Jhalak Prize Shortlistee Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

Ayanna Lloyd Banwo’s “When We Were Birds” is up for the 2023 Jhalak Prize, honoring British/British resident BAME writers. Originally from Trinidad, Ayanna studied at the University of the West Indies and later pursued an MA in Creative Writing at UEA. Currently, she’s working on her PhD in Creative & Critical Writing. Published by Hamish Hamilton, “When We Were Birds” is also a contender for the Authors Club Best First Novel Award, and it clinched the Fiction category of the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature. Ayanna was also one of the recipients of the Eccles Centre & Hay Festival Writer’s Award last year. Keep an eye out for the Jhalak Prize winner announcement on 25 May.