Author to help women writers

A WRITER and peacebuilder who will be judging a prize for women’s writing is coming to Henley.

Dr Nussaibah Younis, who has advised the Iraqi government on proposed programmes to deradicalise women affiliated with ISIS, will be at the Relais Henley on Sunday (October 12) at noon with Emma Gannon, Esther Freud and Roisin O’Donnell for Henley Literary Festival’s book club.

Dr Younis is also on the judges’ panel for Discoveries, which aims to help support as-yet-unpublished women writers without agents.

She says: “For any woman who is interested in creative writing, all we need is 10,000 words of the opening of their novel and it can be in any genre, and we’re just looking for original, interesting ideas.

“It doesn’t have to be perfectly written or polished. I’m a huge fan of originality so I’m looking for unusual and different stories. I’m always looking for a novel that will actually make me laugh out loud. I’m a huge fan of stand-up and I really love the British tradition of political satire.”

The author’s debut novel, fundamentally, a comical look at working with the UN in Iraq, was shortlisted for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction.

“It’s a bit like Fleabag meets Evelyn Waugh’s Scoop,” she says. “If you’ve ever shown up on your first day of work and had no idea what you’re supposed to be doing, you’ll understand Nadia, it’s just that Nadia has somewhat higher stakes because her job is to deradicalise ISIS brides.”

Dr Younis is looking forward to the festival.

“I’m really excited to have been invited and the panel looks fantastic and it’s a privilege to be sharing a stage with some of my favourite writers.”

For more information, visit henleyliterary festival.co.uk or womensprize.com/ writers/discoveries