Wasafiri Magazine

Four people sit facing an audience. To the left is a person holding the microphone. They have short black hair and are wearing a black denim jacket. Next along is a person with very long blonde hair. They are wearing a white long-sleeve top. Second to right is a person with short black hair and glasses. They are wearing a black vest. Furthest to the right is a person with a black afro. They are wearing glasses and a white tshirt with a graphic on the front.

Four people sit facing an audience. To the left is a person holding the microphone. They have short black hair and are wearing a black denim jacket. Next along is a person with very long blonde hair. They are wearing a white long-sleeve top. Second to right is a person with short black hair and glasses. They are wearing a black vest. Furthest to the right is a person with a black afro. They are wearing glasses and a white tshirt with a graphic on the front.

It was a packed room for our Toxic Love & Borders event with Sophie Chauhan, Sasha Debevec-McKenney, lisa minerva luxx, & Vida Adamczewski ✨ The poetry afternoon was held at whitechapelgallery.bsky.social in partnership with the Centre for Contemporary Writing (QMUL) & @fitzcarraldoeds.bsky.social.

Longlist 2025 The Warwick Prize for Women in Translation Longlist 2025

Congratulations to Wasafiri friends and contributors @juanapoetry.bsky.social, Don Mee Choi, Han Kang, and George Szirtes on gaining a place on the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation Longlist 2025! 🙌

Dark blue background. White text reads: ‘Out of a crop of truly excellent, exciting, and innovative new writing, the jury chose “Iko of Benin, King’s Diver” by Jo Bardsley for its powerfully imagined characters, its dream-like metaphors, and for taking us to a time and place we had never imagined existed before. Congratulations, Jo, and thank you for the ride.’ Anton Hur, Fiction Judge on ‘Iko of Benin, King’s Diver’ by Jo Bardsley

Dark blue background. White text reads: ‘Two words sum up our winners: accomplished and assured. Our winners have all given us judges the thrill and pleasure that only good writing can give. These winning entries not only speak to the moment but will also remain relevant beyond the moment. They manage to balance the requirements of craft with political realities – be it in language, in history, or in our environment – and are both immediate and enduring.’ Romesh Gunesekera Chair

Dark blue background. White text reads: ‘Flora Beagley’s poem “Sutton Hoo” performs a similar excavation to the one that pulled far-flung treasure out of the flatlands of East Anglia. Its ghostly voice reanimates a buried watery world of kinship across distance. It reminds us that English has always been made of immigrant languages, and that the further back you look into the history of these islands, what you find is not purity but strangeness and the trace of epic journeys. The final line – “swuster, swuster, bróþor, bróþor” – strikes me as the simplest, strongest, most haunting expression of our common humanity.’ Yasmine Seale, Poetry Judge on ‘Sutton Hoo’ by Flora Beagley

Dark blue background. White text reads: ‘Assured, surprising, and original, this taut and understated piece looks sideways at tradition, honing in on small, sharp details which stayed with me long after reading.’ Noreen Masud, Life Writing Judge on ‘Chair Tombs on the Hill’ by Luke Liu

If you missed our annual New Writing Prize ceremony last week, here's what our stellar judges had to say on the winners' work ...

The winning pieces will be published in print in our Spring 2026 issue, so watch this space.

Congratulations once again to Jo Bardsley, Flora Beagley, and Luke Liu!

Exclusive Extract: Bad Language by So Mayer Read an extract from So Mayer's forthcoming book, Bad Language, a blend of memoir and manifesto exploring the politics of speech…

Read an extract from @suchmayer.bsky.social's forthcoming book, BAD LANGUAGE, a blend of memoir and manifesto exploring the politics of speech, and how language has been used – and abused – collectively and in their own life.

White background. Header in red reads: Statement of Solidarity. Text in black to the right reads: The Trump administration in the US has revoked the visa of Nobel Prize-winning Nigerian author and playwright, Wole Soyinka. A staunch critic of government repression worldwide, he is also a former Wasafiri contributor. On October 23, 2025, the US consulate in Lagos sent a notice to nullify his visa. The author, with his trademark wit, called this a ‘rather curious love letter’. As we continue to witness censorship imposed on writers worldwide at an alarming rate, we stand in utmost solidarity with Wole Soyinka, in support of the right to freedom of speech and expression for all. To the left is an image of Wole. He is a Black man with a white afro and beard. He sits with fingers interlaced in front of him. He is wearing a navy blue shirt with red stripes down the centre.

