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Bernardine Anne Mobolaji Evaristo, (born 28 May 1959) is a British author and academic. Her novel ''
Girl, Woman, Other ''Girl, Woman, Other'' is the eighth novel by Bernardine Evaristo. Published in 2019 by Hamish Hamilton, it follows the lives of 12 characters in the United Kingdom over the course of several decades. The book was the co-winner of the 2019 Booker ...
'', jointly won the
Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. ...
in 2019 alongside
Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...
's ''
The Testaments ''The Testaments'' is a 2019 novel by Margaret Atwood. It is the sequel to '' The Handmaid's Tale'' (1985). The novel is set 15 years after the events of ''The Handmaid's Tale''. It is narrated by Aunt Lydia, a character from the previous novel; ...
'', making her the first woman with Black heritage to win the Booker. Evaristo is Professor of Creative Writing at
Brunel University London Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June 1 ...
and President of the
Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 600 Fellows, elec ...
, the second woman and the first person with Black heritage to hold the role since it was founded in 1820. Evaristo is a longstanding advocate for the inclusion of writers and artists of colour. She founded the Brunel International African Poetry Prize in 2012 and initiated The Complete Works poetry mentoring scheme in 2007. She co-founded Spread the Word writer development agency with Ruth Borthwick (1995–present) and Britain's first black women's theatre company (1982–1988), Theatre of Black Women."Theatre of Black Women"
Unfinished Histories: Recording the History of Alternative Theatre. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
She organised Britain's first major black theatre conference, Future Histories, for the Black Theatre Forum, (1995) at the
Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I li ...
, and Britain's first major conference on black British writing, ''Tracing Paper'' (1997) at the
Museum of London The Museum of London is a museum in London, covering the history of the UK's capital city from prehistoric to modern times. It was formed in 1976 by amalgamating collections previously held by the City Corporation at the Guildhall Museum (fou ...
. Evaristo is a lifetime Honorary Fellow of St Anne's College,
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
and International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. In 2021 she succeeded
Sir Richard Eyre Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre (born 28 March 1943) is an English film, theatre, television and opera director. Biography Eyre was born in Barnstaple, Devon, England, the son of Richard Galfridus Hastings Giles Eyre and his wife, Minna Mar ...
as President of Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance. She was Vice-Chair of the Royal Society of Literature (RSL) and in 2020 she became a lifetime vice president, before becoming president (2022–2026). She was appointed a
Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(MBE) in the Queen's 2009 Birthday Honours, and an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(OBE) in the Queen's
2020 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2020 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded ...
, both for services to literature.


Early life and career

Evaristo was born in
Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards of E ...
, south-east
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
, and christened Bernardine Anne Mobolaji Evaristo. She was raised in
Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thro ...
, the fourth of eight children born to an English mother, Jacqueline M. Brinkworth, of English, Irish and German heritage, who was a schoolteacher, and a
Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...
father, Julius Taiwo Bayomi Evaristo (1927–2001), known as Danny, born in
British Cameroon British Cameroon or the British Cameroons was a British mandate territory in British West Africa, formed of the Northern Cameroons and Southern Cameroons. Today, the Northern Cameroons forms parts of the Borno, Adamawa and Taraba states of ...
, raised in Nigeria, who migrated to Britain in 1949 and became a welder and the first black councillor in the Borough of Greenwich, for the Labour Party. Her paternal grandfather, Gregorio Bankole Evaristo, was a Yoruba Aguda who sailed from Brazil to Nigeria. He was a customs officer (d. 1927). Her paternal grandmother, Zenobia Evaristo, née Sowemima (d. 1967), was from
Abeokuta Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; north of Lagos by railway, or by water. , Abeokuta and the surrounding ar ...
in Nigeria.Bernardine Evaristo biography
British Council, Literature.
Evaristo was educated at Eltham Hill Grammar School for Girls from 1970 to 1977, and in 1972 she joined Greenwich Young People's Theatre (now Tramshed, in Woolwich), about which she has said: "I was twelve years old and it was the making of my childhood and led to a life-long career spent in the arts." She went on to attend
Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama Rose Bruford College (formerly Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance) is a drama school in the south London suburb of Sidcup. The college has degree programmes in acting, actor musicianship, directing, theatre arts and various discip ...
, graduating in 1982, In the 1980s, together with
Paulette Randall Paulette Randall, MBE (born 1961) is a British theatre director of Jamaican descent.
and Patricia Hilaire, she founded Theatre of Black Women, the first theatre company in Britain of its kind. In the 1990s, she organised Britain's first black British writing conference, held at the
Museum of London The Museum of London is a museum in London, covering the history of the UK's capital city from prehistoric to modern times. It was formed in 1976 by amalgamating collections previously held by the City Corporation at the Guildhall Museum (fou ...
, and also Britain's first black British theatre conference, held at the
Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I li ...
. In 1995 she co-founded and directed Spread the Word, London's writer development agency."Arts Advocacy"
Bernardine Evaristo website.
Evaristo continued further education at
Goldsmiths College, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wor ...
, receiving her doctorate in creative writing in 2013. In 2019, she was appointed Woolwich Laureate by the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, reconnecting to and writing about the home town she left when she was 18.


