In our final spotlight on our 2025 Book Edit Writers’ Prize shortlisted writers, we are thrilled to introduce you to the brilliant Esohe Uwadiae and Shehrazade Zafar-Arif.
Esohe Uwadiae
Esohe Uwadiae is a multidisciplinary creative. Her work has been shortlisted for awards including the Women's Prize for Playwriting and the Alfred Fagon Award. She has participated in programmes with the London Library, Royal Court and Old Vic and staged work at theatres including the Almeida and Duke of York’s.
Iniono
When Kene’s sister Ehi vanishes after killing their mother, Kene is plunged into a relentless search through the shadows of juju and the occult in modern Britain. Hunted by ruthless supernatural forces and haunted by her own betrayal, Kene is forced to trust Nosa, a mysterious ally whose hidden motives may be as dangerous as the enemies they face. As ancient rituals collide with contemporary life, secrets unravel and paranoia mounts, pushing Kene to risk everything to save her sister.
Shehrazade Zafar-Arif
Shehrazade is a British-Pakistani writer and theatre critic based in London. She’s had short stories published in several literary magazines, including Peatsmoke Journal, Fiery Scribe Review, and Stanchion, and sits on the editorial team of CRAFT Literary. She wrote this novel while completing the Curtis Brown Creative novel-writing course.
City of Storytellers
Ali, the adopted son of a murdered activist, searches for the birth mother who abandoned him, to understand if it was chance or choice that shaped the trajectory of his life. But it’s near-impossible to find anyone in a city like Karachi: labyrinthine, divided, beset by turmoil in the lead-up to a contentious election, and filled with hundreds of stories, each one bringing Ali closer to a devastating truth.
Thank you to all our wonderful shortlisted writers and finalists for the 2025 Writers’ Prize. We’re very proud of them all!
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