White background. Large text in red in the centre reads: ‘I believe you cannot defeat Literature in the end.’ Wole Soyinka Wasafiri 18 (1993)

Nobel Prize-winning author and playwright Wole Soyinka has had his US visa revoked under the Trump administration.

Wasafiri stands in solidarity with Soyinka in support of free speech and expression for all. We are sharing his words on the power & endurance of literature from Wasafiri's 1993 issue

'Ideas change people's lives': Sarah Magnatta interviews artist Tenzing Rigdol Sarah Magnatta – Assistant Professor of Global Contemporary Art at the University of Denver, Colorado – introduces her Art essay in our latest issue, Wasafiri 123. As part of the issue's special…

Sarah Magnatta – Assistant Professor of Global Contemporary Art – introduces her Art essay in our latest issue, Wasafiri 123.

As part of the issue's special section on Tibet, she writes on artist Tenzing Rigdol's exhibition BIOGRAPHY OF A THOUGHT, held at the MET in 2024.

Franklyn Usouwa's acerbic short story is a satire set in an unnamed African country. Through a fictional character named Bobo, Usouwa critiques systems of censorship, repression, unbridled technological growth, and more.

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As part of the Writing the Self, Writing Berlin series led by our CHASE intern Divya Ghelani, three writers based in Berlin – Rajeev Balasubramanyam, Vijay Khurana, and Deniz Utlu – sat down together… Berlin Writers in Conversation

Part of our Writing the Self, Writing Berlin series, three Berlin-based writers – @Rajeevbalasu, Vijay Khurana & @DenizUtlu – sat down for a filmed conversation with Wasafiri's @DivyaGhelani on what it means to write in Berlin today.

Watch now: buff.ly/PEpBfh6

Meet the 2025 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize Winners We are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2025 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize in Poetry, Fiction, and Life Writing.

We are delighted to announce the winners of the 2025 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize!

🌟 Poetry: Flora Beagley for ‘Sutton Hoo’

🌟 Fiction: @jobardsley.bsky.social for ‘Iko of Benin, King's Diver’

🌟 Life Writing: Luke Liu for ‘Chair Tombs on the Hill’

www.wasafiri.org/news-and-eve...

Cream background. Headline is in orange at bottom. It reads: Liberalism as Fascism’s Prefiguration by Abeera Khan. Above is a photograph. It shows the back of a crowd as they move down a street lined with tall buildings. Some wave rainbow flags.

‘What becomes of gender and sexuality amidst the collapse of the liberal world order?’

In this essay, Dr Abeera Khan from SOAS’s Department of Gender Studies examines our current moment as one after homonationalism, where ‘the sparse and vanishing wages of inclusion lie exposed.’

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An Abundance of Wild Roses: 2025 Mountain Fiction & Poetry Awawrd Winner: Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival

Huge congratulations to Feryal Ali-Gauhar, AN ABUNDANCE OF WILD ROSES has won the 2025 @banffcentre.bsky.social Banff Mountain Film & Book Festival Mountain Fiction & Poetry Award!

‘The language sings, weaving a spell’ @wasafirimag.bsky.social

Only 1 week left to apply for an editorial placement at Wasafiri – gain invaluable experience within an internationally recognised academic and literary journal.

DEADLINE: Midnight, Sunday, 2 November

Apply here: buff.ly/2GT6zWi

Poetry London: Autumn Readings | Southbank Centre The UK's largest arts centre & the heart of London's cultural life.

Poetry London (@poetrylondon.bsky.social) launches its Autumn issue at the Southbank Centre this Sunday, 2 November 2025.

Featuring readings by Marjorie Lotfi, Nick Makoha, and Michael Symmons Roberts, plus the announcement of this year’s Poetry London Prize winners.

Tickets:

Cream background with dark purple down either side. Heading in black reads 'Prizing Korean Literature'. To the bottom right is a photo of Anton, a man with short dark hair, wearing a purple polo shirt. To the right is text in black reading: When: 29 October, 7-8.30pm Where: BLOC, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road Tickets: £10. Concessions available

Catch award-winning writer and translator, @antonhur.com, deliver a public lecture in London this Wednesday, 29 October.

Anton will contemplate Han Kang's 2024 Nobel Prize win, alongside a wider discussion on literary prizes, translation, and the Anglophone publishing landscape.

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In celebration of International Artists' Day today, we're launching a new bundle curated by our Art Editor, Leon Wainwright. These four issues gather some of the strongest art writing from our archive, all for the discounted price of £38. 🎨

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Brown background. Cream text reads: Join an intimate workshop with an International Booker Prize-winning translator ... Deepa Bhasthi. To the bottom right is a photo in a circle frame. The photo is a headshot of a woman with short curly dark hair. She is smiling into the camera.

