How I write – in conversation with Imtiaz Dharker
19 March 2026 @ 14:30 - 15:15 GMT
Grab a cuppa and get to know poet Imtiaz Dharker, Imtiaz will be in conversation with poet and Chair of the SoA’s Poetry and Spoken Word Group, Dean Atta, to discuss her work and career and to offer a glimpse into her creative routines.
This event is in conjunction with our Poetry and Spoken Word Group (PSWG).
#SoAatHome in conversation events – free for all + donation
As of Feb 2025, our #SoAatHome How I Write in conversation events will be free for all but with a donation option when registering for the event. All donations made go towards the Society of Authors’ Access Fund. The fund is to help provide authors with support for travel, subsistence, childcare or access needs for events, residencies, and retreats. If you would like to make a donation with your booking, please do so when registering for the event below.
Programme
- Welcome, introductions and housekeeping from Dean Atta (3 mins)
- Introductions to Imtiaz Dharker, and a glimpse into her creative routine (15-20 mins)
- Imtiaz will do a short reading from her latest book, Shadow Reader (2-3 mins)
- Q&A with audience (10-15 mins)
- Summary and closing comments (2 mins)
- This event will be moderated by Sarah Baxter – Senior Publishing Contracts Advisor, SoA
Send us your questions
If you would like to send questions in advance, email SBaxter@societyofauthors.org with ‘Imtiaz Dharker – Question’ in the subject header.
#SoAatHome Fundraising Bookshop
Browse our virtual Bookshop.org store featuring books by authors and speakers taking part in the #SoAatHome. When you make a purchase using our affiliate links, a percentage will go to the Society of Authors’ Access Fund, giving authors support for travel, subsistence, childcare or access needs for events, residencies, and retreats.
About the Poetry and Spoken Word Group
The SoA Poetry and Spoken Word Group (PSWG) page is a professional community for poets and spoken word artists. We come together to discuss issues affecting poets and the spoken word community, offer advice and support, and raise the profile of poetry and performance.
The Line-up
Imtiaz Dharker
Imtiaz Dharker is a poet, artist and video film maker, awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry 2014, with poems featured on radio and television as well as the London Underground, Glasgow billboards and Mumbai buses. Her seven collections include Over the Moon and her latest, Shadow Reader (Bloodaxe Books, 2024).
Website: www.imtiazdharker.com | Instagram: @dharkerimtiaz | Facebook @Imtiaz Dharker | X: @Idharker
Dean Atta
Dean Atta is an award-winning Black British writer from London known for his heartfelt storytelling rooted in his Greek Cypriot and Jamaican heritage. He writes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for all ages.
For adult readers, his poetry collection, I Am Nobody’s Nigger, was shortlisted for the Polari First Book Prize, and his memoir, Person Unlimited: An Ode to My Black Queer Body, received praise from Michael Rosen as “wonderfully original”. His young adult verse novels are The Black Flamingo, Only on the Weekends, and I Can’t Even Think Straight. The Black Flamingo won the Stonewall Book Award and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and Jhalak Prize. Malorie Blackman praised the book, saying, “I loved every word.” Dean has also contributed to middle-grade anthologies like Happy Here: 10 stories from Black British authors & illustrators and the Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood. His picture book, Confetti, illustrated by Alea Marley, is a colourful celebration of love and life. Additionally, Dean is a screenwriter and executive producer of the animated short film “Two Black Boys in Paradise”, which was selected for the BFI Flare: London LGBTIQ+ Film Festival and numerous others worldwide.
Instagram: @deanatta
Need to know
Accessibility
- Attendees will have the option to turn on the live transcript, to watch with subtitles
- If you require BSL interpretation for this event, please email events@societyofauthors.org
Before the event
- Once registered, you will be sent a confirmation email with the Zoom link
- If the confirmation email doesn’t arrive in your inbox, please check your junk/spam email folder
- Please add events@societyofauthors.org to your Safe Senders list so you receive our confirmation and reminder emails
During the event
- This online event will take place on Zoom Webinar; you will not be visible on screen but will be able to ask questions via the Q&A function or interact via the chat box
- This event will be recorded but you won’t be on screen
- Attendees have the option to turn on the live transcript
- This event is 45 minutes
After the event
- Hashtag for this event: #SoAatHome
- You’ll be able to catch the recording on our Vimeo channel
Booking
Please either use the form titled ‘Register – no donation’ or the option of the different ticket options with a donation amount depending on how much you would like to donate towards the Society of Authors Access Fund.
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Register - No Donation
Please use the booking form to register for this event.
Please email events@societyofauthors.org if you have any questions.
