Fatima Farheen Mirza

I’ve just published a list of truly remarkable children’s books on my substack. Children’s books can do more than entertain— they can comfort and teach, they can help children foster their imagination and creativity, help them name big feelings, ask difficult questions, understand the natural world and its rhythms. They need not be simplistic, they can believe in the intelligence and vibrant inner life of children, which is as complex as our own. Whether you’re wondering what book to gift a little human that isn’t The Very Hungry Caterpillar or Goodnight Moon (both excellent choices, btw), or want to read something unexpected and magical, I’ve made a list of my favorite children’s books that feel like little treasures on the shelf. link in bio or head to fatimafarheenmirza.substack.com !

a few weeks ago I sat down with @zamirarahim @fad_studios & @muslimsisterhood to talk about my journey to writing, creative process, and so much more. I’m genuinely grateful for @zamirarahim ‘s thoughtful words, the care she took to write this profile, and to @fad_studios for these photographs. It’s super rare to read something about you and feel moved and not misunderstood, and that speaks to the work @muslimsisterhood is doing and @zamirarahim ‘s generous writing. Link to the profile in stories.

As of late, novelist Fatima Farheen Mirza has been finding joy and creativity in her guided journalling sessions. “We all get together and we don’t talk to each other. We journal together. I’m honestly a little surprised by the response to it.” In our latest substack, our guest writer @zamirarahim profiles the author of A Place for Us @ffmirza . Link in the bio 💌 Photos by @fad_studios

I remember Rizwan telling me about his idea for BAIT in spring 2018 when we first met. Back then it was an iPhone note on his phone called QUARTER LIFE— full of thoughts, rough scenes, hilarious & heartbreaking instances that illustrated the disorienting schism between the world he was from and the one he found himself in. The iPhone notes grew. Things happened that we could only laugh about, saying “that’s so quarter life”. Soon the idea became a writer’s room in London, and then another in LA, full of incredible writers I felt grateful to sit and dream with. Week after week, for years, I watched Rizwan pour his whole heart and soul into this story. Somehow he was not only writing it, but acting, producing, editing, rapping on the soundtrack, and still showing up as a partner, a father, a son. If you’ve worked with Rizwan you know that’s standard, he gives every project his all. But BAIT was different. He mined deeper, it cost him something more personal, he went towards the fear, the shame, the origin, he took risks, he swung hard, and in the end he worked something out that only he could. He’s made something real and true, moving and so funny too. As his partner I’m so proud, as an artist, I’m amazed. Every once in awhile an artist creates something from that deep source, from that you-were-put-on-this-planet-for-this place, and what emerges from submitting to the needs of that story is a kind of alchemy— for the artist, yes, but for the viewer also. Both are transformed, maybe just subtly, maybe profoundly, from going on that journey with the character, a journey that wants us to be a little more whole. BAIT is out now on Amazon Prime. The soundtrack is out soon after. It’s really good guys. Congratulations @rizahmed & it’s time for a break & can all the aunties please do a collective nazar ki dua phook-ing, thank you 🤍🙏🏽🧿🪬 . . . . . big love to Allie Moore, Sophia Gholdoian, Ben Karlin & the brilliant writer’s room & the incredible cast & crew thank you to the lovely @aoifegibb for styling me alongside @felicitykay @nickroseartistry for hair and make up, @ceciliebahnsen & @completedworks for the look 🤍 @timmsy & @scottgarfitt for the 📷

CONFESSIONS OF LILITH is now published in the January February issue of Guernica @guernicamag Featuring stunning artwork by Elolo Bosoka @elolobosoka Thank you William Shih for giving it a home and for your careful eye and edits @williampeishih And thank you @annajewsbury for originally commissioning it for the FW London fashion week show Link in bio 💫💛

this valentine’s weekend go on a date w yourself guided journaling February 15 ! tickets via Eventbrite, link in bio ✨✨✨

my 2016 PS this valentine’s day go on a date w yourself — guided journaling for the first time with a theme: (self) love ticket link in bio 🤍✨🧿

End of 2025 brought an unexpected trip: to Jedda, Mecca, Medina. I hadn’t been for almost 20 years. I didn’t know what to expect and was frankly a little afraid to expect or hope for anything, having felt disconnected from my faith for so long. Saying it was an incredible, transformative, grounding experience doesn’t begin to do it justice. I’m so grateful to everyone who made the trip possible, to our Umra crew, my parents, the hospitable and welcoming team at Red Sea FF @redseafilm , and especially Rizwan. Throughout it all, I carried my journal with me and I’ve shared a few fragments from it in my substack, alongside some film photos. Link in bio, excerpt here: “I walk with my head down. I glimpse a shock of black among the white marble, but then look down, wanting to preserve the first look of the Kaaba for when it will be wholly in view. In this pursuit they also help me (R, Z, S). Keep looking down, they say, don’t look yet. When finally we are allowed downstairs, when finally they say ok, here, you can look up now. There are no words. It is truly a stunning, magnificent sight, one that touches a place in me that is so unfamiliar, so ancient, maybe even ancestral, it is just awe, pure awe.” Alhumdulillah 🤍🙏🏽🧿

new substack post! link in bio I wrote it while I was trying to find my way back to the work after an extended period of not writing. It’s a map of tips, tools, and strategies I wrote for myself, one I’ll return to when the anxiety of ‘Will I ever write again?’ inevitably rises up.

last week I was so grateful to be a part of @writeclublondon , lovingly created by @mattmaude & @susanna_idc and beautifully hosted by @thehouseofkoko & @clemtofame We spent hours speaking about writing, journaling together, dining together, and sharing what emerged from the journaling prompts- it was so special and nourishing. Thank you guys for having me. I’ve been loving journaling in community. Our conversations and connections with each other are deepened when we take the time to connect with ourselves. My next guided journaling event will be online- November 23 at 6PM GMT. I hope to see you there, link in bio. 📷 by @mattmaude

last night celebrated 40 years of @elleuk & so many incredible artists including @rizahmed 🙏🏽🧿 For @elleuk ‘s September issue, I got to sit down with Rizwan and interview him on his creative process, childhood memories, and the intense past two years where I’ve seen him put all his heart and an insane amount of work into Relay and Hamlet. (Relay is out in theatres now— go see it!!) Thank you to @lenadecasparis for editing the conversation so thoughtfully Thank you to @prada & @pradabeauty for the makeup and dress— always a dream to wear. Thank you to @annajewsbury & @completedworks for the stunning jewelry— I’m always so proud to wear your creations. @liztaw for the Polaroids!! 🤍 @kenyahunt & @elleuk for the beautiful night @pauljoneshair & @fredletailleur for your hair and make up artistry, thank you! @mataagencyldn for everything 🤍 & @rizahmed for the wild ride. So proud to take a moment to pause and celebrate 🤍🧿

new substack issue! on process: what’s working & what isn’t. Link in bio! fatimafarheenmirza.substack.com