. In 2003 Sarah founded emel - a brand which first created the concept and then detailed the progression of Muslim Lifestyle. The brand fundamentally changed the way Muslims were marketed to, and made Sarah an expert in contemporary Muslim consumers and ethics. Sarah has made countless media appearances including for the BBC, CNN and Al-Jazeera. She has also appeared on the Doha Debates. Sarah has written for international newspapers including UK’s The Times and The Guardian, and scripted and recorded for a variety of BBC and independent radio productions. She has a regular slot on the BBC’s most listened to radio show, The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show. 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/thediversebookshelfpod ---- Today’s episode was brought to you by Muslim Charity, a faith-based international charity, working around the world to tackle poverty, hunger and thirst. They deliver your Zakat and Sadaqah with honesty and transparency, reaching those in need with impactful projects, all year round. Muslim Charity provide vulnerable communities with life-saving healthcare, clean water, food, livelihood opportunities and education, helping everyone to thrive. If you’re looking for a charity you can trust, especially when it comes to your Zakat and Sadaqah, Muslim Charity is the one for you. Visit www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia to check out some of my favourite, impactful projects. www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia Support the Show.

We are now in the sacred month of Ramadan, where millions of Muslims around the world will be fasting – abstaining from food and drink, from dawn to dusk every day for 30 days. It is a time of heightened spirituality and worship, and so I think today’s guest is most fitting for the month ahead of us. On today's episode, I’m speaking to Aliyah Umm Raiyaan about her new book, the Power of Duaa. This book is a beautiful, poignant reminder about turning to God in all times – good and bad, ease and hardship, and improving our relationship with our creator and in turn, harnessing the profound power that dua, making supplication and asking of God, can have. Aliyah Umm Raiyaan reverted to Islam in 1999. Aliyah is the Sunday Times Bestselling author of Penguin published, 'Ramadan Reflections' and The Power of Du'a. She is also the Founder and CEO of Registered Charity Solace UK who support revert women in difficulty. Aliyah is the co-host of YouTube show Honest Tea Talk. Aliyah lives with her family in East London where she home educates her children. 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/thediversebookshelfpod ---- Today’s episode was brought to you by Muslim Charity, a faith-based international charity, working around the world to tackle poverty, hunger and thirst. They deliver your Zakat and Sadaqah with honesty and transparency, reaching those in need with impactful projects, all year round. Muslim Charity provide vulnerable communities with life-saving healthcare, clean water, food, livelihood opportunities and education, helping everyone to thrive. If you’re looking for a charity you can trust, especially when it comes to your Zakat and Sadaqah, Muslim Charity is the one for you. Visit www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia to check out some of my favourite, impactful projects. www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia Support the Show.

On today’s show, I’m talking to Suhaiymah Manzoor Khan about her latest book, Seeing For Ourselves: And even stranger possibilities. Suhaiymah is one of the most thoughtful, intelligent and intro-spective people I know, and I absolutely love all the work she is doing and what she puts out into the world. Seeing For Ourselves feels quite different to Suhaiymah’s other books, and offers more personal reflections on identity, faith, belonging, grief, love and activism. In her book, Suhaiymah encourages us to move beyond the white western gaze, and focus on the only gaze that really matters: that of Allah. Its such a powerful little book, forcing us to rethink our values, ideas and intentions, and encouraging us to embrace our true authentic selves, away from the gazes upon us. Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan is a writer, poet and educator disrupting understandings of history, race, knowledge and violence. She works to equip herself and others with the tools and faith to resist the unliveable conditions we find ourselves in, and work towards another reality. Suhaiymah’s latest book, Seeing for Ourselves: And even stranger possibilities came out with Hajar Press in September 2023. Prior to this she authored Tangled in Terror: Uprooting Islamophobia (Pluto Press, 2022) which was widely endorsed by the likes of Lowkey, Moazzam Begg, Fatima Manji, Lola Olufemi and more. I really hope you enjoy this episode. It would mean so much if you could rate, like and subscribe, and if you could leave a review of the show. It really helps :) Lets connect on social media: www.instagram.com/readwithsamia www.instagram.com/thediversebookshelfpod ---- Today’s episode was brought to you by Muslim Charity, a faith-based international charity, working around the world to tackle poverty, hunger and thirst. They deliver your Zakat and Sadaqah with honesty and transparency, reaching those in need with impactful projects, all year round. Muslim Charity provide vulnerable communities with life-saving healthcare, clean water, food, livelihood opportunities and education, helping everyone to thrive. If you’re looking for a charity you can trust, especially when it comes to your Zakat and Sadaqah, Muslim Charity is the one for you. Visit www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia to check out some of my favourite, impactful projects. www.muslimcharity.org.uk/samia Support the Show.