Writer

Evaristo's first book to be published was a 1994 collection of poems called ''Island of Abraham''. She went on to become the author of two non-fiction books, and eight books of fiction and verse fiction that explore aspects of the
African diaspora The African diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from native Africans or people from Africa, predominantly in the Americas. The term most commonly refers to the descendants of the West and Central Africans who were ...
."Bernardine Evaristo, Professor of Creative Writing"
Brunel University London.
She experiments with form and narrative perspective, often merging the past with the present, fiction with poetry, the factual with the speculative, and reality with alternate realities (as in her 2008 novel '' Blonde Roots''). Her verse novel ''The Emperor's Babe'' (Penguin, 2001) is about a black teenage girl, whose parents are from
Nubia Nubia () (Nobiin: Nobīn, ) is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the first cataract of the Nile (just south of Aswan in southern Egypt) and the confluence of the Blue and White Niles (in Khartoum in central Sudan), o ...
, coming of age in Roman London nearly 2,000 years ago. It won an Arts Council Writers' Award 2000, a
NESTA Nesta (formerly NESTA, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) is an innovation foundation based in the UK. The organisation acts through a combination of programmes, investment, policy and research, and the formation of part ...
Fellowship Award in 2003, and went on to be chosen by ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fo ...
'' as one of the 100 Best Books of the Decade in 2010,"The 100 Best Books of the Decade"
''The Times'', 14 November 2009.
and it was adapted into a
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...
play in 2013. Evaristo's fourth book, '' Soul Tourists'' (Penguin, 2005), is an experimental novel about a mismatched couple driving across Europe to the Middle East, which featured ghosts of real figures of colour from European history. Her novel ''Blonde Roots'' (Penguin, 2008) is a satire that inverts the history of the
transatlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...
and replaces it with a universe where Africans enslave Europeans. ''Blonde Roots'' won the Orange Youth Panel Award and Big Red Read Award, and was nominated for the
International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...
and the
Orange Prize The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–12), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017)) is one of the United Kingdom's m ...
and the Arthur C. Clarke Award. Evaristo's other books include the verse novel ''
Lara Lara may refer to: Places * Lara (state), a state in Venezuela * Electoral district of Lara, an electoral district in Victoria, Australia * Lara, Antalya, an urban district in Turkey * Lara, Victoria, a township in Australia * Lara de los I ...
'' ( Bloodaxe Books, 2009, with an earlier version published in 1997), which fictionalised the multiple cultural strands of her family history going back over 150 years as well as her London childhood in a mixed-race family. This won the EMMA Best Novel Award in 1998. Her novella ''Hello Mum'' (Penguin, 2010) was chosen as "The Big Read" for the County of Suffolk, and adapted into a BBC Radio 4 play in 2012. Her 2014 novel '' Mr Loverman'' (
Penguin Penguins ( order Sphenisciformes , family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain t ...
UK, 2013/
Akashic Books Akashic Books is a Brooklyn-based independent publisher. Akashic Books' collection began with Arthur Nersesian's ''The Fuck Up'' in 1997, and has since expanded to include Dennis Cooper's "Little House on the Bowery" series, Chris Abani's Black ...
USA, 2014) is about a septuagenarian Caribbean Londoner, a closet homosexual considering his options after a 50-year marriage to his wife. It won the Publishing Triangle
Ferro-Grumley Award The Ferro-Grumley Award is an annual literary award, presented by Publishing Triangle and the Ferro-Grumley Foundation to a book deemed the year's best work of LGBT fiction. The award is presented in memory of writers Robert Ferro and Michael Gru ...
for LGBT Fiction (USA) and the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize.The Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize
, Jerwood Charitable Foundation.
In 2015, she wrote and presented a two-part BBC Radio 4 documentary, ''Fiery Inspiration'' – about
Amiri Baraka Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays and music criticism. He was the author of numerous bo ...
, on BBC Radio 4. Evaristo's novel ''
Girl, Woman, Other ''Girl, Woman, Other'' is the eighth novel by Bernardine Evaristo. Published in 2019 by Hamish Hamilton, it follows the lives of 12 characters in the United Kingdom over the course of several decades. The book was the co-winner of the 2019 Booker ...
'' (May 2019, Hamish Hamilton/Penguin UK) is an innovative polyvocal "fusion fiction" about 12 primarily black British women. Their ages span 19 to 93 and they are a mix of cultural backgrounds, sexual orientations, classes and geographies, and the novel charts their hopes, struggles and intersecting lives. In July 2019, the novel was selected for the
Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. ...
longlist, then made the shortlist, announced on 3 September 2019, alongside books by
Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...
, Lucy Ellmann, Chigozie Obioma,
Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and We ...
and
Elif Shafak Elif Shafak ( tr, Elif Şafak, ; born 25 October 1971) is a Turkish-British novelist, essayist, public speaker, political scientist and activist. Shafak writes in Turkish and English, and has published 19 works. She is best known for her n ...
. On 14 October, ''Girl, Woman, Other'' won the Booker Prize jointly with Atwood's ''
The Testaments ''The Testaments'' is a 2019 novel by Margaret Atwood. It is the sequel to '' The Handmaid's Tale'' (1985). The novel is set 15 years after the events of ''The Handmaid's Tale''. It is narrated by Aunt Lydia, a character from the previous novel; ...
''. The win made Evaristo the first woman with Black heritage and first British with Black heritage author to win the prize. ''Girl, Woman, Other'' was one of
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
's 19 Favourite Books of 2019 and
Roxane Gay Roxane Gay (born October 15, 1974) is an American writer, professor, editor, and social commentator. Gay is the author of ''The New York Times'' best-selling essay collection ''Bad Feminist'' (2014), as well as the short story collection ''Ayiti ...
's Favourite Book of 2019. The novel was also shortlisted for the 2020
Women's Prize for Fiction The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–12), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017)) is one of the United Kingdom's m ...
. In 2020, Evaristo won the
British Book Awards The British Book Awards or Nibbies are literary awards for the best UK writers and their works, administered by ''The Bookseller''. The awards have had several previous names, owners and sponsors since being launched in 1990, including the National ...
: Fiction Book of the Year and Author of the Year, the Indie Book Award for Fiction. In June 2020, Evaristo became the first woman with Black heritage and the first British writer with Black heritage to reach number one in the UK paperback fiction charts, where she held the top spot for five weeks and spent 44 weeks in the Top 10. Evaristo was included on the Powerlist 2021, the 14th edition of the annual ''
Powerlist The ''Powerlist'' is a list of the 100 most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage in the United Kingdom. The list is updated annually and has been published in book format by Powerful Media since 2007. The ''Powerlist'' i ...
'' recognising the United Kingdom's most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage. In 2022, ''Girl, Woman, Other'' was included on the "
Big Jubilee Read The Big Jubilee Read is a 2022 campaign to promote reading for pleasure and to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II. A list of 70 books by Commonwealth authors, 10 from each decade of Elizabeth II's reign, was selected by a panel of e ...
" list of 70 books by
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
authors chosen to celebrate the
Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration in 2022 marking the Platinum jubilee, 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952, the first British monarch to ever celebrate one. In the Un ...
. Evaristo's writing also includes short fiction, drama, poetry, essays, literary criticism, and projects for stage and radio. Two of her books, '' The Emperor's Babe'' (2001) and '' Hello Mum'' (2010), have been adapted into
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...
dramas. Her ninth book, ''Manifesto: On Never Giving Up'', is published by
Penguin UK Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Grove Atlantic USA (2022). Her tenth book, ''Feminism'' (November 2021), is part of
Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in ...
's "Look Again" series (Tate Publishing). She offers a personal survey of the representation of the art of British women of colour in the context of the gallery's forthcoming major rehang. In 2020 Evaristo collaborated with Valentino on their Collezione Milano collection, writing poetic text to accompany photographs of the collection by the photographer Liz Johnson Artur, published as a coffee-table book (Rizzoli, 2021). Evaristo has written many articles, essays, fictions and book reviews for publications including: ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fo ...
'', '' Vanity Fair'', ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the G ...
'', ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...
'', ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...
'', '' Vogue'', '' Harper's Bazaar UK'', ''
The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication i ...
'', '' Conde Naste Traveller'', ''
Wasafiri ''Wasafiri'' is a quarterly British literary magazine covering international contemporary writing. Founded in 1984, the magazine derives its name from a Swahili word meaning "travellers" that is etymologically linked with the Arabic word "safari" ...
'', and the ''
New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members o ...
''. She is a contributor to ''
New Daughters of Africa ''Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent from the Ancient Egyptian to the Present'' is a compilation of orature and literature by more than 200 women from Africa and the African diaspora, ...
: An international anthology of writing by women of African descent'' (2019), edited by
Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's youngest and first black female book publisherJazzmine Breary"Let ...
.


