Shahnaz Ahsan is an author and food writer. Her debut novel, Hashim & Family (John Murray Press) was named an Observer Best Book of 2020, longlisted for the Authors’ Club First Novel Prize, and shortlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker Prize. She is also an award-winning writer of short stories and screenplays.
Shahnaz is a columnist for Hyphen Online, and regularly writes for Observer Food Monthly. Her articles on food and family have also appeared in Waitrose Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, and various online magazines. She is a member of the Guild of Food Writers and was a finalist for the 2023 Guild Awards in the category for Food Writing.
Born and raised in West Yorkshire, she has lived in the UK, USA, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, but her flattened northern vowels remain victorious.
Image © Imogen Forte