This week's episode is a conversation with the wonderful and much loved, Sairish Hussain, about her latest novel, Hidden Fires. Sairish was one of the first guests on the show back in 2022, and so it is so lovely to be in conversation again, this time about her new novel. When debut novels are such a success, it can feel daunting to pick up an author’s second novel, wondering if it is just as amazing. But friends, I can confirm, Hidden Fires is incredible. It is the moving story of loss, grief and secrets buried deep within, and the beautiful, unlikely friendship between a grandfather and his teenage granddaughter. In her novel, Sairish writes about family, mental health, growing up, and the Partition of India. Sairish Hussain is a Bradford based author and Lecturer in Creative Writing. Her debut novel, The Family Tree, was published by HarperCollins and shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, the Portico Prize and The Diverse Book Awards. It was also longlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award and winner of Calibre Audio's 'Hidden Gem' Prize. Sairish was selected by Kei Miller as one of ten ‘unmissable writers working in the UK’ for the International Literature Showcase 2021. She was one of the finalists in the Women’s Prize & Good Housekeeping Futures Award, an initiative which celebrates the most promising emerging female authors today. Hidden Fires is her second novel. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I loved speaking to Sairish. Please do like, subscribe and follow on your podcast platform of choice. It would mean so much if you would rate and leave a review. I'd love to hear from you. Connect with me on Instagram: www.instagram.com/readwithsamia www.instagram.com/thediversebookshelfpod. You can also now find the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thediversebookshelfpod Support the Show.

On the show this week, I’m talking to Nadeine Asabali about her book, Veiled Threat: On being visibly Muslim in Britain. In her book, Nadeine addresses the myriad of experiences of Muslim hijabi women, and the many different facets of racism, Islamaphobia and mysogigny experienced. Being a mixed raced child, with a Libyan father and a white English mother, Nadeine often passed as a white kid, until she started wearing the hijab and everything changed. In this episode, we talk all about her book, Islamaphobia, the pitfalls of white liberal feminism, the criminalisation of Muslim identity in Britain and so much more. Nadeine Asbali is a British Muslim writer and secondary school teacher living in east London. Growing up with an English mother and a Libyan father in an overwhelmingly white town and deciding to wear the hijab as a teenager are experiences that have shaped the trajectory of her life and her writing, forming the foundations of a freelance writing career that explores the themes of identity, social policy, racism and Islamophobia for national and international publications, including the i, The Guardian, theNew Arab and Glamour. Nadeine is also a Metro columnist and regularly writes about schools and education policy, specialising in how Muslim and ethnic minority pupils are represented by the British education system. I hope you find this episode insightful, interesting and enlightening. Please do follow and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. I'd really appreciate it if you would rate and leave a review, as it helps more people find out about the show :) Also, you can now help support the show by joining me on Patreon. When you subscribe, you could get access to an exclusive episode right to your inbox, each month! www.patreon.com/thediversebookshelfpodcast Support the Show.

For this week's podcast episode, I'm speaking to Rowan Hisayo Buchanan about her latest novel, The Sleep Watcher. We talk about what sleep-watching is, and what we would really discover if we could secretly see the world while asleep. We also talk about mental health, family dynamics, mixed-race identity, writing, and so much more. This episode was recorded back in September :) Rowan Hisayo Buchanan is a Japanese-British-Chinese-American writer. Her debut novel, Harmless Like You was published in 2016 by Sceptre and won the Author’s Club First Novel Award and a Betty Trask award. It was also shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize, the Books Are My Bag Breakthrough Author Award and longlisted for the Jhalak Prize. Rowan Hisayo Buchanan was the recipient of a Margins fellowship for the Asian American Writers Workshop, has a BA from Columbia University, an MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is currently working on a PhD at the University of East Anglia. Her writing has appeared in the short story anthology How Much the Heart Can Hold (Sceptre), the Guardian, New York Times, Granta, The Paris Review and The Atlantic among other places. She has lived in London, New York, Tokyo, Madison and Norwich. If you enjoyed this episode, please do rate, like, follow, subscribe and leave a review. It really helps :) Also, you can help me continue putting out great episodes like these by joining me on Patreon. Join my community today and you could receive an exclusive podcast episode right to your inbox, every month: www.patreon.com/thediversebookshefpodcast Lets connect on social media - I'd love to hear from you <3 www.instagram.com/readwithsamia Support the Show.