Editor

Evaristo guest-edited ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' Style magazine (UK) in July 2020 with a black-woman/-xn takeover, featuring an array of young artists, activists and change-makers. A few years earlier, she was the guest editor of the September 2014 issue of ''
Mslexia ''Mslexia'' is a British magazine for women writers, founded and edited by Debbie Taylor. ''Mslexia'' contains articles and resources on writers, writing, and publishing. Writers who have contributed articles include Patricia Duncker, Sara Maitl ...
'' magazine, the Poetry Society of Great Britain's centenary winter issue of ''
Poetry Review ''Poetry Review'' is the magazine of The Poetry Society, edited by the poet Emily Berry. Founded in 1912, shortly after the establishment of the Society, previous editors have included poets Muriel Spark, Adrian Henri, Andrew Motion and Maur ...
'' (2012), titled "Offending Frequencies"; a special issue of ''
Wasafiri ''Wasafiri'' is a quarterly British literary magazine covering international contemporary writing. Founded in 1984, the magazine derives its name from a Swahili word meaning "travellers" that is etymologically linked with the Arabic word "safari" ...
'' magazine called '' Black Britain: Beyond Definition'' (Routledge, 2010), with poet Karen McCarthy Woolf; ''Ten'', an anthology of Black and Asian poets, with poet
Daljit Nagra Daljit Nagra (born 1966) is a British poet whose debut collection, ''Look We Have Coming to Dover!'' – a title alluding to W. H. Auden's ''Look, Stranger!'', D. H. Lawrence's ''Look! We Have Come Through!'' and by epigraph also to Matthew A ...
(Bloodaxe Books, 2010) and in 2007, she co-edited the New Writing Anthology ''NW15'' (
Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and ma ...
/
British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...
). She was also editor of ''FrontSeat'' intercultural magazine in the 1990s,"Bernardine Evaristo"
at Diaspora Writers UK. .
and one of the editors of ''Black Women Talk Poetry'' anthology (published in 1987 by the Black Womantalk Poetry collective of which Evaristo was part), Britain's first such substantial anthology, featuring among its 20 poets
Jackie Kay Jacqueline Margaret Kay, (born 9 November 1961), is a Scottish poet, playwright, and novelist, known for her works ''Other Lovers'' (1993), ''Trumpet'' (1998) and ''Red Dust Road'' (2011). Kay has won many awards, including the Guardian Fictio ...
, Dorothea Smartt and
Adjoa Andoh Adjoa Andoh Hon. FRSL (born 14 January 1963) is a British actress. On stage, she has played lead roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre and the Almeida Theatre. On television, she appeared in two ...
. In October 2020, it was announced that she is curating a new book series with
Hamish Hamilton Hamish Hamilton Limited was a British book publishing house, founded in 1931 eponymously by the half- Scot half- American Jamie Hamilton (''Hamish'' is the vocative form of the Gaelic Seumas eaning James ''James'' the English form – which ...
at
Penguin Random House Penguin Random House LLC is an Anglo-American multinational conglomerate publishing company formed on July 1, 2013, from the merger of Penguin Group and Random House. On April 2, 2020, Bertelsmann announced the completion of its purchase of ...
publishers, "Black Britain: Writing Back", which involves bringing back into print and circulation books from the past. The first six books, novels, were published in February 2021, including ''
Minty Alley ''Minty Alley'' is a novel written by Trinidadian writer C. L. R. James in the late 1920s, and published in London by Secker & Warburg in 1936, as West Indian literature was starting to flourish. It was the first novel by a black West Indian to ...
'' (1936) by
C. L. R. James Cyril Lionel Robert James (4 January 1901 – 31 May 1989),Fraser, C. Gerald, ''The New York Times'', 2 June 1989. who sometimes wrote under the pen-name J. R. Johnson, was a Trinidadian historian, journalist and Marxist. His works are i ...
and ''The Dancing Face'' (1997) by Mike Phillips.


Media appearances

Evaristo has been the subject of two major arts television documentary series: ''
The South Bank Show ''The South Bank Show'' is a British television arts magazine series originally produced by London Weekend Television and broadcast on ITV between 1978 and 2010. A new version of the series began 27 May 2012 on Sky Arts. Conceived, written, a ...
'', with
Melvyn Bragg Melvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg, (born 6 October 1939), is an English broadcaster, author and parliamentarian. He is best known for his work with ITV as editor and presenter of '' The South Bank Show'' (1978–2010), and for the BBC Radio 4 documen ...
(Sky Arts, Autumn 2020) and '' Imagine'', with Alan Yentob ("Bernardine Evaristo: Never Give Up", BBC One, September 2021). She has given many other interviews, including for ''
HARDtalk ''HARDtalk'' is a BBC television and radio programme broadcast on the BBC News Channel, on BBC World News, and on the BBC World Service. Broadcast times and days vary, depending on broadcasting platform and geographic location. ''HARDtalk ...
'', with Stephen Shakur (BBC World, 2020) and ''This Cultural Life'', with John Wilson (BBC4, November 2021). She was also the subject of ''Profile'' (BBC Radio 4, 2019) and ''
Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usua ...
'' on BBC Radio 4, interviewed by
Lauren Laverne Lauren Cecilia Fisher (née Gofton; born 28 April 1978), known professionally as Lauren Laverne, is an English radio DJ, model, television presenter, author and singer. She was the lead singer and additional guitarist in the alternative rock ba ...
, in 2020.Thorpe, Vanessa (20 September 2020)
"Bernardine Evaristo: living as a lesbian made me stronger"
''The Observer''
 In 2015, Evaristo wrote and presented a two-part BBC Radio 4 documentary called ''Fiery Inspiration:
Amiri Baraka Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays and music criticism. He was the author of numerous bo ...
and the Black Arts Movement''. Her many podcast appearances in Britain include interviews conducted by
Adwoa Aboah Adwoa Caitlin Maria Aboah (born 18 May 1992) is a British fashion model. In December 2017 she appeared on the cover of British '' Vogue''. She has also been on the cover of '' American Vogue'', ''Vogue Italia'', ''Vogue Poland'', and '' i-D''. ...
,
Samira Ahmed Samira Ahmed (born 15 June 1968) is a British journalist, writer and broadcaster at the BBC, where she has presented Radio 3's '' Night Waves'' and Radio 4's '' PM'', ''The World Tonight'', ''Sunday'' and '' Front Row'' and has presented the ...
,
Elizabeth Day Elizabeth Day (born 10 November 1978) is an English novelist, journalist and broadcaster. She was a feature writer for ''The Observer'' from 2007 to 2016, and wrote for '' You'' magazine. Day has written six books, and is also the host of the po ...
,
Grace Dent Grace Dent (born 3 October 1973) is an English columnist, broadcaster and author. She is a restaurant critic for ''The Guardian'' and from 2011 to 2017 wrote a restaurant column for the ''Evening Standard''. She is a regular critic on the BBC' ...
, Annie MacManus,
Graham Norton Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), better known by his stage name Graham Norton, is an Irish actor, author, comedian, commentator, and presenter. Well known for his work in the UK, he is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comed ...
, James O'Brien,
Natalie Portman Natalie Portman (born Natalie Hershlag, he, נטע-לי הרשלג, ) is an Israeli-born American actress. She has had a prolific film career since her teenage years and has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, receiving mu ...
,
Jay Rayner Jason Matthew Rayner (born 14 September 1966) is an English journalist and food critic. Early life Jason Matthew Rayner was born on 14 September 1966. He is the younger son of Desmond Rayner and journalist Claire Rayner. His family is Jewish. He ...
, Simon Savidge, Pandora Sykes and
Jeremy Vine Jeremy Guy Vine (born 17 May 1965) is an English television and radio personality, presenter, broadcaster and journalist. He is best known as the host of his BBC Radio 2 lunchtime programme which presents news, views, interviews with live guest ...
. In the two months following her win of the Booker Prize, Evaristo has written, she received more invitations to give interviews than in the entirety of her career.


Teaching and touring

Evaristo has taught creative writing since 1994. She has also been awarded many writing fellowships and residencies including the Montgomery Fellowship at
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...
in
Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of Eng ...
in 2015; for the British Council at Georgetown University, Washington DC;
Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbi ...
/ Columbia University, New York;
University of the Western Cape The University of the Western Cape (UWC) is a public research university in Bellville, near Cape Town, South Africa. The university was established in 1959 by the South African government as a university for Coloured people only. Other u ...
, South Africa; the Virginia Arts Festival (Virginia, USA), and Writing Fellow at the
University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution ...
, UK. She taught the University of East Anglia-''
Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...
'' "How to Tell a Story" course for four seasons in London up to 2015. Evaristo is Professor of Creative Writing at
Brunel University London Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June 1 ...
, having taught at the university since 2011. Since 1997, she has accepted more than 130 international invitations as a writer. These involve writer-residencies and visiting fellowships,
British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...
tours, book tours, teaching creative writing courses and workshops as well as keynotes, talks and panels at many conferences and literary festivals. She chaired the 32nd and 33r
British Council Berlin Literature Seminar
in 2017 and 2018. She delivered the ''New Statesman''/Goldsmiths Prize lecture on 30 September 2020. In October 2020, she gave the opening keynote address at the
Frankfurt Book Fair The Frankfurt Book Fair (German: Frankfurter Buchmesse, FBM) is the world's largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. It is considered to be the most important book fair in the world for internationa ...
's Publishing Insights conference, in which she called on publishers to hire more people represent a wider range of communities: "We have to have people working in the industry from all these communities who are looking for something beyond the cliches and stereotypes."


