Wasafiri Magazine

@wasafirimag

The magazine of international literature since 1984. Order our latest issue, Wasafiri 126: Impossible Returns — The Spain Issue

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Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· 14d

The book reviews in our summer special issue, Wasafiri 126: Impossible Returns — The Spain Issue, cover a range of recent work by writers working in English, Spanish, Catalan, and Galician. Read all these reviews and more in Wasafiri 126 — available to order now. buff.ly/9wBrqkr

Red background. Headline in pale yellow reads: REVIEW ESSAY Texts of Wrecking and Renewal by Alejandro Beas-Murillo. Underneath are photos of the three book covers which are reviewed in the essay. Below that is white text which is a quote from the review. It reads: ‘... all three of these texts, as well as their authors, are scrambling to capture a life, a world, and a mode of being in relation to the natural world – and to one another – that are about to disappear.’

Red background. At the top is a book cover, showing the book being reviewed. Underneath in yellow text is the title and author of the book: My Clavicle: And Other Massive Misalignments by Marta Sanz, trans. by Katie King. Below that is a quote from the review in white: ‘After three years of insisting, doctors finally examine her to find that a thread from an episiotomy has been left inside her, causing a potentially deadly infection.’

Red background. At the top are two book covers, showing the books being reviewed. Underneath in yellow text is the title and author of the books: What We Tried to Bury Grows Here by Julian Zabalbeascoa and What Remains by Brais Lamela, trans. by Jacob Rogers. Below that is a quote from the review in white: ‘As both titles suggest, there exist, in a post-war society, traces and echoes in the landscape, an invitation to remember. Perhaps this – fragile as it is – brings Basques and Galicians closer to justice.’

Red background. At the top are two book covers, showing the books being reviewed. Underneath in yellow text is the title and author of the books: I Gave You Eyes and You Looked Toward Darkness by Irene Solà, trans. by Mara Faye Lethem and Carnaval Fever by Yuliana Ortiz Ruano, trans. by Madeleine Arenivar. Below that is a quote from the review in white: ‘Set within the Afro-Ecuadorian community of Esmeraldas, our young narrator Ainhoa describes coming of age among the ‘ñañerío’, a term normally reserved for siblings – as her light-skinned cousins from Quito mockingly observe ...’

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· 19d

We are thrilled to announce Pakistani translator and writer Haider Shahbaz as Wasafiri's newest International Translator in Residence in partnership with @saltatchicago.bsky.social! buff.ly/Ow2dXtl

Mint green background. Headline in black reads: Introducing our 2026/7 International Translator in Residence. Underneath to the left is more text which reads: Haider Shahbaz is Wasafiri's newest International Translator in Residence as part of our partnership with the SALT (South Asian Literature in Translation) Project. To the right is a photo of Haider. He is a South Asian man with short black hair and slight stubble. He wears an open collared white shirt and stands against a bookcase.

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· 22d

Want to know more about the writing life of your favourite author? Wasafiri Wonders is our online interview series with various authors, translators, and researchers: what they're reading, inspirations, embarrassments, advice they've received, thoughts on craft, and more. buff.ly/2IuJywm

Title in red with a yellow shadow reads: Wasafiri Wonders. Underneath in red it says: Advice, rituals, tips, anecdotes, and more from your favourite writers. Underneath that is an illustration of a desk with a laptop, pile of books, and bowl of satsuma segments.

Pale yellow background with red text which lists writers included in the series:
Khairani Barokka
NoViolet Bulawayo
Safia Elhillo
Bernardine Evaristo
Guy Gunaratne
Anton Hur
Hamid Ismailov
Lola Olufemi
Nikesh Shukla
and more!

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· 26d

July is South Asian Heritage Month — in celebration, we've compiled four Wasafiri issues that showcase some of the most incredible writing, research, and art from across South Asia and its diasporas in our archives. Available at the discounted price of £30 this July only. buff.ly/9o3pzhG

Light green background with an orange south asian-coded pattern. The headline in white reads: South Asian Writing. Underneath are four Wasafiri magazine covers laid out in a grid. Underneath that it says £30.

