"I am interested in what drives people."
Sophia Khan is an essential voice in the realm of fresh writers.
In September 2024, she entered her fiction story, Prayers into the Creative Future Writers’ Awards (CFWA).
The CFWA is the UK’s only national platform for all underrepresented writers.
Prayers narrates the story of a man who has his Gucci loafers stolen by a policeman guarding the mosque he attends during Eid.
Sophia Khan tells the story through a curious and humorous lens, and it is set in her native community of Harrow.
The writer is also an accomplished teacher and educator. Prayers won her the Silver Prize for Fiction.
In our exclusive chat, Sophia Khan shed some light on Prayers, her writing career, and much more.
Can you tell us a bit about Prayers? What is it about, and what inspired you to write it?
It is a story about a man who goes to perform Eid prayers at the mosque, only to find that his shoes have been stolen.
A lot of the story has to do with how he feels afterwards and his initial fixation on finding the perpetrator.
When I won the Silver Prize, my reaction was one of shock and absolute delight.
It took me a while to process and for it to really sink in.
In what ways do you think humour strengthens your writing?
Funnily enough, a lot of the stories I have written tend to be on the more serious side, with more sadness.
This was the first story I wrote, which felt like it had a certain lightness to it.
It was only by hearing about people’s reactions to it that I could see the humour retrospectively.
I do think, in general, that humour can strengthen a person’s writing in the way it can still draw attention to serious issues.
How has your teaching career inspired your writing?
I have been teaching for well over a decade now, and the thing about teaching is that you are always learning about people and learning about yourself, too.
You learn about the children, your colleagues and you as a person.
So, there is a lot to draw on in terms of understanding or trying to understand others on a human level.
What makes us tick, what makes us angry, happy, irritated and so forth?
What themes and ideas fascinate you, and which ones do you hope to explore in the future?
There are lots of ideas and themes that fascinate me, but I think this feeling of being a bit on the outside, always looking in and feeling like an onlooker.
I am interested in that. I am interested in what drives people, what gives them a sense of freedom or, conversely, what is enough for them to be happy in life.
Social class is another theme that I am always drawn to.
It’s not always talked about so openly, but it is always there, hanging over everything.
Which writers have inspired you in your journey?
Toni Morrison is an inspiration, as are Jhumpa Lahiri, Zadie Smith and Arundhati Roy.
There are writers like D.H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf and James Baldwin who have a richness in the way they write.
I also remember being blown away when I read A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth.
It was so epic and written with such love and beauty.
What advice would you give to budding writers or teachers?
To never give up and keep going. If there is a voice in your head that is saying don’t do it or you can’t do this, just ignore it and keep going.
There is a craft to teaching as well as writing, I think, and both take time, effort and patience.
If you can sustain the stamina and keep going, the reward of seeing your craft getting better and improving makes it worth it.
What do you hope readers will take away from Prayers?
I hope readers enjoy the story and feel drawn into the world of the characters, even if it is just for a short period of time.
Prayers is a terrific story rich with humour and emotion.
Sophia Khan is a very deserving winner of the CFWA competition who continues to inspire readers with her captivating words.
As she continues to navigate her writing career along with excelling in teaching, we are all here to support her.
So, keep an eye out for the vibrant writer, Sophia Khan.
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