Other activities

Aside from founding the Brunel International African Poetry Prize, she has judged many prizes. In 2012 she was chair of the jury for both the
Caine Prize for African Writing The Caine Prize for African Writing is an annual literary award for the best original short story by an African literature, African writer, whether in Africa or elsewhere, published in the English language. The £10,000 prize was founded in the U ...
and the Commonwealth Short Story Prize. In 2021, she was Chair of the
Women's Prize for Fiction The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–12), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017)) is one of the United Kingdom's m ...
panel of judges. In 2006, Evaristo initiated an Arts Council-funded report delivered by Spread the Word writer development agency into why black and Asian poets were not getting published in the UK, which revealed that less than 1 per cent of all published poetry is by poets of colour. When the report was published, she then initiated The Complete Works poetry mentoring scheme, with Nathalie Teitler and Spread the Word. In this national development programme, 30 poets were mentored, each over a one- or two-year period, and many went on to publish books, win awards and receive serious recognition for their poetry. (See The Complete Works alumnae list below.) Evaristo has also served on councils and advisory committees for various organisations including the Council of the
Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 600 Fellows, elec ...
(RSL) since 2017, the
Arts Council of England The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both hi ...
, the
London Arts Board The regional arts boards (formerly regional arts associations) were English regional subdivisions of the Arts Council of Great Britain History As the Arts Council began to move away from organising art activities in the 1950s, regional offices ...
, the British Council Literature Advisory Panel, the
Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. , it represents over 12,000 members and ass ...
, the
Poetry Society The Poetry Society is a membership organisation, open to all, whose stated aim is "to promote the study, use and enjoyment of poetry". The society was founded in London in February 1909 as the Poetry Recital Society, becoming the Poetry Society ...
(Chair) and ''Wasafiri'' international literature magazine. Evaristo was elected as President of the Royal Society of Literature from the end of 2021 (following the retirement of her predecessor Dame
Marina Warner Dame Marina Sarah Warner, (born 9 November 1946) is an English historian, mythographer, art critic, novelist and short story writer. She is known for her many non-fiction books relating to feminism and myth. She has written for many publicatio ...
), becoming the first writer of colour and only the second woman to hold the position in the Society's 200-year history, and she stated at the time of the announcement: "Literature is not a luxury, but essential to our civilisation. I am so proud, therefore, to be the figurehead of such an august and robust literature organisation that is so actively and urgently committed to being inclusive of the widest range of outstanding writers from every demographic and geographical location in Britain, and to reaching marginalised communities through literature projects, including introducing young people in schools to some of Britain's leading writers who visit, teach and discuss their work with them." As a
Sky Arts Sky Arts (originally launched as Artsworld) is a British free-to-air television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music (such as opera perfor ...
Ambassador, Evaristo is spearheading the Sky Arts RSL Writers Awards, providing mentoring for under-represented writers. A portrait of Evaristo (2002) by photographer Sal Idriss is in the collection of the
National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...
.


Personal life

She is married to writer David Shannon, whom she met in 2006, and whose debut novel was launched in March 2021.


Awards and recognition

* 1999: EMMA Best Book Award for ''Lara''"Evaristo, Bernardine 1959–"
Encyclopedia.com.
* 2000:
Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three se ...
Writer's Award 2000, for ''The Emperor's Babe'' * 2002: UEA Writing Fellow,
University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution ...
* 2003: National Endowment of Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) Fellowship Award * 2004: Elected a Fellow,
Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 600 Fellows, elec ...
(est.1820) * 2006: British Council Fellow, Georgetown University, USA * 2006: Elected a Fellow,
Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...
(est.1754) * 2009: Arthur C. Clarke Award, nominated for ''Blonde Roots'' * 2009: Awarded an
MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language of t ...
in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to Literature * 2009: Big Red Read Award, Fiction and overall winner for ''Blonde Roots'' * 2009:
International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...
, nominated for ''Blonde Roots'' * 2009:
Orange Prize The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–12), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017)) is one of the United Kingdom's m ...
for Fiction, nominated for ''Blonde Roots'' * 2009: Orange Prize Youth Panel Award for ''Blonde Roots'' * 2010: Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, USA (finalist) * 2010:
Poetry Book Society The Poetry Book Society (PBS) was founded in 1953 by T. S. Eliot and friends, including Sir Basil Blackwell, "to propagate the art of poetry". Eric Walter White was secretary from December 1953 until 1971, and was subsequently the society's chairm ...
Commendation for ''Ten'', co-edited with
Daljit Nagra Daljit Nagra (born 1966) is a British poet whose debut collection, ''Look We Have Coming to Dover!'' – a title alluding to W. H. Auden's ''Look, Stranger!'', D. H. Lawrence's ''Look! We Have Come Through!'' and by epigraph also to Matthew A ...
* 2010: ''The Emperor's Babe'', ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fo ...
'' (UK) "100 Best Books of the Decade" * 2014: Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize * 2015: The Montgomery Fellow,
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...
, USA * 2015: Triangle Publishing Awards:
Ferro-Grumley Award The Ferro-Grumley Award is an annual literary award, presented by Publishing Triangle and the Ferro-Grumley Foundation to a book deemed the year's best work of LGBT fiction. The award is presented in memory of writers Robert Ferro and Michael Gru ...
for LGBT Fiction, USA * 2017: Elected an Honorary Fellow, the
English Association The English Association is a subject association for English dedicated to furthering the study and enjoyment of English language and literature in schools, higher education institutes and amongst the public in general. It was founded in 1906 by ...
(est.1906) * 2018: Elected a Fellow of Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance * 2019: ''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
'': list of 14 women gamechangers * 2019: Goodread's Choice Award Best Fiction (finalist) * 2019: Gordon Burn Prize (finalist) * 2019: Winner of the
Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. ...
for ''Girl, Woman, Other'' * 2020:
Australian Book Industry Awards The Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) are publishers' and literary awards held by the Australian Publishers Association annually in Sydney "to celebrate the achievements of authors and publishers in bringing Australian books to readers". ...
(nominated) * 2020: Awarded an
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
in the Queen's
2020 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2020 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded ...
for services to literature * 2020:
British Book Awards The British Book Awards or Nibbies are literary awards for the best UK writers and their works, administered by ''The Bookseller''. The awards have had several previous names, owners and sponsors since being launched in 1990, including the National ...
: Author of the Year * 2020: British Book Awards: Fiction Book of the Year * 2020: ''
Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...
'' 50 – list of Britain's gamechangers * 2020:
Ferro-Grumley Award The Ferro-Grumley Award is an annual literary award, presented by Publishing Triangle and the Ferro-Grumley Foundation to a book deemed the year's best work of LGBT fiction. The award is presented in memory of writers Robert Ferro and Michael Gru ...
USA (finalist) * 2020: Gold Medal of Honorary Patronage (est. 1683),
Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...
* 2020: Indie Book Award for Fiction * 2020: Le Prix Millepage, France * 2020: Lifetime Honorary Fellow, St Anne's College,
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
* 2020: Lifetime Vice President,
Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 600 Fellows, elec ...
* 2020:
Orwell Prize The Orwell Prize, based at University College London, is a British prize for political writing. The Prize is awarded by The Orwell Foundation, an independent charity (Registered Charity No 1161563, formerly "The Orwell Prize") governed by a boar ...
(finalist) * 2020: Reading Women Award * 2020: ''
The Bookseller ''The Bookseller'' is a British magazine reporting news on the publishing industry. Philip Jones is editor-in-chief of the weekly print edition of the magazine and the website. The magazine is home to the ''Bookseller''/Diagram Prize for Oddest ...
'' 150 power list * 2020: The Glass Bell Awards (finalist) * 2020: The '' Vogue'' 25 for 2020 – list of Britain's 25 most influential women * 2020: Visionary Honours Awards – finalist for ''Girl, Woman, Other'' * 2020: Voted one of '' 100 Great Black Britons'' * 2020:
Women's Prize for Fiction The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–12), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017)) is one of the United Kingdom's m ...
(finalist) * 2021: European Literature Award, Holland (finalist) * 2021: Freedom of the Borough Award,
Royal Borough of Greenwich The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolitan Borough ...
* 2021: GG2 Woman of the Year Award * 2021: '' Glamour'' magazine Woman of the Year, Gamechanging Author Award * 2021: Honorary International Fellow, American Academy of Arts & Sciences (est. 1780) * 2021:
International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...
(finalist) * 2021: Nielsen Gold Bestseller Award * 2021: Person of the Year – as the 151st honoree of ''The Bookseller''s 150 Power List. * 2021: Premio Gregor von Rezzori (Italy) (finalist) * 2021: Premio Lattes Grinzane (Italy) (finalist) * 2021: President of
Rose Bruford College Rose Bruford College (formerly Rose Bruford College of Theatre & Performance) is a drama school in the south London suburb of Sidcup. The college has degree programmes in acting, actor musicianship, directing, theatre arts and various discipli ...
of Theatre and Performance * 2021: The UK Black ''
Powerlist The ''Powerlist'' is a list of the 100 most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage in the United Kingdom. The list is updated annually and has been published in book format by Powerful Media since 2007. The ''Powerlist'' i ...
'' 100 * 2021: ''
The Bookseller ''The Bookseller'' is a British magazine reporting news on the publishing industry. Philip Jones is editor-in-chief of the weekly print edition of the magazine and the website. The magazine is home to the ''Bookseller''/Diagram Prize for Oddest ...
'' 150 power list * 2021: '' Vanity Fair'' magazine Challenger Award * 2022: Appointed President,
Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 600 Fellows, elec ...
(2022–2026) * 2022: Bestsellery Empiku Award (Poland) – finalist * 2022: ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also rep ...
'' "50 over 50" honoree for the Europe, Middle East & Africa region * 2022: Honorary Doctor of Arts and Letters, Kings College London * 2022: Honorary Doctor of Letters,
Queen Mary University of London Queen Mary University of London (QMUL, or informally QM, and previously Queen Mary and Westfield College) is a public university, public research university in Mile End, East London, England. It is a member institution of the federal University of ...
* 2022: Honorary Doctor of Letters,
Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow Caledonian University ( gd, Oilthigh Chailleannach Ghlaschu, ), informally GCU, Caledonian or Caley, is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow (founded in 1875) and G ...
* 2022: Honorary Doctor of Letters,
University of Greenwich The University of Greenwich is a public university located in London and Kent, United Kingdom. Previous names include Woolwich Polytechnic and Thames Polytechnic. The university's main campus is at the Old Royal Naval College, which along with it ...
* 2022: Honorary Fellow, Goldsmiths,
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
2022: Honorary Doctor of Arts,
London South Bank University London South Bank University (LSBU) is a public university in Elephant and Castle, London. It is based in the London Borough of Southwark, near the South Bank of the River Thames, from which it takes its name. Founded in 1892 as the Borough Po ...
* 2022 Honorary Fellow, CILIP, The Library and Information Association * 2022: Plebiscyt Ksiazka Roku 2021/ Literatura Piekna (Poland) for ''Girl, Woman Other'' – finalist * 2022:
Sky Arts Sky Arts (originally launched as Artsworld) is a British free-to-air television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music (such as opera perfor ...
: Britain's 50 Most Influential Artists of the Past 50 years (No. 26) * 2022: Soho House Awards: Writer * 2022: '' Stylist'' magazine Remarkable Women Awards: Writer of the Year * 2022: The UK Black Black Powerlist 100 * 2022: Visionary Honours Book of the Year 2021 – finalist for ''Manifesto''