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· Jul 13

To celebrate the launch of our summer issue, we've curated an issue duo for just £20. These issues offer a timely exploration of identity and belonging at a moment when questions of migration, nationalism, and borders are reshaping public life across Europe and beyond. buff.ly/AhYnEKJ

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· Jul 9

📢 Call for Support! We’re looking for bookshops and cultural venues across the UK and internationally who would like to stock Wasafiri. We offer great rates on an outright or sale-or-return basis and would love to bring our engaging writing to your readers. 📧 cassie.lawrence@qmul.ac.uk

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· Jul 5

Please join us in welcoming four new placement holders to the Wasafiri team! 👏 Francesca Balestro, Ruilin Ding, and Alice Harry join as LAHP placement holders, and Rolando Travieso joins as a @chase-dtp.bsky.social placement holder. Read about their work here: buff.ly/T48DKwZ

Pale purple and turquoise background. Text at bottom in black reads: LAHP Placement Holder Francesca Balestro. Above is a photo of Francesca. She is a white woman sitting holding an espresso cup in her raised hand. She wears a white tailored vest and a european city is in the background.

Pale purple and turquoise background. Text at bottom in black reads: LAHP Placement Holder Ruilin Ding. Above is a photo of Ruilin. He is a Chinese man with centre parted hair and black-framed glasses. He wears a black long-sleeved shirt rolled up to the elbow. Behind him is a plant and a religious building surrounded by water.

Pale purple and turquoise background. Text at bottom in black reads: LAHP Placement Holder Alice Harry. Above is a photo of Alice. She is a white woman sitting in front of a bookcase. She wears a grey jumper and gold hoop earrings. She has brown wavy hair tied in a bun.

Pale purple and turquoise background. Text at bottom in black reads: CHASE Placement Holder Rolando Travieso. Above is a photo of Rolando. He is a man with dark curly short hair and a short beard. He wears round glasses and a black shirt with a colourful pattern.

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· Jul 2

What shapes can solidarities take in these times we live in? Join Wasafiri's editor and publishing director, @sanagoyal.bsky.social, for a conversation on connection and public and private revolutions at Edinburgh International Book Festival this summer. buff.ly/V33UI9N

Background is orange and pale blue. Headline in white reads: Global Solidarities. Underneath are photos of the four panelists in square frames. Their names are in pale blue underneath each picture.

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· Jun 30

It's the final day to get two of our specially curated bundles (each containing four issues from our decades-long print archive) at a discount! Queer Writing bundle: buff.ly/YWeQ0r8 Migrant & Refugee Writing bundle: buff.ly/CrgWn9H

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· Jun 30

We're thrilled to share that this article exploring the work of visual artist and author Rubén H Bermúdez is now available via open access, which means you can read and download it for free anytime! buff.ly/zQI2vpd

Reddy-brown background with an image in the top half. It shows a Black man with an afro with his face covered in text, as in a passport photo. Underneath in white it reads: To See Oneself Black in Spain:
Memory, Archive, and Resistance in the Work of Rubén H Bermúdez by Dantaé Garee Elliott

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· Jun 29

Our 2026 International Writer in Residence Safia Elhillo speaks to us about her reading lists, writing rituals, what 'global solidarities' means to her, valuable advice she has received as a writer, and more in a new online interview. Read here: buff.ly/BSqRJcT

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· Jun 26

How do we locate, share, and build knowledge when the institutions that produce and store it remain insufficient in who they serve? 🗓️When: Friday, 10 July, 5–8pm BST 🏫Where: BLOC Cinema, @qmul.bsky.social 🎟️Tickets: £20 (concessions available) buff.ly/d8o4Nxv

In the background is Matisse's Dancers (II), an artwork of naked figures dancing in a circle. On top of the image is the name of the event in white, which is 'Who Gets to Make Knowledge?'. Subheading underneath, also in white, is: 'Roundtable discussion'. Underneath that is photos of all six panellists in two rows of three.

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· Jun 25

Hear snippets of the winning pieces from last year's Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize — great inspiration for those who are planning to submit their entries in this final week the prize is open! The 2025 winning pieces can be read in full in our spring issue, Wasafiri 125. buff.ly/Z2DF0Lk

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· Jun 24

Check out our Queer Writing bundle, featuring work by Dean Atta, Mary Jean Chan, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Maureen Duffy, Maggie Gee, Keith Jarrett, Kimberley Blaeser, and many more. These four issues create a reading list that considers different facets of queer literature and life. buff.ly/y04btgs

Muted rainbow background. At the top in black is the header: Queer Writing. Below are four Wasafiri magazine covers showing what is included in the bundle.

