As the work to bring down the structures that hold back women of colour from telling their stories continues, the SI Leeds Literary Prize and Peepal Tree Press asked seventeen women to write exactly what they wanted, free from any narrow publishing expectations. 

These are important words spoken by important women about the lives they have lived, their experiences, and all the things they’ve really wanted to write about but have never had the opportunity.

Editor Saima Mir writes: “Within this anthology you will find essays about the experience of writing and publishing that spell out what these women want to say, without the need for permission from anyone. The essays show that whilst all these writers have experienced the same barriers, what they want to say is immensely varied. We share their work with you as a gift. They are a record of the work that we have done, our mark that we were here, that we wrote and that our work is of value.” A fitting celebration of the 10th anniversary of the SI Leeds Literary Prize, this important book of essays explores how far we have come, and the journey ahead.

Featuring 
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown . Kavita Bhanot . 
Lynne E. Blackwood . Gail Bolland . Kavita A. Jindal 
Suad Kamardeen . Sumana Khan . Winnie M. Li 
Wenyan Lu . Amita Murray . Irenosen Okojie  
Yoanna Pak . Huma Qureshi . Minoli Salgado   
Yvonne Singh . Mahsuda Snaith . Shereen Tadros