Academic honours

* 2014: Appointed The Public Orator,
Brunel University London Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June 1 ...
* 2015: CBASS Award for Excellence, Brunel University London * 2017: Teach Brunel Award, Brunel University London * 2020: Vice Chancellor's Award for Staff,
Brunel University London Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June 1 ...
* 2022: CBASS Lecturer of the Year, Brunel University London


Books

*1994: ''Island of Abraham'' (poems,
Peepal Tree Press Peepal Tree Press is a publisher based in Leeds, England which publishes Caribbean, Black British, and South Asian fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama and academic books. It was founded after a paper shortage in Guyana halted production of new bo ...
; ) *1997: ''
Lara Lara may refer to: Places * Lara (state), a state in Venezuela * Electoral district of Lara, an electoral district in Victoria, Australia * Lara, Antalya, an urban district in Turkey * Lara, Victoria, a township in Australia * Lara de los I ...
'' (novel, Angela Royal Publishing; ) *2001: '' The Emperor's Babe'' (verse novel, Hamish Hamilton/Penguin; Penguin USA, 2002; ) *2005: '' Soul Tourists'' (novel, Hamish Hamilton/Penguin; ) *2008: '' Blonde Roots'' (novel, Hamish Hamilton/Penguin; Riverhead/Penguin USA, 2009; ) *2009: ''Lara'' (new, expanded edition, ( Bloodaxe Books; ) *2010: '' Hello Mum'' (novella, Penguin UK; ) *2014: '' Mr Loverman'' (novel, Penguin UK;
Akashic Books Akashic Books is a Brooklyn-based independent publisher. Akashic Books' collection began with Arthur Nersesian's ''The Fuck Up'' in 1997, and has since expanded to include Dennis Cooper's "Little House on the Bowery" series, Chris Abani's Black ...
; ) *2019: ''
Girl, Woman, Other ''Girl, Woman, Other'' is the eighth novel by Bernardine Evaristo. Published in 2019 by Hamish Hamilton, it follows the lives of 12 characters in the United Kingdom over the course of several decades. The book was the co-winner of the 2019 Booker ...
'' (novel, Hamish Hamilton/Penguin; ) *2021: '' Manifesto: On Never Giving Up'' (memoir,
Hamish Hamilton Hamish Hamilton Limited was a British book publishing house, founded in 1931 eponymously by the half- Scot half- American Jamie Hamilton (''Hamish'' is the vocative form of the Gaelic Seumas eaning James ''James'' the English form – which ...
/
Penguin Penguins ( order Sphenisciformes , family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain t ...
; ) *2021: ''Feminism'' (Look Again Series, Tate Galleries Publishing; )


