Jo

I’m the author of Costa nominated Nabeel’s Song, (the Poet of Baghdad in the USA and Der Dichter van Baghdad in the Netherlands), and A Diamond in the Desert.

Nabeel’s Song was also nominated for the Index on Censorhip Award 2006 and longlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2007.

My writing has appeared in publications in the UK, the USA and Middle East. And I’ve also taken part in panel discussions commenting on popular Middle Eastern culture, art and poetry, the rise of the Gulf and the thorny subject of integrating east and west for the BBC World Service, BBC R4’s Start the Week, the Today programme, NPR’s All Things Considered in the USA, Swedish National Radio, and ABC News Review in Australia.

I was born in India, and have lived in Kenya, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Indonesia, Singapore. I’ve travelled extensively in Jordan, Thailand, Australia, Hong Kong and Malaysia.  I am currently based in the UK.

Past literary events:

I’ve appeared at the Guardian Hay Summer Festival, Edinburgh International Literary Festival, Dartington Festival, the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival, Swindon Literary Festival, and University College School (London). And I’ve taken part in readings at UCL and the prestigious Hay Poetry Gala.