Who Am I?

Mariam Ansar was born in Bradford, England. A true September baby, she grew up and decided that reading books 24/7 was not enough — she may as well try and live in a way that honours stories too. So Mariam pulled her head out of the clouds and studied English at the University of Cambridge. This was a very interesting experience. Mariam read even more books, made lots of friends, irritated some others, and went on to pursue journalism. Mariam interned at BuzzFeed UK, and launched a freelance career writing features and interviewing creatives for Rookie Magazine, Teen Vogue, Dazed, VICE, NME, The Independent, and many others. While training to teach literature at a secondary and Sixth Form level, Mariam signed a contract with Claire Wilson at RCW in London. Her debut novel ‘GOOD FOR NOTHING’ was published in 2023. It was reviewed favourably by The Guardian as “'A gripping portrait of three very different teenagers and one divided northern town… Ansar's moving, funny YA debut feels entirely true to life…” It is taught in schools across the country.

As she cannot realise her true calling of sitting on the moon — or becoming a constellation — Mariam continues to write on topics as varied as the ordinary, storytelling, compassion, and the natural world today.

You can buy ‘GOOD FOR NOTHING’ here.

You can subscribe to Mariam’s Substack here, or enquire about writing courses/manuscript consultancy/collaborations below.