Plays

* 1982: ''Moving Through'', a choral dramatic poem, Talking Black Festival,
Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...
Upstairs * 1982: ''Tiger Teeth Clenched Not to Bite'', a poetic monologue. Theatre of Black Women, the
Melkweg Melkweg (Dutch for "Milky Way") is a popular music venue and cultural centre in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is located on Lijnbaansgracht, near Leidseplein, a prime nightlife square of Amsterdam. It is housed in a former dairy and is divided in ...
, Amsterdam * 1983: ''Silhouette'', an experimental verse drama. Theatre of Black Women tour. Co-writer: Patricia St. Hilaire * 1984: ''Pyeyucca'', an experimental verse drama. Theatre of Black Women tour. Additional material: Patricia St. Hilaire * 2002: ''Medea – Mapping the Edge''. Verse drama. Wilson Wilson Company at Sheffield Crucible Theatre and
BBC Radio Drama BBC Radio Drama is a London-based group within the BBC Radio operational business division of the BBC. BBC Radio Drama oversees the production and broadcast of radio dramas aired on the BBC Radio network. Radio dramas had been broadcast even be ...
* 2003: ''Madame Bitterfly and the Stockwell Diva''. Verse drama. The Friday Play,
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...
, starring
Rudolph Walker Rudolph Malcolm Walker (born 28 September 1939) is a Trinidadian-British actor, known for his sitcom roles as Bill Reynolds in '' Love Thy Neighbour'' (1972–76) and Constable Frank Gladstone in '' The Thin Blue Line'' (1995–96). Since 2001 ...
, Clare Perkins, Dona Croll * 2020: ''First, Do No Harm'', a poetic monologue,
Old Vic Theatre The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal V ...
online, directed by
Adrian Lester Adrian Anthony Lester (born Anthony Harvey; 14 August 1968) is a British actor, director and writer. He is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award, an Evening Standard Theatre Award and a Critics' Circle Theatre Award for his work on the L ...
and produced by
Lolita Chakrabarti Lolita Chakrabarti (born 1 June 1969) is a British actress and writer. Early life Chakrabarti was born in Kingston upon Hull, England, to Bengali Hindu parents from India on 1 June 1969. She grew up in Birmingham, where her father worked as ...
, starring
Sharon D. Clarke Sharon Delores Clarke (born 12 August 1966) is an English actress and singer. She is a three-time Olivier award winner, and is best known to television audiences for her role as Lola Griffin in the medical drama ''Holby City'', and as Grace O'B ...
.


Short fiction (selected)

*1994: "Letters from London" in ''Miscegenation Blues: voices of mixed-race women'', edited by Carol Camper ( Sister Vision Press) *2005: ''On Top of the World'' (
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...
) *2006: "Ohtakemehomelord.com" in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the G ...
''s annual short story supplement (July) *2008: "A Matter of Timing", ''The Guardian'' *2010: "On Top of the World", '' The Mechanics Institute Review'', Issue 7 (
Birkbeck, University of London , mottoeng = Advice comes over nightTranslation used by Birkbeck. , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £4.3 m (2014) , budget = £109 ...
) *2011: "I Think I'm Going Slightly Mad" in ''One for the Trouble'', The Book Slam Annual, edited by Patrick Neate (Book Slam Productions) *2014: "Our Billy, (or should it be Betty?)" in ''Letter to an Unknown Soldier'', 14–18 NOW UK WW1 Centenary Art Commissions (William Collins/
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...
) * 2015: "Yoruba Man Walking" in ''Closure: a new anthology of contemporary black British fiction'', edited by Jacob Ross (
Peepal Tree Press Peepal Tree Press is a publisher based in Leeds, England which publishes Caribbean, Black British, and South Asian fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama and academic books. It was founded after a paper shortage in Guyana halted production of new bo ...
) * 2016: "The Human World" in ''How Much the Heart Can Hold'', edited by Emma Herdman (
Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette. History Early history The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publish ...
) * 2020: "Star of the Season", '' British Vogue'' * 2020: "The White Man's Liberation Front", ''
New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members o ...
''


Essays

*1992: "Black Theatre", ''Artrage'' (Winter/Spring) *1993: "Black Women in Theatre", ''Six Plays by Black and Asian Women Writers'', edited by Kadjia George (Aurora Metro Press) *1996: "Going it Alone" – one-person shows in black British theatre, ''Artrage'''' '' *1998: "On '' Staying Power''" by Peter Fryer for BBC Windrush Education *2001: "Roaring Zora" on the life and writing of
Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960) was an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-1900s American South and published research on hoodoo. The most popular of her four no ...
, ''
Marie Claire ''Marie Claire'' is a French international monthly magazine first published in France in 1937, followed by the United Kingdom in 1941. Since then various editions are published in many countries and languages. The feature editions focus on wo ...
'' *2005: "An Introduction to Contemporary British Poetry", British Council Literature Magazine *2005: "False Memory Syndrome: Writing Black in Britain", in ''Writing Worlds'' (New Writing Partnership/University of East Anglia) *2005: "Origins", ''Crossing Borders'',
British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...
online *2005: "The Road Less Travelled", ''Necessary Journeys,'' edited by Melanie Keen and Eileen Daley,
Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three se ...
*2007: "Writing the Past: Traditions, Inheritances, Discoveries" in ''Writing Worlds 1: The Norwich Exchanges'' (
University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution ...
/Pen & Inc Press) *2008: "CSI Europe: African Trace Elements. Fragments. Reconstruction. Case Histories. Motive. Personal", ''Wasafiri'' (
Taylor & Francis Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in England that publishes books and academic journals. Its parts include Taylor & Francis, Routledge, F1000 Research or Dovepress. It is a division of Informa plc, a United Ki ...
) *2009: Autobiographical essay, ''Contemporary Writers'', Vol. 275 ( Gale Publishing, USA) *2009: Autobiographical essay, "My Father's House" ( Five Dials) *2010: Introduction to ''Ten'' poetry anthology, "Why This, Why Now?", on the need for The Complete Works initiative to diversify British poetry publications ( Bloodaxe Books) *2010: Introduction to ''
Wasafiri ''Wasafiri'' is a quarterly British literary magazine covering international contemporary writing. Founded in 1984, the magazine derives its name from a Swahili word meaning "travellers" that is etymologically linked with the Arabic word "safari" ...
Black Britain: Beyond Definition'', "The Illusion of Inclusion", Issue 64, Winter 2010 (
Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, an ...
) *2010: "The Month of September", on writing and process, Volume 100:4, Winter 2010 ''
Poetry Review ''Poetry Review'' is the magazine of The Poetry Society, edited by the poet Emily Berry. Founded in 1912, shortly after the establishment of the Society, previous editors have included poets Muriel Spark, Adrian Henri, Andrew Motion and Maur ...
'' *2011: "Myth, Motivation, Magic & Mechanics", ''Body of Work: 40 Years of Creative Writing at UEA'' (
University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution ...
), edited by Giles Foden (Full Circle Editions) *2013: ''The Book that Changed Me'' Series: Essay on '' For colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf'' by
Ntozake Shange Ntozake Shange ( ;
FilmReference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
October 18, 1948 – October 27, 2018) ...
(
BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also featuring. The sta ...
) *2016: "The Privilege of Being a Mixed Race Woman", ''Tangled Roots: Real Life Stories from Mixed Race Britain,'' Anthology Number 2, edited by Katy Massey (Tangled Roots) *2019: "What a Time to be a (Black) (British) (Womxn) Writer", in ''Brave New Words'', edited by
Susheila Nasta Susheila Nasta, MBE, Hon. FRSL (born 1953), is a British critic, editor, academic and literary activist. She is Professor of Modern and Contemporary Literatures at Queen Mary University of London, and founding editor of '' Wasafiri'', the UK's l ...
(
Myriad Editions Myriad Editions is an independent UK publishing house based in Brighton and Hove, specialising in topical atlases, graphic non-fiction and original fiction, whose output also encompasses graphic novels that span a variety of genres, including m ...
) *2020: "Claiming Whiteness", ''The House'' magazine, of the (
Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north bank ...
) *2020: Foreword to ''Bedside Guardian'', the annual ''
Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...
'' anthology *2020: Foreword: "Re:Thinking: 'Diversity' in Publishing", by Dr Anamik Saha and Dr Sandra van Lente ( Goldsmiths University/Newgen Publishing UK) *2020: "Gender in the Blender", for ''A Point of View'',
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...
*2020: Introduction to ''Loud Black Girls'', edited by Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Uviebinené (
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...
) *2020: "Literature Can Foster Our Shared Humanity", '' British Vogue'', 6 June 2020. *2020: "Loving the Body Fat-tastic", for ''A Point of View'', BBC Radio 4 *2020: "On Mrs Dalloway", BBC Radio 4 *2020: "Spiritual Pick and Mix", for ''A Point of View'', BBC Radio 4 *2020: "The Longform Patriarchs and their Accomplices", ''
New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members o ...
'' *2020: "The Pro-Mask Movement", for ''A Point of View'', BBC Radio 4 *2020: "Theatre of Black Women: A Personal Account", in ''The Palgrave Handbook of the History of Women on Stage,'' edited by Jan Sewell and Clare Smout (
Palgrave Macmillan Palgrave Macmillan is a British academic and trade publishing company headquartered in the London Borough of Camden. Its programme includes textbooks, journals, monographs, professional and reference works in print and online. It maintains offi ...
) *2020: "Why Black Lives Matter", for ''A Point of View'', BBC Radio 4 *2021: Introduction to '' Beloved'' by
Toni Morrison Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically acclaimed '' So ...
(
Vintage Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...
) *2021: Introduction to ''Bernard and the Cloth Monkey'' by Judith Bryan (1998), "Black Britain: Writing Back" series (
Hamish Hamilton Hamish Hamilton Limited was a British book publishing house, founded in 1931 eponymously by the half- Scot half- American Jamie Hamilton (''Hamish'' is the vocative form of the Gaelic Seumas eaning James ''James'' the English form – which ...
/
Penguin Penguins ( order Sphenisciformes , family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain t ...
reissue) *2021: Introduction to ''Black Teacher'' by Beryl Gilroy (
Faber and Faber Faber and Faber Limited, usually abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, Margaret Storey, William Golding, Samuel B ...
) *2021: Introduction to ''for Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf'' by Ntozake Shange ( Orion) *2021: Introduction to ''Incomparable World'' by S. I. Martin (1996), "Black Britain: Writing Back" series (Hamish Hamilton/Penguin reissue) *2021: Introduction to ''
Minty Alley ''Minty Alley'' is a novel written by Trinidadian writer C. L. R. James in the late 1920s, and published in London by Secker & Warburg in 1936, as West Indian literature was starting to flourish. It was the first novel by a black West Indian to ...
'' by
C. L. R. James Cyril Lionel Robert James (4 January 1901 – 31 May 1989),Fraser, C. Gerald, ''The New York Times'', 2 June 1989. who sometimes wrote under the pen-name J. R. Johnson, was a Trinidadian historian, journalist and Marxist. His works are i ...
(1936), "Black Britain: Writing Back" series (Hamish Hamilton/Penguin reissue) *2021: Introduction to ''The Dancing Face'' by Mike Phillips (1997), "Black Britain: Writing Back" series (Hamish Hamilton/Penguin reissue) *2021: Introduction to ''The Fat Lady Sings'' by Jacqueline Roy (2000), "Black Britain: Writing Back" series (Hamish Hamilton/Penguin reissue) *2021: Introduction to ''Without Prejudice'' by Nicola Williams (1997), "Black Britain: Writing Back" series (Hamish Hamilton/Penguin reissue) *2022: "The Artistic Triumph of Older Black Women", ''The Guardian''


