Telling Tales - Nikesh Shukla

Writer Nikesh Shukla is the next guest in our series celebrating the very best in storytelling.

Nikesh remembers the publication of his first short story and the joy of seeing his name printed alongside people he respected, in a book, with a bar code on the back. This achievement prompted Nikesh to focus on writing, instead of a “mediocre” rapping career. Although some of his earliest lyrics do feature in his debut novel Coconut Unlimited, which was shortlisted for the Costa Award in 2010.

Nikesh proved that not only was there a market for his novel, but there was also an appetite for The Good Immigrant, a crowd-funded showcase for writers of colour. This 2016 anthology took just three days to fund and was so successful that it’s been succeeded by an American edition, a journal, and a literary agency to prioritise writers from marginalised backgrounds.

Nikesh believes in a multicultural Britain, and he wants to have big conversations about what that looks like. He believes it can’t just be the elite that tell our stories - they’ve been telling stories for centuries, and books can change the course of who you are.

• Producer: Ali Gardiner
• Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra

Publicity contact: Radio 4 Extra Publicity