Hello, I’m Nazira, and I have loved reading and writing ever since I can remember.

That love has been a constant thread throughout everything that I have ever done. Every work report. Every essay. Every journal entry. Every to-do list. In other words, every task on any front that allows me to experience the joy that comes from bringing together pen and paper.

When it came to my personal creative writing, however, I wasn’t exactly shouting about that love from the rooftop. Being unsure of myself, I spent many years (far too many of them) as a secret scribbler. But after completing the Becoming a Writer course from The Asian Writer in 2018, I decided it was time to start calling myself a Writer-with-a-capital-W and sharing my words with the world.

Something magical happened when I embraced that capital W. Not long afterwards, Numbers, my first competition entry as a Writer, was shortlisted for the Leicester Writes Short Story Prize in 2018. I then went on to complete the Middle Way Mentoring Project from Farhana Shaikh of Dahlia Publishing (2018-2020), where I was mentored by the brilliant author Kerry Young (Pao, Gloria, Show Me A Mountain), and was a finalist for the David Higham Associates Open Week in 2020.

In that time, I also wrote my first full-length novel, When You’re Smiling, which was shortlisted for the SI Leeds Literary Prize 2022. The novel is yet to be published and I am currently seeking representation – so, if you are an agent on the look-out for a multi-layered and character-driven upmarket commercial story about identity, belonging, and winning against the odds that meets at the intersection of Fever Pitch and White Teeth, let’s talk.

Of course, as any writer knows, a love for expression through words can never be contained to secret scribbles alone. It tends to seep into all manner of things. It wants to make itself known. And so, over the years, I have poured my love of writing into my academic and professional work and used my experience, skills, and passion to support others on a freelance basis. If you would like to collaborate or find out more about how I can help you with your writing projects, please use the form on the contact page to get in touch.

When I’m not busy writing or working, I can be found reading, cooking, tending to spiritual matters, avoiding housework, buying stationery, harassing my writing group, torturing my family with my terrible singing, or cheering on Leicester City Football Club. I can also be found hanging out on Twitter @nazvanz. Do pop by and say hello some time 🙂

Peace and blessings,

Nazira F. Vania