SCBWI FACES Farrah Riaz




SCBWI Faces goes behind the scenes to meet our volunteers. This month Zeena Gosrani chats to Farrah Riaz, her co-host for the London brunch.

 




Farrah is a London-based author from a Hindustani background. She has always been a storyteller, first as a child playing with Barbies, then as an adult with The Sims. Creating characters in all sorts of narratives brings her a lot of joy. When she isn’t living in fantastical worlds or spending time with her loved ones, she works in higher education. Her debut picture book, The Twirly Wiggly Dance, illustrated by Navya Raju, will be published in August by Oxford Children's.

 


What do you write?

 Picture books and I am also working on stories of longer lengths.

 

Do you have a ‘day job’ as well as volunteering and writing?

I work in higher education.

 

Describe your writing space.

 A bedroom/office. I make do with the space I have. Maybe one day, I will have a whole writing room! Something to aspire towards…

 

How long have you been a SCBWI volunteer?

 Since February 2024

 

Describe the main tasks of your role as a SCBWI volunteer.

Organising the London brunches with my lead co-host, Zeena Gos. We try to spread them out and aim to do at least three yearly. Zeena then adds it to Facebook and Phillip Kavvadias adds it to the website.

 


Do you do any other volunteering?

I have started visiting local libraries and shops and assisting with story times.

 

Has volunteering influenced your writing in any way?

It has not influenced my stories directly, but learning how others write has been insightful.

 

What are the advantages of being a volunteer?

Meeting so many writers makes you realise that we are all on individual writing paths, and no two journeys are the same.

 


How many hours per week do you spend volunteering?

Honestly, the brunches do not consume so much time. We definitely text our little London SCBWI social group back and forth at least once a month, updating each other on what's happening. We also keep an eye on Facebook. The actual brunch day is set aside from 11am-3pm, and on those days, Zeena and I make sure we keep an eye out for who is supposed to be coming and help anyone with directions etc. We want to make sure everyone feels welcome and enjoys themselves.



Do the boundaries between volunteering get blurred or do you have clearly demarcated writing/volunteering times/space?

No, volunteering has never crossed boundaries. I make sure on brunch day, it’s all about the brunch during the allocated hours and I’m all in to socialise and network.

 

Favourite children’s book?

I’m gonna cheat and squeeze in three which really made an impact on me as a young child - The Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord, Janet Burroway, The Jolly Postman by Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlberg and Matilda by Roald Dahl.

* Header illustration by Tita Berredo and Ell Rose
* Other images courtesy of Farrah Riaz

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Anne Boyere is one of Words & Pictures' Feature Editors and runs the #SCBWIchat on X (formerly Twitter) chat about books for all ages @SCBWI_BI. You can find her on X.


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Ell Rose is a non-binary illustrator & animator based in Edinburgh and Illustration Features Editor for Words & Pictures. They have two cats that sometimes feature in their work in either comics or illustrations/animation. They are available for editorial, non-fiction and fiction books and commercial work as well as 2D motion graphics. Contact illustrators@britishscbwi.org


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Tita Berredo is Illustrator Coordinator of SCBWI British Isles and the Art Director of Words & Pictures. Follow her on Instagram, X and www.titaberredo.com or contact her at: illuscoordinator@britishscbwi.org

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