Editor

*1987: Editor, with Da Choong, Olivette Cole-Wilson, and Gabriela Pearse, ''Black Women Talk Poetry'' anthology *1996–1997: Editor, ''FrontSeat'' quarterly inter-cultural performance magazine (Black Theatre Forum) *1998–2008: associate editor, ''
Wasafiri ''Wasafiri'' is a quarterly British literary magazine covering international contemporary writing. Founded in 1984, the magazine derives its name from a Swahili word meaning "travellers" that is etymologically linked with the Arabic word "safari" ...
'' international literature journal ( Queen Mary University London and
Open University The Open University (OU) is a British Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's underg ...
) *2007: Editor, with Maggie Gee, ''NW15: New Writing Anthology,'' 15th annual edition (
British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...
and
Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and ma ...
) *2010: Editor, with
Daljit Nagra Daljit Nagra (born 1966) is a British poet whose debut collection, ''Look We Have Coming to Dover!'' – a title alluding to W. H. Auden's ''Look, Stranger!'', D. H. Lawrence's ''Look! We Have Come Through!'' and by epigraph also to Matthew A ...
, ''Ten: New Poets'' poetry anthology, introducing ten new poets from The Complete Works project ( Bloodaxe Books) *2010: guest editor, with Karen McCarthy Woolf, ''Wasafiri'', ''Black Britain: Beyond Definition'', Special Winter Issue (
Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, an ...
) *2012: guest editor, ''
Poetry Review ''Poetry Review'' is the magazine of The Poetry Society, edited by the poet Emily Berry. Founded in 1912, shortly after the establishment of the Society, previous editors have included poets Muriel Spark, Adrian Henri, Andrew Motion and Maur ...
'', ''Offending Frequencies'' for The Poetry Society of Great Britain, Special Centenary Winter Issue, Volume 102.4 *2014: Editorial Selector, the Commonwealth Writers Short Story Prize anthology, ''Let's Tell This Story Properly'', edited by Ellah Allfrey ( Dundern Press, Canada) *2014: guest editor, ''
Mslexia ''Mslexia'' is a British magazine for women writers, founded and edited by Debbie Taylor. ''Mslexia'' contains articles and resources on writers, writing, and publishing. Writers who have contributed articles include Patricia Duncker, Sara Maitl ...
'' quarterly magazine of creative writing, Issue Number 63 *2014–2020, Originator and supervising editor of annual student anthologies at
Brunel University London Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In June 1 ...
: ''The Voices Inside Our Heads'', ''The Psyche Supermarket'', ''The Imagination Project'', ''It's Complicated'', ''Totem'', ''Pendulum'' and ''Letter to My Younger Self 2019, Kintsugi'' *2014–ongoing. Editorial Board, the African Poetry Book Fund, with ''
Prairie Schooner ''Prairie Schooner'' is a literary magazine published quarterly at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with the cooperation of UNL's English Department and the University of Nebraska Press. It is based in Lincoln, Nebraska and was first publish ...
'' poetry magazine at the
University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
*2020: guest editor, ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' Style magazine


