Ghosts at the Old Library
Saturday 7 and Friday 13 December
8:00 – 10:00pm
Levenshulme Old Library, Cromwell Grove, Levenshulme, Manchester, M19 3QE
December is made for books. Long cosy evenings with a warm drink in the company of words that carry you far away. Join me and five other fabulous writers at Levenshulme Old Library for two nights of spooky ghost telling. Hear us read from our specially commissioned stories inspired by memories, stories, and experiences of the neighbourhood. Unsettling winter tales that honour the tradition of ghost stories at Christmas.

Northern Fiction Alliance Winter Showcase
Thursday 12 December
6:30 – 8:00pm
Blackwell’s Bookshop, 146 Oxford Road Manchester M13 9GP
Delighted to be appearing as part of the Northern Fiction Alliance on Dec. 12TH at Blackwell’s bookshop in Manchester. I will be reading from my story from Comma Press’ newest anthology The Book of Manchester. The NFA is a radical publishing collective devised to showcase the creativity, diversity, and spirit of risk-taking that sets publishers in the North of England apart, and this event promises to be packed with talent and enthusiasm!

Northern Launch of the Third Space Anthology – exploring belonging
Saturday 19 October
4:00 – 6:00 pm
Portico Library, 57 Mosley St, Manchester M2 3HY
British South Asian poetry is flourishing but is still not being amply reflected in mainstream publishing, on poetry courses or through poetry societies. Third Space was set up by poet and artist Suman Gujral with an eye on filling this gap.
In collaboration with the award-winning independent publisher Renard Press, an open call for submissions went out in April 2024, and has resulted in a ground-breaking volume of 50 poems.
Please join us to learn more about the Third Space Project and an afternoon of poetry readings by South Asian poets.
There will be an open mic – so please do spread the word as we would love to hear new South Asian voices.

Saturday 05 October
At the inaugural Withington Book Festival I talked about the joys and challenges of writing across maps and what belonging really means today.

Wednesday June 12 2024
5:30 – 7:30 pm
Old Trafford Library, Limelight Pharmacy, 1 St Brides Way, Old Trafford, Stretford, Manchester M16 9NW
As part of Festival of Libraries, I hosted a free author talk and creative writing workshop at Old Trafford Library.

Wednesday July 10, 2024
6:00 – 8:00 pm
The Portico Library, 57 Mosley Street. Manchester, M2 3HY
A summer’s evening celebrating the best of Manchester writing.
Award-winning writers Abi Hynes, Adam Farrar, David Hartley, Isabelle Kenyon, Jo Howard, Reshma Ruia, Sarah Schofield, Steve Smythe, Tania Hershman and Zena Barrie read from their latest works.

Wednesday 17 April 2024
Altrincham Library, 2 Pott St, Altrincham WA14 1AH
An evening of reading and creative writing at Altrincham Library.

A Comma Press Collaboration with Write Out Loud Tickets
Monday 15 Apr 2024 | 7:00pm
Waterside Arts Centre, 1 Waterside Sale M33 7ZF
Comma Press Writers’ evenings are perfect for beginner writers to experiment with new forms and meet new people!
The evening started with a creative writing workshop and was followed by a panel discussion about writing craft and cross-genre experimentation, from poetry to fiction.

Friday 8 March 2024 | 7:00 – 9:00 pm
Levenshulme Old Library, Cromwell Grove, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 3QE
I talked about the weird and uncanny as part of International Women’s Day Celebrations alongside some fabulous writers.

Author Visit to St. George’s School, La Storta, Via Cassia, Rome, Italy
Friday 16 February 2024
Sometimes the past isn’t a foreign country. It was lovely to return to Rome and my old school St George’s as a visiting author and enthuse a new generation of literature lovers. In an age of digital overload and short attention spans, it was gratifying to see there is still a hunger for the written word inside the pages of a book.

For those of us who live across cultures and languages, separated by thousands of miles from places of our origin, home is always fluid and indefinable and yet returning to India for the Jaipur Literature Festival felt like a definite homecoming. It was a pleasure and a privilege to hear so many great minds and to have the opportunity to talk about my novel, Still Lives with Bee Rowlatt and have it ‘launched’ by none other than Amish Tripathi. Jaipur Literature Festival has an energy and a cerebral fizz that is unique. I was quite blown away by the enthusiastic crowds, the spirit of enquiry and the sheer love for books. In an uncertain world where the center seems to be collapsing, these few days in the pink city felt like a golden reprieve. Here are a few pics from my event:

Thursday 2 November 2023
Maggie’s Centre, The Robert Parfett Building The Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, 15 Kinnaird Rd, Manchester M20 4QL
It was a pleasure to be back at Maggie’s to run a creative writing workshop. The theme we chose was Peace. It felt pertinent to what is happening around us today. Set in a peaceful garden, the Centre provides emotional and practical support to those impacted by cancer.

Wednesday 25 October 2023
Waterstones, Piccadilly, 203-206 Piccadilly, St. James’s, London W1J 9HD

Sunday 8 October 2023
Gladstone’s Library, Church Lane, Hawarden, Flintshire CH5 3DF
I was at Gladstone’s Library in North Wales, talking about writing in an interactive afternoon session.