Yassmin has published five books, with her debut literary novel AT SEA forthcoming in 2026. Previous works include the essay collection Talking About A Revolution (PRH, 2022), Stand Up and Speak Out Against Racism (Walker, 2023) and two novels for younger readers, You Must Be Layla (Puffin, 2019) and Listen Layla (Puffin, 2021). Listen, Layla was longlisted for Book of the Year by The Children’s Book Council of Australia, as well as 2022 Honour Book for Children’s Africana Book of the Year by the Centre for African Studies at Howard University in the US. Stand Up and Speak Out Against Racism was longlisted for the SLA Information Book Award in 2024, and named a ‘Best Book of 2023’ by the School Library Journal (USA) and Guardian Australia.

In 2024, Yassmin was selected as an ITV’s Original Voices writer for the iconic British continuing drama Emmerdale. She has since joined the core Emmerdale writing team, and is also developing a slate of projects for the stage and screen. Yassmin co-wrote the sold-out immersive theatre production at Kensington Palace, United Queendom and has been selected for artist residencies and fellowships in Europe, Central America and the USA.

Yassmin has been a regular columnist with The New Arab and London’s Evening Standard. She has written for TIME, The Guardian, Observer Magazine, The New York Times, New Lines Magazine, Times Literary Supplement, Index on Censorship, GQ, Vogue and more.

To get updates from Yassmin in a weekly newsletter, subscribe to her substack.

For literary queries, contact Molly Ker Hawn.

Introducing… AT SEA

Being one of the boys was one thing.

Being the boss of the boys was something else altogether.

Expert driller Zainab is called to take charge of a high-stakes oil rig operation. Unable to resist the opportunity, she leaves behind her pregnant sister and heads offshore for the job of her life. But there’s a catch. The rig is teetering on the edge of disaster – and Zainab is the only woman amongst a crew of hardened men who want absolutely nothing to do with her.

At the helm but forced to prove herself at every turn, Zainab labours to investigate the rig’s imminent collapse. She soon realises the real danger may lie in the cold calculations and base desires of the men she’s now forced to spend every waking moment with.

As tensions rise and secrets unravel, Zainab races to uncover the truth bubbling below and fend off the looming catastrophe. Explosive and thought-provoking, At Sea is an exhilarating story about the clash of ambition, principle and prejudice, and the catastrophic consequences of our choices.

A propulsive literary environmental thriller, AT SEA is forthcoming with Canongate in Spring, 2026. Stay tuned!

BOOKS

Purchase direct

Stage and screen

TAMASHA PLAYWRIGHTS COLLECTIVE

As a member of the 2021/2022 Tamasha Playwrights collective, Yassmin developed her second full length play, titled ‘NO ESCAPE’. It was performed at a scratch night at Camden’s Theatro Technis in late 2022 and is currently undergoing further development.

SOHO THEATRE WRITERS LAB

From a pool of almost 1000 applicants, Yassmin was selected for the 2020/2021 cohort of Soho Theatre Writers’ Lab. Yassmin wrote her first full length play, BLACK GILD, which is currently in development.

United Queendom

Co-writer on the sold-out immerse theatre production by Les Enfant Terribles at Kensington Palace in London, working with director Christa Harris to bring a unique, feminist take to forgotten historical events.

Yassmin is also developing a number of scripts for screen, for more contact agent Jessica Cooper at Curtis Brown.