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· Jun 18

This Refugee Week and beyond, explore further writing on refugee and migrant experiences, art, and literature from our decades-long print archive. Get the bundle at a discount for £30 until the end of June: buff.ly/nrzukiN

Blue background with passport stamps. At the top in white is the header: Migrant & Refugee Writing. Below are four Wasafiri magazine covers showing what is included in the bundle.

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· Jun 17

In this short story by Emma Oldham, the Australian sun is its own overbearing, brutal character, beating down especially on poorer and Aboriginal communities. This piece was shortlisted for the 2025 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize. buff.ly/Ebzi333

Cream background. Navy header reads: Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize. Underneath to the left is a photo of Emma in a circle frame. She has ginger and blond shoulder length straight hair. She wears black-framed glasses, gold earrings, and a colourful jacket on top of a black tshirt. To the right of the photo is orange text that reads: 2025 Shortlist Fiction

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· Jun 12

We are saddened to hear of the passing of Maureen Duffy, a trailblazing poet, playwright, novelist, and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. In remembrance, while honouring Pride Month, we have made an excerpt from Maureen's novel ILLUMINATIONS free to access until the end of June. buff.ly/ukFbRZN

White background. Header in black and purple reads: Remembering Maureen Duffy. Underneath to the left is a black and white photo of Maureen. She is an elderly woman with white straight chin length hair and a fringe. She wears a shirt with a jacket on top. To the right of the photo is some text, which reads: Maureen Duffy was the author of over sixty works of poetry, novels, drama, and nonfiction. She was the inaugural winner of the RSL Pioneer Prize and a staunch campaigner for LGBTQ+ rights and visibility.

White background. Black text in centre reads: ‘Illuminations was written between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the first Gulf War. It was a moment of hope when it looked as if we might have learned something from the bloody history of the twentieth century with its devastating wars leading to the fall of three empires [...] Sadly, fifteen years on, we haven't grown wiser.’ Maureen Duffy
Intro to An Extract: Illuminations (1991)

White background. Black text in centre reads: ‘Gore Vidal's predicted new empire, global, corporate, economically all powerful, has renewed the old self interest, greed, and tribalism. Even the hard-won freedom to enjoy and express love in all its rainbow colours is again under threat everywhere we look, except perhaps in the pages of this edition of Wasafiri.’ Maureen Duffy Intro to An Extract: Illuminations (1991)

White background. Black text in centre reads: ‘England seems caught in an eternal St Martin's summer before the two World Wars as Hetty goes downhill to the station where the Wandsworth crowds come up to meet her, urban and multicoloured, washing her along like tumbling shingle down the platforms, and pressing her among them into the train where some retreat into their own heads with paperbacks or earphones, plugging out the world while others rap as they strap-hang in the sing-song creole of cockney crossed with Caribbean, a code only penetrable by aficionados.’ Maureen Duffy
An Extract: Illuminations (1991)

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· Jun 9

The 2026 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize closes for entries in 3 weeks! In the spirit of the prize being open to work in translation, and to help spread the word, we have gathered some translations of the reminder message from our team — we speak 10 languages between us! buff.ly/lCtABV0

Orange background. In white and black text is the phrase 'Three weeks to go! Enter the Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize by 30 June 2026.' This has been translated into six other languages.

Orange background. In black text is the phrase 'Three weeks to go! Enter the Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize by 30 June 2026.' translated into Arabic.

Orange background. In black text is the phrase 'Three weeks to go! Enter the Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize by 30 June 2026.' translated into Italian.

Orange background. In black text is the phrase 'Three weeks to go! Enter the Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize by 30 June 2026.' translated into Japanese.

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· Jun 8

With over 25 years of experience as a publisher, @epw66.bsky.social is our Chair of Judges for the 2026 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize. Read our Q&A with her on our website, discussing the role of prizes in the current literary landscape and more. buff.ly/bYtoZOX

Photo of Ellah Wakatama. She is a Black woman with a chin-length parted afro. She wears a dark blue denim shirt and a colourful scarf. She is seated in front of bookshelves. At the top of the photo in white is text which reads: 'A Sense of Meaning': Q&A with Ellah Wakatama

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· Jun 3

Deepen your knowledge of contemporary African literature from our magazine archives 🌍 Spanning 1990-2026, the bundle includes: interviews with Earl Lovelace and Nobel Prize-winner Abdulrazak Gurnah; fiction from Lília Momplé and Brian Chikwava, and Chika Unigwe; and so much more! buff.ly/kWIRIL6

Cream background with a yellow outline of Africa. On top of this are four magazine covers. At the top it says in black text 'African Writing'. At the bottom it reads: £38.

