The following manuscripts are shortlisted for the 2018 SI Leeds Literary Prize:
- BABA JI ON BOULTON ROAD – Kavita Bhanot
- LET US LOOK ELSEWHERE – Mona Dash
- HIBISCUS, ROSE, JACARANDA – Omega Douglas
- WOLNAM – Yoanna Pak
- ONE MAN’S REVOLUTION – Yvonne Singh
- SAY GOODBYE TO HER – Shereen Tadros
Congratulations to all our shortlisted writers! We would love you to come and meet the shortlist and be introduced to their fantastic writing at some forthcoming literary events this autumn, including the Prize award ceremony on Wednesday 3 October at Ilkley Literature Festival. More details are here – please spread the word and join us!
Meet our shortlisted writers and read excerpts from their work:
Kavita Bhanot
Kavita Bhanot
Kavita Bhanot’s fiction, non-fiction, reviews have been published and broadcast widely, including the landmark essay ‘Decolonise, not Diversify’ (Media Diversified/Lines of Dissent.) She is editor of the anthology Too Asian, Not Asian Enough (Tindal Street Press 2011), the forthcoming Book of Birmingham (Comma Press, 2018) and co-editor of the Bare Lit anthology (Brain Mill Press, 2017). She has a PhD from Manchester University, and is currently a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at Leicester University, where she is also a Creative Writing Fellow. She has been selected as a 2018 Room 204 writer by Writing West Midlands. For the last eight years, she has been working as a reader and mentor with The Literary Consultancy. A deep interest in the politics of reading and writing is at the heart of Kavita’s work. Read an extract from Kavita’s shortlisted entry, Baba ji on Boulton Road: Baba ji on Boulton Road by Kavita Bhanot (excerpt)
Mona Dash
Mona Dash
Mona Dash writes fiction and poetry. Her work includes a novel ‘Untamed Heart’ (Tara India Research Press, 2016), and two poetry collections, ‘Dawn- Drops’ (Writer’s Workshop India, 2001) and ‘A certain way’ (Skylark Publications, UK 2016). Mona was awarded a ‘Poet of excellence’ award in the House of Lords’ in 2016. Her work has been published and anthologised widely. Mona has participated in readings in various London venues and literary festivals. Her short stories have been shortlisted and longlisted in various competitions such as Leicester Writes ’18, The Asian Writer ‘17, Fish Short story ‘16, Strand International ‘16, Words and Women’16. She won the Asian Writer UK 2018 short story prize. Mona leads a double life; a Telecoms engineer with a MBA, she works as a sales manager in a global technology organisation. Originally from India, she lives in London. Read an extract from Mona’s shortlisted entry, Let Us Look Elsewhere: The Act of Writing (excerpt) by Mona Dash
Omega Douglas
Omega Douglas
Omega Douglas has practiced as a journalist and editor for over 20 years. She has worked for Conde Nast, The Guardian, TI Media and the BBC, among others. She has also worked as a media consultant for various organisations, including the UN. Omega is currently undertaking a PhD in the Media and Communications Department at Goldsmiths College, London University, where she also teaches. Her research focuses on coverage of sub-Saharan Africa in UK media. She loves travelling, lived in Jamaica and Mozambique as a child,and has long harboured a dream of writing fiction. Hibiscus, Rose, Jacaranda is her first novel. Read an extract from Omega’s shortlisted entry, Hibiscus, Rose, Jacaranda: Hibiscus, Rose, Jacaranda by Omega Douglas (excerpt)
Yoanna Pak
Yoanna Pak
Yoanna Pak is a London-based teacher and PhD student, born in Toronto, Canada. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in French Language and Literature. After three years of teaching French Immersion in Toronto, she moved to Seoul, South Korea where she developed a deeper interest in her heritage. In 2011 she relocated to London. Whilst working as a primary school teacher, she earned her MA in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths College, where she is now pursuing her PhD, looking at representations of transgenerational trauma in literature. Wolnam is her first novel. Read an extract of Yoanna’s shortlisted entry, Wolnam: Wolnam by Yoanna Pak (excerpt)
Yvonne Singh
Yvonne Singh (photo by Linda Nylind)
Yvonne Singh is a journalist, writer and editor. She’s spent two decades working in national newspapers and magazines. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, The Observer, The Mirror, The London Evening Standard, among others. Her essay More than just a Dreamland … was published in the acclaimed anthology Know Your Place. The essay was also published in The Guardian’s Weekend magazine. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University and the manuscript One Man’s Revolution – a dark comedy about a grief-stricken young man who embarks on a bizarre penance – was awarded a distinction on the course. Read an extract of Yvonne’s shortlisted entry, One Man’s Revolution: One Man’s Revolution (excerpt) by Yvonne Singh
Shereen Tadros
Shereen Tadros
Shereen Tadros is apparently better at writing fiction than she is at writing her author bio. She has won various awards, including from the National Centre for Writing and Arts Council England. When not writing, she works as a doctor in a children’s hospital and looks after her four children. Both these pursuits involve more encounters with clowns than she is comfortable with. Read an extract of Shereen’s shortlisted entry, Say Goodbye to Her: Say Goodbye to Her by Shereen Tadros (excerpt)