Literary prize juries

* 1997: Ian St. James Award (Fiction) * 2004: The Next Generation Top 20 List, organised by PBS and
Poetry Society The Poetry Society is a membership organisation, open to all, whose stated aim is "to promote the study, use and enjoyment of poetry". The society was founded in London in February 1909 as the Poetry Recital Society, becoming the Poetry Society ...
* 2006: The National Poetry Competition * 2007: Northern Rock Writers' Award (Fiction & Poetry) * 2008: Decibel Penguin Prize (Fiction) * 2009: Muslim Writers Awards with Penguin Publishers (Fiction) * 2010: Alfred Fagon Award – (Black plays) * 2010: Orange Award for New Writers (Women's fiction) * 2010:
T. S. Eliot Prize The T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry is a prize that was, for many years, awarded by the Poetry Book Society (UK) to "the best collection of new verse in English first published in the UK or the Republic of Ireland" in any particular year. The Priz ...
(Poetry) * 2011: Peacock Poetry Prize (Brighton Festival) * 2012: Chair: Caine Prize for African Fiction * 2012: Chair: Commonwealth Short Story Prize * 2012: Founder & Chair of the
Brunel University African Poetry Prize Brunel International African Poetry Prize is a literary award aimed at the "development, celebration and promotion of poetry from Africa." The prize is sponsored by Brunel University and Bernardine Evaristo. In the past it has been partnered by Com ...
* 2012: The Poetry Society's ''Poetry News'' competition * 2013: Chair: The Brunel International African Poetry Prize * 2013: Golden Baobab Prize, Ghana (Short stories for African children) * 2013: Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets (USA) * 2014: Chair: The Brunel International African Poetry Prize * 2014:
OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, inaugurated in 2011 by the NGC Bocas Lit Fest, is an annual literary award for books by Caribbean writers published in the previous year.Costa Book Award Best Novel & Costa Book of the Year * 2015:
First Story First Story is an English non-profit organisation that encourages young people to write creatively, outside the curriculum, for self-expression, pleasure and agency. Its stated mission is to empower young people from low-income communities to find ...
National Writing Competition * 2015: ''
Prairie Schooner ''Prairie Schooner'' is a literary magazine published quarterly at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with the cooperation of UNL's English Department and the University of Nebraska Press. It is based in Lincoln, Nebraska and was first publish ...
'' First Book Prize (USA) * 2016: Chair: The Brunel International African Poetry Prize * 2016:
Goldsmiths Prize The Goldsmiths Prize is a British literary award, founded in 2013 by Goldsmiths, University of London, in association with the ''New Statesman.'' It is awarded annually to a piece of fiction that "breaks the mould or extends the possibilities of ...
for innovative fiction * 2016: Guardian and 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize * 2016: Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets (USA) * 2017: Chair: Brunel International African Poetry Prize * 2018: 40 New Fellows under 40
Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 600 Fellows, elec ...
* 2018: Chair: Brunel International African Poetry Prize * 2018: Geneva Writers' Prize * 2018: ''
Isis magazine ''The Isis'' is a student publication at the University of Oxford, where the magazine was established in 1892. Traditionally a rival to the student newspaper '' Cherwell'', ''Isis'' was finally acquired by the latter's publishing house, Oxfor ...
'' Writing Competition,
Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...
* 2018: The Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition * 2019: Anthony Burgess/ ''Observer'' newspaper Award for Arts' Journalism * 2019: Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry * 2019: ''Harper's'' Short Story Award * 2019: Polari Book Prize for LGBTQ+ fiction * 2020: Chair,
Women's Prize for Fiction The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–12), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017)) is one of the United Kingdom's m ...
* 2020: ''
Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' Style Journalism Competition


Voluntary advisory

* Board of directors, Black Mime Theatre Company, 1990s * Advisory board:
Wasafiri ''Wasafiri'' is a quarterly British literary magazine covering international contemporary writing. Founded in 1984, the magazine derives its name from a Swahili word meaning "travellers" that is etymologically linked with the Arabic word "safari" ...
Literature Magazine, 2000– * General Council: The Poetry Society of Great Britain, 2001–2004 * Special Literature Advisor:
London Arts Board The regional arts boards (formerly regional arts associations) were English regional subdivisions of the Arts Council of Great Britain History As the Arts Council began to move away from organising art activities in the 1950s, regional offices ...
, 2001–2005 * Chair: The Poetry Society of Great Britain, 2003–2004 * Literature Advisor:
The British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...
, 2003–2006 * Advisory Committee: New Galleries,
Museum of London The Museum of London is a museum in London, covering the history of the UK's capital city from prehistoric to modern times. It was formed in 1976 by amalgamating collections previously held by the City Corporation at the Guildhall Museum (fou ...
, 2004–2008 * Advisory Board: MA Creative Writing, City University, 2004–2009 * Founder: Free Verse & The Complete Works schemes, 2005–2017 *
The Society of Authors The Society of Authors (SoA) is a United Kingdom trade union for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884 to protect the rights and further the interests of authors. , it represents over 12,000 members and as ...
Management Committee, 2008–2009 * Patron: Westminster Befriend a Family (WBAF), 2009–2011 * Editorial Board: the African Poetry Book Series, APBF,
University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...
, 2012– * Patron:
SI Leeds Literary Prize The SI Leeds Literary Prize is a biennial award founded in 2012 by Soroptimist International of Leeds (SI Leeds) – a branch of the worldwide women's organization Soroptimist International – for unpublished fiction written by Black and Asian wo ...
for unpublished black/Asian women writers, 2012– * The Folio Prize, Member of the Academy, 2013– *
Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three se ...
, Member of the South East Area Council, 2014–2015 *
Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) is the independent body that checks on standards and quality in UK higher education. It conducts quality assessment reviews, develops reference points and guidance for providers, and cond ...
Creative Writing Panel, 2014–2015 * Elected to Council, Royal Society of Literature, 2016– * Vice Chair,
Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820, by King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 600 Fellows, elec ...
, 2017–2020


The Complete Works alumnae

''Group One'' * Rowyda Amin *
Malika Booker Malika Booker (born 1970)"Malika Booker"
at Forward Arts Foundatione.
is a British writer, ...
* Janet Kofi-Tsekpo * Mir Mahfuz Ali * Nick Makoha * Karen McCarthy Woolf * Shazea Quraishi * Roger Robinson * Denise Saul * Seni Seneviratne ''Group Two'' *
Mona Arshi Mona Arshi is a British poet. She won the Forward Prize, Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection in 2015 for her work ''Small Hands''. Biography Arshi was educated at Lampton Comprehensive School and grew up in Hounslow with Sikh Punja ...
* Jay Bernard *
Kayo Chingonyi Kayo Chingonyi FRSL (born 1987) is a Zambian-British poet and editor who is the author of two poetry collections, ''Kumukanda'' and ''A Blood Condition.'' He has also published two pamphlets, ''Some Bright Elegance'' (Salt, 2012) and ''The Colour ...
* Rishi Dastidar * Edward Doegar *
Inua Ellams Inua M. M. Ellams (born 23 October 1984) is a UK-based poet, playwright and performer. Work Ellams has written for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal National Theatre and the BBC. In June 2018, Ellams was elected as a Fellow of the R ...
*
Sarah Howe Sarah Howe (born 1983) is a Chinese–British poet, editor and researcher in English literature. Her first full poetry collection, '' Loop of Jade'', won the T. S. Eliot Prize and the ''Sunday Times'' / Peters Fraser & Dunlop Young Writer of ...
* Eileen Pun * Adam Lowe *
Warsan Shire Warsan Shire (born 1 August 1988) is a British writer, poet, editor and teacher, who was born to Somali parents in Kenya. In 2013 she was awarded the inaugural Brunel University African Poetry Prize, chosen from a shortlist of six candidates ...
''Group Three'' *
Raymond Antrobus Raymond Antrobus is a British poet, educator and writer, who has been performing poetry since 2007. In March 2019 he won the Ted Hughes Award for new work in poetry.Momtaza Mehri Momtaza Mehri is a Somali-British poet and essayist. In 2017, she received the Outspoken Page Poetry Prize (2017) and in 2018, was named the Young People’s Laureate of London. Biography Momtaza Mehri grew up in the Middle East. She is curren ...
* Yomi Sode * Degna Stone * Jennifer Lee Tsai


Notes


References


External links


Official website"Bernardine Evaristo"
Contemporary Writers, British Council.
Bernardine Evaristo
at Diaspora Writers UK. *Toh Hsien Min

(interview), ''Quarterly Literary Review Singapore'', Vol. 3, No. 2, January 2004. * Curry, Ginette
"Toubab La!": Literary Representations of Mixed-race Characters in the African Diaspora
Newcastle, England: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2007. *Rosanna Greenstreet
"Bernardine Evaristo: 'How often do I have sex? Eight times a day
The Q&A, ''The Guardian'', 25 July 2020. * Benjamin Law
"Booker winner Bernardine Evaristo on a society where we say, 'I look good for my age
''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper in ...
'', 29 October 2021. {{DEFAULTSORT:Evaristo, Bernardine 1959 births Living people 21st-century British novelists 21st-century British poets 21st-century British women writers Academics of Brunel University London Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Black British women academics Black British women writers Booker Prize winners British expatriate academics in the United States English people of German descent English people of Irish descent English people of Yoruba descent Fellows of the English Association Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature New Statesman people Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Woolwich Writers from London