Nikesh Shukla: The Good Immigrant

Ten years ago, The Good Immigrant was crowdfunded in three days, declared a Sunday Times bestseller, and described by Zadie Smith as ‘a must-read’. The publishing industry had said no. The public said otherwise. Now 21 voices asking what it really means to be ‘other’ in Britain—to grow up here, belong here, and still be made to feel like a guest in your own country—are back live on stage.

To mark the book’s 10th anniversary, editor Nikesh Shukla chairs a live panel bringing together original contributors to The Good Immigrant, to reflect on what’s changed in Britain in the decade since publication, what hasn’t.

Nikesh Shukla is the co-founder of The Good Literary Agency, the Jhalak Prize, and The Good Journal, and as well as The Good Immigrant also co-edited The Good Immigrant USA. He has been recognised by Time, Foreign Policy, and The Bookseller as a cultural leader and influential figure. His work spans publishing, TV, and film.

Wei Ming Kam is a writer from London. She has written for the essay collection Can We All Be Feminists? and the non-fiction comic anthology We Shall Fight Until We Win.

Inua Ellams was born in Nigeria. They are a poet, playwright & performer, graphic artist & designer and founder of: The Midnight Run, The Rhythm and Poetry Party, and Poetry + Film / Hack (P+F/H).

Varaidzo is a writer and designer based in Paris. She is a contributor to The Good Immigrant. Her debut novel Manny and the Baby (Scribe, 2024) was shortlisted for the Jhalak Prose Prize 2025 and longlisted for the Authors Club Best First Novel Prize 2025.

Kieran Yates is a London-based journalist, broadcaster, and editor writing everywhere from The Guardian, FADER, VICE, The Independent, and beyond. Her debut book about home and the housing crisis, All The Houses I’ve Lived In, is out now.

Salena Godden FRSL is an award-winning author, poet and broadcaster of mixed Jamaican-Irish heritage. Her debut novel, Mrs Death Misses Death, won the Indie Book Award for Fiction and the People’s Book Prize, and was shortlisted at the British Book Awards and for the Gordon Burn Prize.

Dr Darren Chetty is a specialist in philosophy for children, antiracist education, and children’s literature. His debut picture book, I’m Going to Make a Friend, is illustrated by Sandhya Prabhat.

Vera Chok is a first generation Malaysian-Chinese immigrant. They are an actor, writer, performance maker, and comedian. Key writing projects include poetry collection Angry Yellow Woman, feature film, Dream Agency, and theatre productions, The Paper Man and Rice.