In this week's episode, I’m speaking to Aamina Ahmad, about her novel, The Return of Faraz Ali, which I found so moving, multi-layered and immersive, taking us into the heart of the red-light district of Lahore. We follow Faraz Ali, from when he is removed from his courtesan mother as just 5 years old, and as he grows up with a longing to understand who he is and where he comes from. The story involves a detective crime plot, and spans multiple timelines including the second world war, and the 1971 Bangladesh war of independence. I really enjoyed it, and I’m so pleased to be speaking to Aamina today. Aamina Ahmad is a British fiction writer and playwright based in the U.S. She has two book publications, the play The Dishonoured and the novel The Return of Faraz Ali, which was named a "new work to read" by The New York Times, "quietly stunning" by The New York Times Book Review, and a "most anticipated" book by both The Millions and Book Culture. She is a creative writing professor at the University of Minnesota and the winner of a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writer's Award. This episode was recorded back in September 2023. If you enjoyed this episode, please do leave a review, and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. Also, come connect with me on social media: www.instagram.com/readwithsamia You can now support the podcast, and help me put out great conversations like these. Join my community on Patreon, and when you subscribe you could get access to an exclusive, bonus episode every month: https://www.patreon.com/thediversebookshelfpodcast Support the Show.

My guest on the show this week, is Sim Kern, an author whose work I came across only recently. Alongside being a published author, Sim is a content creator, using Instagram and Tik Tok as key tools in her activist life, making videos that inform, educate and empower. Sim is an anti-zionist Jew, dedicating huge amounts of time to the Palestinian liberation movement, while dismantling Israeli propaganda and narratives about the Zionist colonial project. At the time of recording, the genocidal war on Gaza has been taking place for almost 4 months, with over 30,000 people in Gaza having been killed. Over a million people have been displaced from their homes and are starving, living without clean water, shelter, healthcare, and have nowhere safe to go. Sim Kern is a Gulf Coast author and environmental journalist writing about climate change, queer identity, and social justice. Their debut horror novella, Depart, Depart!, was selected for the Honor List for the 2020 Otherwise Award. Their short story collection, Real Sugar is Hard to Find, was hailed in a starred review by Publishers Weekly as, “a searing, urgent, but still achingly tender work that will wow any reader of speculative fiction.” As a journalist, they report on petrochemical polluters and drag space billionaires. Sim’s latest novel is called The Free People's Village, set in an alternative reality of 2020, where a war on climate change has been announced. You can find Sim on social media here: www.instagram.com/sim_bookstagrams_badly https://www.tiktok.com/@simkern If you enjoyed this episode, please do let me know! I'd love it if you could follow, subscribe and leave a review. Come find me on social media :) www.instagram.com/readwithsamia www.instagram.com/thediversebookshelfpod Also, if you'd like to support the podcast, you can now join my community on Patreon. When you subscribe, you could get access to a special exclusive episode directly to your inbox every month! www.patreon.com/thediversebookshelfpodcast Support the Show.

On the show this week, I'm speaking to Sheela Banerjee about her book, What's In a Name. Our names are possibly one of the most important pillars of our identities. Often given to us by somebody else, usually parents or a family member, they usually mean something. For many of us, our names reflect a tie to our heritage, our faith, and our history. What is even more interesting, is how our names interact with the world we currently find ourselves living in. This week, I’m speaking to Sheela Banerjee about her book, What’s In A Name, where she explores all these things and more. It’s fascinating. Sheela Banerjee is a journalist and academic and worked for many years at the BBC and Channel 4, directing programmes which told powerful stories of individual lives. She has also worked as a radio reporter and BBC producer on current affairs and political programmes. She left TV to undertake a PhD on Virginia Woolf and T.S. Eliot. What’s in a Name? is her first book. I really hope you enjoy this episode, and I'd love to hear from you. Following, subscribing, rating and leaving a review really means SO much. You can now support the show and help me keep putting out great and important episodes like these. Join my community on Patreon, and when you subscribe, you'll get access to an exclusive bonus episode each month, straight to your inbox. Come find me on Patreon: www.patreon.com/thediversebookshelfpodcast Also, let's connect on social media! I'd love to hear from you. www.instagram.com/readwithsamia www.instagram.com/thediversebookshelfpod Support the Show.

On the show this week, I'm speaking to journalist and author, Azad Essa about his latest book, Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance between India and Israel. At the time of recording this episode, the genocide in Gaza has been going on for over 90 days, with over 30,000 people having been killed, and 1.9 million people forcibly displaced from their homes. The population of Gaza is being starved amid relentless bombardments targeting journlists, authors, institutes, hospitals and schools. Right now, more than ever, it it important for us to take a deeper look at the world around us. In his latest book, Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance between India and Israel, Azad Essa brings to the fore the important relationship between the two countries, discussing the occupations of Kashmir and Palestine, as well as the attacks in India on Muslim and minority communities. He encourages us to not turn away from this critical relationship, expanding our understanding of major players within the political arena. This is more important than ever now, as at the time of recording, Israel’s attacks and genocide in Gaza relentlessly continue. Over 22,000 people have been reported dead, and with thousands trapped under rubble, the real figure is likely to be much higher. Azad Essa is a senior reporter for Middle East Eye based between Johannesburg and New York City. Azad previously worked for Al Jazeera English between 2010-2018 in which he was part of a team that won numerous awards for our breaking news and in depth coverage of the Arab Spring. Azad has reported from across the African continent, as well as South Asia, covering politics, development and poverty. His four-part investigation into the shocking behavior of peacekeepers in war zones, titled: Why do some peacekeepers rape? won the 2017 UN Correspondents Association International Prize (Silver) for coverage on UN activities. Azad has also written for The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, The Guardian, among others. Just a reminder, that you can now support the show. Join my community on Patreon, and get access to an exclusive bonus episode every month :) Join here: www.patreon.com/thediversebookshelfpodcast I hope you enjoy this episode, and would love to hear from you. Come connect with me on social media: www.instagram.com/readwithsamia Support the Show.

