Colours of the Past: A Creative Writing Exhibition runs from 30th July to 29th November 2026 in the Writers’ Museum, Edinburgh. I wanted to amplify the voices of women of colour in the city and within a space dedicated to three of Scotland’s literary greats – Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns, and Walter Scott. I ran creative writing workshops in the Museum of Edinburgh with three Black and Asian community groups. These were Networking Key Services, Sikh Sanjog, and Mwamba. The women’s notebooks, photos of their personal objects, and quotes from their stories forms the central display in the main foyer. An exhibition booklet, which speaks of the project’s aims, brings together all 23 stories in their entirety. A lasting legacy for the women involved.

On the eve of the 2026 Edinburgh International Festival, we launched Colours of the Past in Makar’s Court, outside the museum, where women from the three groups came together to read from and hear one another’s stories. It was a powerful and moving event. One of the participants said that it was “amazing…we got a chance to tell our story and meet other wonderful women, with such warm and touching stories, taking us on a ride to far flung places.”

Here is a press release about the exhibition in the Edinburgh Evening News, and a short video of the display.

A comment in the visitor book for the exhibition makes the work I do with communities so worthwhile: “As odd as it sounds this reminded me of home. As an American Indian any beadwork reminds me of the reservations…makes me think how anyone can find common ground.”

My second novel, A Dream to the Sleeping Soul, will be published in the spring of 2027 with Bluemoose Books. Read an excerpt here in the UNESCO Cities of Literature anthology, Page 85. I worked on an early draft with the MA in Publishing cohort of 2024/25 at the University of Exeter. It’s a story about memory, migration, family and belonging, told in the second person voice.

I am excited to share that I have contributed to PVA’s new collection – In the good seats: Essays on film. I’ve written about growing up in London in the 80s and how my interest in storytelling was first sparked by film and my long journey from filmmaker to author. You can pre-order a copy here. I am in brilliant company, with Daisy Lafarge, Michael Magee, and Ali Smith included in this edition.

I’ve been awarded a desk residency over the summer by Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature in their offices with ‘a room of my own’ for two months. Excited at the prospect of writing whilst looking out towards St. Giles Cathedral at the top of a historic building dating back to 1490. John Knox’s House was owned and lived in by the Protestant reformer in the 16th Century.

I’m leading a series of creative writing workshops in October for people of the diaspora. They are free but must be booked via Eventbrite here. They will take place at the Saltire Society headquarters in Edinburgh. I hope to create a fun, immersive, safe space where we will deep dive into our imaginations and experiences. Join me!

UPDATE:

Taught my last creative writing workshop in the series last Friday. It has been amazing and I’ve loved every minute of it. Nurturing other voices in the diaspora has had huge impact on the understanding of my own journey. Here is just some of the positive feedback from those who attended:

“Writing can be supported through being with a great teacher!”

“Excellent. Informative. Beautifully presented.”

“Learned that even I who do not feel I am a writer has been able to put some words down on paper with reasonably good effect!”

“That my stories are worthy to be shared and powerful.”

Now in its fifth year, the Royal Society of Literature’s Prize named after Sir Christopher Bland, who published his first book at the age of 76, celebrates outstanding achievements for a debut novelist or non-fiction writer first published aged 50 or over. This year’s judges are Lemn Sissay (Chair), Meena Kandasamy, and Simon Savidge.

Meena Kandasamy says of I Am Not Your Eve, “Ponnambalam sublimely deconstructs patriarchy and colonialism, even as she stays within the contours of the story she is telling.”

I AM NOT YOUR EVE has been shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2023.

Read what the judges say about the book and discover the other six shortlisted authors here.

‘This is a complex novel, raising uncomfortable issues of morality and demanding much of the reader, but it is deeply rewarding.’

I AM NOT YOUR EVE

‘In Search of Teha’amana’

I wrote about my journey with the book, its genesis, and the search for Teha’amana in Tahiti for The Guardian’s Saturday supplement on 18th March 2023.

Incredible news!

I AM NOT YOUR EVE has been long listed for the world’s foremost literary prize for historical fiction.

The paperback version hits the shops on 26th March 2023.

Check out the fabulous longlist here!

I Am Not Your Eve has been shortlisted for Scotland’s National Book Awards in the First Book category.

The awards ceremony will take place on 8th December 2022 in Edinburgh and you can also attend online.

You can see me speaking about my inspiration for the story and reading a short extract here.

You can read more about The Saltire Society’s 2022 shortlists for Scotland’s National Book Awards here.