Last chance to get a ticket for an intimate writing workshop with 2025 International Booker Prize winner Deepa Bhasthi!

Taking place online tomorrow from 11am.

buff.ly/BVaU8d2

Wasafiri: New Writing Prize 2025 | Southbank Centre The UK's largest arts centre & the heart of London's cultural life.

Only one week to go until our annual ceremony for the Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize – one of the world's top prizes for emerging writers around the globe!

Come celebrate with us at the Southbank Centre next Thursday, 30 October from 7pm! Tickets available here:

Poet @seanwaikeung.bsky.social reads his poem, ‘be like 水’, inspired by family, (un)belonging, and Bruce Lee, published in our latest issue, Wasafiri 123.

The poem is published in Wasafiri 123. The issue includes poetry from Rupam Baoni, Erica Hesketh, Chime Lama, and more.

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White background. The Wasafiri logo is at the top of the page. Headline in red reads 'Congratulations'. Subheading in black says: 'Noreen Masud awarded Philip Leverhulme Prize'. In the bottom right is a photo in a circular red frame. The photo is of a woman with shoulder length black hair. Her hair is moving in the breeze. She wears a grey suit jacket over a red and yellow striped tshirt.

Our heartiest congratulations to Dr @noreenmasud.bsky.social, who has been awarded a prestigious Philip @leverhulme.ac.uk Prize — one of only 30 recipients from across the UK who will receive £100,000.

Catch Noreen at our 2025 New Writing Prize ceremony next Thursday, 30 October!

Thanks Glen, for your spotlight on the Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize!

This is so interesting! Just one quote from it:
"Don’t treat yourself like a translation factory, you are a couturier of words. Make it bespoke. "

Arts unravelled: how are book awards decided? | Southbank Centre How are awards for books and poems decided? We spoke to three literary prize organisations to find out.

We've got three different literary prize readings and ceremonies at this year's #LondonLiteratureFestival, so I spoke to representatives from the @forwardprizes.bsky.social, @wasafirimag.bsky.social and @goldsmithsprize.bsky.social to understand what goes into deciding literary prizes.

We are delighted to announce Wasafiri's new Writer in Residence — writer, performer, and artivist Cara Thompson, in partnership with Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature!

Read the full announcement: buff.ly/1In1pLQ

Wasafiri remembers Zoë Wicomb, who passed away recently on 13 October, 2025. In celebration of her life and work, we are making her short story, 'In Search of Tommie', from our 25th anniversary issue, free to access until the end of the month.

Read now: buff.ly/CdQQOLF

Want to hear from contemporary poets about their craft? Enjoy in-depth and engaging conversations on craft?

Then head to our YouTube channel and check out our sub(VERSE)ive playlist: a limited series of discussions hosted by Prerana Kumar.

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Apples and Snakes Podcast : Apples and Snakes Through conversations and performances from award-winning poets, rappers and artists such as Caleb Femi, Kat François and Eklipse, Yomi Sode will explore what it means to be Black, British and a…

Our friends @applesandsnakes.bsky.social are launching Series 4 of their podcast!

Starting Tuesday, 10 Black British performance poets and artists speak openly about their craft, reflecting on how poetry transforms personal experiences into empowering moments that connect us all.

How to Be or Not Be a Translator: A Workshop Series by Deepa Bhasthi Attend four curated online writing workshops tutored by our inaugural International Translator in Residence, Deepa Bhasthi.

Learn from an International Booker Prize-winning translator, Deepa Bhasthi, in a series of intimate online workshops starting next week!

The first workshop is next Saturday, 25 October, and will cover key reading-adjacent skills needed for a translator to improve their practice.

Wasafiri Wonders: Anton Hur For this instalment of our Wasafiri  Wonders series…

Ahead of @antonhur.com's upcoming translation workshop and public lecture in London this month, we spoke to the writer and translator about his writing habits and rituals, books he returns to, the art of translation, and more.

Book your spot for his events via our website.

We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Zoë Wicomb.

A writer, scholar, and critic, Zoë gained international recognition with the publication of YOU CAN'T GET LOST IN CAPE TOWN in 1987.

Wasafiri is privileged to have published her work in our 25th and 35th anniversary issues.

As a small thank you to all our event attendees this month, we'd like to offer a 10% discount on any of our 2025 magazines and subscriptions!

Simply DM us a photo of your booking and we'll send you the discount code (valid until 30 November 2025).