This week's podcast episode is a super interesting conversation with Celina Baljeet Basra. In Celina’s debut novel, Happy, she introduces us to the protagonist of the same name – Happy. Coming from a farming family in Punjab, we follow him as he makes a huge decision to leave his family home in India and to travel to Europe for work. Celina provides us with a witty and nuanced look into the food industry in Europe, as well as the experience of labour migrants and their families. She raises vital questions around human dignity, human rights, the pursuit for happiness and success in life, and whether we are asking the right questions with regards to living ethically. Happy is written in a non-traditional format, making the reading experience so much more interesting and nuanced. Celina is a writer and curator based in Berlin. She graduated from the Free University of Berlin, where she studied Art History in a Global Context, and has since worked with Berlin Biennale, Galerie im Turm, and other institutions at the local and international level. She has a range of residencies under her belt and she was awarded both curatorial and literary research scholarships from the Berlin Senate. She is a founder of The Department of Love, a curatorial collective. I hope you enjoy this episode :) Come and let me know your thoughts on social media: www.instagram.com/readwithsamia You can now support the show by joining my community on Patreon! Subscribe today and help me continue putting out great episodes, and receive an exclusive bonus episode each month: patreon.com/TheDiverseBookshelfPodcast Support the Show.

This week's guest on the show is the hugely talented Isabella Hammad, author of The Parisian, and most recently, Enter Ghost. I love Isabella’s work, which is always so thoughtful, beautifully written, multi-layered and hugely informative and insightful. As a British Palestinian, Isabella tells stories of Palestinian families, enabling us to understand better, Palestinian history, Colonial projects, and what we are witnessing unfold in Palestine right now. At the time of recording this episode, towards the end of 2023, the most recent war on Gaza has been taking place for over 75 days, and the official death toll has crossed 20,000 people. Thousands are still trapped under rubble, and millions are also at risk from starvation, disease and the cold. I’m so glad to be talking about Palestine, and Isabella’s work today. Isabella Hammad was born in London. Her writing has appeared in Conjunctions, The Paris Review, The New York Times and elsewhere. She was awarded the 2018 Plimpton Prize for Fiction and a 2019 O. Henry Prize. Her first novel The Parisian (2019) won a Palestine Book Award, the Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and a Betty Trask Award from the Society of Authors in the UK. She was a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Honoree, and has received literary fellowships from MacDowell and the Lannan Foundation. She is currently a fellow at the Columbia University Institute for Ideas and Imagination in Paris. As always, I'd love to hear what you thought of this episode. Come connect with me on social media: www.instagram.com/readwithsamia www.instagram.com/thediversebookshelfpod You can now join me on Patreon, and join my community for £5 a month to support the show, so I can keep creating great episodes like these. Every subscriber will also get access to an exclusive, special bonus episode every month :) Join me here: http://patreon.com/TheDiverseBookshelfPodcast Support the Show.

This week, I bring you a special end of year episode! My husband, Malik Wasim, took to the interviewer's seat, and hosted a Q&A, asking me all about the show, books and bookstagram. I put a post out on Instagram asking friends and followers for their questions, so I hope this episode is fun and helpful :) 2023 has been a great year for the show. I moved to weekly episodes this year, and have had so many incredible, powerful and moving conversations. I'm so proud of, and grateful for this space, where we're holding important conversations, talking about things that really matter and sharing our stories. Please continue listening to the show in 2024, where I hope to be giving much more of the same, interviewing inspiring guests and talking all about books. As always, I'd love to hear from you. Please do subscribe to The Diverse Bookshelf on your podcast platform of choice, and connect with me on social media: www.instagram.com/readwithsamia If you'd like to support the show, please consider subscribing to my Patreon, here: https://www.patreon.com/TheDiverseBookshelfPodcast Or, if you'd prefer, please consider buying me a metaphorical coffee: https://ko-fi.com/readwithsamia Support the Show.