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· Jun 1

This poem by Sarah Lasoye collapses the distances between us, where complicity and silence breed and hinder true connection and solidarity. It was shortlisted for the 2025 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize. The 2026 Prize is open until 30 June. It might be your poem here next! buff.ly/7Lsc5Dq

Cream background. Dark blue header reads: Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize. Underneath to the left is a photo of Sarah in a circle frame. She is a Black woman with black hair tied up. She wears a white shirt and is surrounded by plants. To the right in orange it says 2025 Shortlist Poetry.

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· May 31

It's the final day to read Farah Ahamed's short story for FREE on Taylor & Francis. Set in Uganda in 2005 – against the backdrop of a national debate on Eve Ensler's THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES – an unnamed woman reckons with her abusive relationship and her rights as an African woman. buff.ly/B47VTC5

Photo of lots of colourful men's shirts hung up together. Underneath is purple with white text which reads: 'Just a Body Part by Farah Ahamed'.

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· May 29

Thanks to all who joined us for our recent sold out event, Living in the Melancholony: An Evening of African and Afro-diasporic Writing, in our home in East London at Bard Books ❣️ We were thrilled to share this space in celebration of our 125th print issue, Wasafiri 125! 📸 Photos by Zeashan Ashraf

Five speakers and chair sat down for panel discussion in front of a seated audience.

Shady Lewis holds the microphone and looks out to the audience. He is seated between other panelists.

Brian and Fiston joke together during the interval.

A copy Wasafiri held by an audience member.

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· May 28

Thanks to a generous grant, we're so pleased to be able to offer 150 fee waivers for submitting to the 2026 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize! If you are a low/no-income writer or translator hoping to enter this year’s prize ... 🧵

Orange background. Black headline text reads: Fee Waivers for Low/No-Income Writers and Translators.
Underneath in cream it reads: Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize.

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· May 27

We spoke to Gavin Herbertson, winner of the 2025 Wasafiri Essay prize, about his winning essay 'Interleafing the Philoctetes Figure: Derek Walcott’s Omeros and The Isle is Full of Noises', making scholarship more accessible, Caribbean literary history, his love of Walcott, and more. buff.ly/66m9SLk

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· May 26

Our fiction judge this year for the Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize is the Indian novelist, Santanu Bhattacharya. Here, he shares more about what makes an entry stand out to him. Submissions for this year's Prize close on 30 June. Enter via our website: buff.ly/WSPieOv

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· May 24

In this vulnerable piece of life writing teeming with a distinct sense of voice, Mistale Taylor writes about her epilepsy and how each episode leaves her finding her way back to herself. Woven through past instances of her seizures are musings on language, art, and treatment. buff.ly/Lw4hmsG

Cream background. Dark blue header reads: Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize. Underneath to the left is a photo of Mistale in a circle frame. She has long brown hair and smiles into the camera. To the right in orange it says 2025 Shortlist Life Writing.

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· May 22

Introducing the cover of Wasafiri 126: Impossible Returns — The Spain Issue, out this summer. Our forthcoming issue is guest co-edited by Marta Fernández Campa and María del Pilar Kaladeen, and is a compilation of work by racialised Spanish writers and artists. Orders will open soon!

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· May 15

In this essay, Deepa Bhasthi defends untranslatability, the intentional choice to not translate text, as a necessary practice. She draws on Kannada words that feel too complex or hyperlocal to be translated into a single English word. buff.ly/lS11LRS

Black and white photo of a puddle as shown from ground level, reflecting the buildings around it. Underneath is brown and black text on a cream background which reads In Defence of Untranslatability by Deepa Bhasthi.

Wasafiri Magazine@wasafirimag· May 14

The prolific @jencalleja.bsky.social – this year's life writing judge for the 2026 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize – shares what she's looking for when reading entries. The Prize is open until 30 June for writers across the world: buff.ly/V1GkHj4