About

Welcome! I’m Ashia Mirza, a writer from Bolton, England. I’m glad you stopped by. Here you’ll find news about my writing, books, poetry and publishing journey.

You can also find me online as @AshPrinceWriter. If you’re interested in walking, travel and cats, check out my TikTok, @LLGGTok. I can’t promise you won’t see some of that on here!

Ashia Mirza is the winner of #Hashtag2025. She has published poetry and short stories and was shortlisted for the 2025 Aurora Prize. Her children’s fiction has been longlisted and shortlisted in competitions run by The Times/Chicken House, Guppy, Hachette Kids/Northern Writers and Commonword. She was selected for Penguin’s WriteNow programme and is a Golden Egg Award winner.

Bolton Children’s Fiction Award Longlist 2027

The Bolton Children’s Fiction Award is an annual event organised by Bolton School for young people in Bolton and the surrounding area. My kids used to love taking part in this event, and it’s always a great list for children’s writers to read. The longlist for 2027 looks good! The Strange Disappearance of Imogen Good by Kirsty ApplebaumRunning … Continue reading →

Heatwave and Heartbust

Gosh, it’s been hot! Do you believe in coincidences? I was in Greece recently and, during our time in Athens, we watched Hecuba by Euripides in the ancient Odeon. It was a fantastic experience, even though the “comfort” of the seat pads wore off after about half an hour! This particular production incorporated Plato’s Allegory … Continue reading →

Happy New Year!

2025 has been a genuinely exciting year for my writing. One of my poems was shortlisted for the Aurora Prize, and I was thrilled to win Hashtag2025 — a milestone that, with a bit of luck, means my debut children’s book will be published later this year. It’s been one of those rare years where … Continue reading →

Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2026

The Bolton Children’s Fiction Award is an annual event organised by Bolton School for young people in Bolton and the surrounding area. Pupils take part by reading and voting for their favourite book from a shortlist. My kids used to love taking part in this event, and it’s always a great list for aspiring children’s writers to read. This … Continue reading →

Bolton Children’s Fiction Award 2025: and the winner is …

The Bolton Children’s Fiction Award is an annual event organised by Bolton School for young people in Bolton and the surrounding area. Pupils take part by reading and voting for their favourite book from a shortlist. My kids used to love taking part in this event, and it’s always a great list for aspiring children’s writers to read. The … Continue reading →

Yes, I read and write poetry too.

I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to realise I’ve never shared any poetry posts, so here goes! Last year, a wonderful person named Keith approached Bolton Library about starting a monthly poetry reading group, and I can’t believe it’s almost been a year since it began. We’ve explored the poetry of Walt … Continue reading →

Books read March 2024-Dec2024

The books I read between March and December this year include three by fellow Penguin Writenow alumni, three from writers I met at Chorley Theatre, Telling Tales, and two from lovely writer friends: The Deadly Spark by Roxie Key The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr Neon Roses by Rachel Dawson A Song for Issy … Continue reading →