A event held at Bookhaus on Tuesday 20th May. The event starts at 18:30.
Are you writing something out of this world (literally)? Want some advice on how to take your book to the next stage? Our panel of experts – authors Nikesh Shukla and M. H. Ayinde, editor Zulekhá A. Afzal and agent Amandeep Singh – will offer inspiration about all things SFF writing, sharing how publishing works, giving a glimpse into the writing process, and discussing the books they’ve written and loved.
Nikesh Shukla is a novelist and screenwriter, currently working on a Spider-Man India comic book miniseries for Marvel as well as numerous television projects. Most recently, he released his first children’s book, called The Council Of Good Friends. He is the author of Coconut Unlimited(shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award),Meatspace and the critically acclaimed The One Who Wrote Destiny.
Nikesh is the editor of the bestselling essay collection, The Good Immigrant, which won the reader's choice at the Books Are My Bag Awards. He co-editedThe Good Immigrant USA with Chimene Suleyman. He is the author of three YA novels, Run, Riot (shortlisted for a National Book Award), The Boxer (longlisted for the Carnegie Medal) and Stand Up. Nikesh was one of Time Magazine’s cultural leaders, Foreign Policy magazine's 100 Global Thinkers and The Bookseller's 100 most influential people in publishing in 2016 and in 2017.
Nikesh’s memoir, Brown Baby: A Memoir Of Race, Family And Home was longlisted for the Jhalak Prize. He has also written a book on writing called Your Story Matters.
Nikesh wrote the award-winning short film, Two Dosas, a Channel 4 Comedy Lab called Kabadasses and has worked in numerous writer’s rooms both in the UK and US.
M. H. Ayinde was the 2021 winner of the Future Worlds Prize. Her debut epic fantasy trilogy will be published by Orbit Books, and began in spring 2025 with A Song of Legends Lost. Her short fiction has appeared in FIYAH Literary Magazine, F&SF, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and elsewhere. She is a runner, a lapsed martial artist, and a screen time enthusiast. She lives in London with three generations of her family and their Studio Ghibli obsession.
Amandeep Singh is an agent at Graham Maw Christie. Prior to this she spent 10 years working as an editor, bookseller and agent, most recently at Penguin Random House and The Good Literary Agency. During her time as a commissioning editor, she published only debut authors and as an agent continues to champion new voices and works in-depth on concept and editorial development. Amandeep has judged the Little, Brown New Voices award and has been a reader for WriteNow, the 4th Write Prize and HarperCollins’ Author Academy. Her authors have won or been nominated for the Creative Future Award, Austrian Science Book Prize, Pushcart Prize and Attitude Pride Award. Amandeep speaks French and Italian (and rusty Punjabi) and is looking for stories with heart and unforgettable characters.
Zulekhá Afzal began her career in marketing and is now an assistant editor at John Murray Press, where she works across the Baskerville, John Murray and JM One lists. Having always loved genre fiction, she’s drawn to mysterious stories brimming with atmosphere, and to characters that leap off the page and into your mind. Alongside working in editorial, Zulekhá is an author and her debut YA fantasy, DANCERS OF THE DAWN, was published in 2024 by Rock the Boat, Oneworld. She is now working on the sequel, which is coming out in 2026.
Tickets cost £6, which include a glass of wine or a soft drink. Presented by bookhaus.
*Future Worlds Prize has a small number of tickets to give away to people from low-income backgrounds. To get one of these tickets, please email [email protected].
All attendees will get a Future Worlds Prize goody bag.
Future Worlds Prize looks for great works of science fiction and fantasy by new writers. An annual prize, we're open to everything from space operas and dystopias to books set in magical worlds and more. Above all, we are always after really great stories!
The prize was founded in 2019 and is supported by author Ben Aaronovitch and actor Adjoa Andoh. Our previous winners are Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, M. H. Ayinde, Mahmud El Sayed and Ese Erheriene.
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
Nikesh Shukla is a novelist and screenwriter, currently working on a Spider-Man India comic book miniseries for Marvel as well as numerous television projects. Most recently, he released his first children’s book, called The Council Of Good Friends. He is the author of Coconut Unlimited(shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award),Meatspace and the critically acclaimed The One Who Wrote Destiny.
Nikesh is the editor of the bestselling essay collection, The Good Immigrant, which won the reader's choice at the Books Are My Bag Awards. He co-editedThe Good Immigrant USA with Chimene Suleyman. He is the author of three YA novels, Run, Riot (shortlisted for a National Book Award), The Boxer (longlisted for the Carnegie Medal) and Stand Up. Nikesh was one of Time Magazine’s cultural leaders, Foreign Policy magazine's 100 Global Thinkers and The Bookseller's 100 most influential people in publishing in 2016 and in 2017.
Nikesh’s memoir, Brown Baby: A Memoir Of Race, Family And Home was longlisted for the Jhalak Prize. He has also written a book on writing called Your Story Matters.
Nikesh wrote the award-winning short film, Two Dosas, a Channel 4 Comedy Lab called Kabadasses and has worked in numerous writer’s rooms both in the UK and US.
M. H. Ayinde was the 2021 winner of the Future Worlds Prize. Her debut epic fantasy trilogy will be published by Orbit Books, and began in spring 2025 with A Song of Legends Lost. Her short fiction has appeared in FIYAH Literary Magazine, F&SF, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and elsewhere. She is a runner, a lapsed martial artist, and a screen time enthusiast. She lives in London with three generations of her family and their Studio Ghibli obsession.
Amandeep Singh is an agent at Graham Maw Christie. Prior to this she spent 10 years working as an editor, bookseller and agent, most recently at Penguin Random House and The Good Literary Agency. During her time as a commissioning editor, she published only debut authors and as an agent continues to champion new voices and works in-depth on concept and editorial development. Amandeep has judged the Little, Brown New Voices award and has been a reader for WriteNow, the 4th Write Prize and HarperCollins’ Author Academy. Her authors have won or been nominated for the Creative Future Award, Austrian Science Book Prize, Pushcart Prize and Attitude Pride Award. Amandeep speaks French and Italian (and rusty Punjabi) and is looking for stories with heart and unforgettable characters.
Zulekhá Afzal began her career in marketing and is now an assistant editor at John Murray Press, where she works across the Baskerville, John Murray and JM One lists. Having always loved genre fiction, she’s drawn to mysterious stories brimming with atmosphere, and to characters that leap off the page and into your mind. Alongside working in editorial, Zulekhá is an author and her debut YA fantasy, DANCERS OF THE DAWN, was published in 2024 by Rock the Boat, Oneworld. She is now working on the sequel, which is coming out in 2026.
Tickets cost £6, which include a glass of wine or a soft drink. Presented by bookhaus.
*Future Worlds Prize has a small number of tickets to give away to people from low-income backgrounds. To get one of these tickets, please email [email protected].
All attendees will get a Future Worlds Prize goody bag.
Future Worlds Prize looks for great works of science fiction and fantasy by new writers. An annual prize, we're open to everything from space operas and dystopias to books set in magical worlds and more. Above all, we are always after really great stories!
The prize was founded in 2019 and is supported by author Ben Aaronovitch and actor Adjoa Andoh. Our previous winners are Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson, M. H. Ayinde, Mahmud El Sayed and Ese Erheriene.
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
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