Credit: Jon Osibo
SHANI AKILAH
Agent: Sian Ellis-Martin
Biography: Shani Akilah is a Black British Caribbean writer and screenwriter from South London. She is a book influencer, served as a literary judge for the Nota Bene Prize in 2023 and holds a Master’s degree in African Studies from the University of Oxford.
Her debut, FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS (Oneworld, 2024), was voted Best Short Story Collection at the 2024 Cosmopolitan Book Awards and received widespread praise amongst readers, authors and reviewers. Shani is also the co-founder and cultural producer of the Orange Room Collective, a collective that celebrates Black British creatives in London. In recognition of her contribution to literature in her community, The Shani Akilah Library opened in October 2024 in Woolwich.
FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS
Short stories, 192 Pages, Magpie (Oneworld), June 2024
Gabby and Jonathan cross paths at the wedding of a mutual friend. They both wonder if this could be the start of something, but fate has other ideas.
When Niah tries to call out her employer for their empty words about diversity and inclusion, she comes face to face with racism reaching right to the very top.
Sharna is holding onto her own secret when she sets out for Jamaica to visit her grandfather, on a trip that throws fresh light onto the family history she has always taken for granted.
Shani Akilah’s stunning collection brings to life the stories of Black-British Londoners as they explore friendship and romance, community and independence, and navigate their way through the relationships that make them who they are.