Shubnum Khan talks her new memoir, traveling solo, and writing ‘strange and wonderful stories’

“You can never lose when you have more women in your corner.” It’s the quote that stayed with me long after I finished reading the 245 pages that is Shubnum Khan’s second novel, How I Accidentally Became A Global Stock Photo (Macmillan). The South African author and artist dipped into her memory bank of growing up in Asherville, Durban, travelling the world as a single Muslim woman, attending writing residencies and more, to write a collection of ‘strange and wonderful stories’.

The Durban-based writer found internet virality when she shared a story about accidentally ending up as a bride on a rooftop in Shanghai. It was just one of the many weird and wonderful stories she had to share about her life. This sparked the idea for a book that is ‘part travelogue, part memoir and a part love letter to anyone who’s been afraid’. In her introduction, Khan writes that she had to tell these stories, “to remind anyone that you can choose your own path if you choose to be brave”.

It’s a theme she keeps returning to, as she shares her own experiences of bravery: convincing herself she could live in a remote village in the Himalayas, moving to New York alone for a residency, screaming ‘Fuck you lady” to a rude woman in Times Square, and learning how to be ‘soft’ and discover yourself in a strange city.

I connected to the book instantly. At times, I felt like I was reading my life story on the page. I identified with her thoughts on singledom: ‘people think a woman alone is a doomed thing’, marriage: ‘it is not the definition of life’, exploring new cities: ‘the best cities in the world make everything feel like a secret’, and being in control: ‘the truth is you can never be prepared enough for what life is going to throw your way’. At times I felt like she was talking directly to me as a friend. I felt a kindred spirit in this person who loves walking about to explore new cities, who gets anxious before travelling or making a major decision, who has conversations with herself (she calls it checking in, I call it pep talks) and who doesn’t conform to what society expects her to be.

Khan breaks up her experiences into shorter stories, each focusing on a reflection, or an incident. Granted, many of the anecdotes don’t have the captivating power of being a bride in Shanghai or mistakenly becoming a global stock photo, but Khan makes them work by adding her learnings and insights to them. In some cases, it does feel like the larger story isn’t being spoken about, which for such a personal book feels odd. On the whole, her writing is honest, funny and inspiring. It’s full of beautiful quotes like, “When you step off the ledge, anything can happen”.

Edited excerpts from an interview:

The book feels like notes from your diary. Was that the tone you were going for: conversational and relatable?

In the beginning, I wasn’t sure what I wanted the ‘voice’ of this book to be but as I worked on it, I realised I was telling a story of my life. The only way I could do that was by telling the story in my voice which is a little funny, and a little anxious and a little hopeful. If it seems like I’m having a conversation with the reader, it’s because I am: I’m just telling my stories in my own voice.

As an aside, do you keep a diary? Not really. I wish I had the endurance to keep a consistent diary! These days it’s more like small notes on my phone to help me prompt a memory. I usually look at photos to help me get a sense of what happened before. It’s a very bad habit for a writer and I hope I get more into recording things properly.

How did you manage that balance of humour (especially when you touch upon your anxiety about travel) and introspection (about saints, and personal growth)?

I struggled with this at first. I didn’t know if I was writing a funny book or a reflective book but eventually as I read a lot of memoirs and worked my way through my stories, I thought a book doesn’t really have to be one thing — surely it can be many things. I just told the truth as I saw it — some moments in my adventures were hilarious and some moments were inspiring and some were sad and that’s how life is. As long as I kept the story on me, and my journey to myself consistent, the rest seemed to balance itself out.

What does travel mean to you today? How does it impact your life?

Travel to me means freedom. Especially as a young woman alone — it opens up my world in wide and wonderful ways and shows me that anything is possible. It impacts my life strongly because it forces me to re-examine my own views and reflections, which in turn affects the trajectory of my life. I know it is a great privilege; to be able to move through different places and explore and examine them and I don’t take it lightly. It was something I had to fight for, for a long time.

You’ve spoken about the importance of making connections. Beyond what’s mentioned in the book, what are some memorable connections you’ve made on your travels?

I’ve made a lot of special friends on my writing residencies that I haven’t written about in the book. One was a Kenyan writer in the US with who I immediately bonded because we were both so overwhelmed by the American way of life — we missed the haphazardness of home and how consumeristic everything seemed to be in America. Money seemed to have such a different meaning there than back home. It was really the first moment when I began to see the difference between the West and the East and understand what that means for how people develop. I also made friends with a little boy and girl on my walks at a residency in the US. They would invite me to their home and show me their chickens and climb trees with me and it was very special because I was quite lonely at the time and they just welcomed me with open arms.

Walk us through a regular day in your life. How much time do you set aside for writing, for your art? What kind of freelance work do you take up?

It varies depending on what project I have on hand — for instance in the pandemic in 2020 I worked exclusively on my memoir every day, but now I dabble in different writing projects and I’m trying to get back into art (the desire to draw seemed to have fled with the pandemic). If I’m not writing, then I’m taking art orders and occasional freelance writing for magazines or papers.

You’ve written a few short stories. Your current book also reads like a series of short stories. Is this a style you prefer?

I don’t really like reading short story collections but I must say, I do find that I work better on smaller pieces and it seems to be the preference now since readers only seem to have time to dip and out of something quickly. I take a bit too long with novels because I never plan them properly and then I have to search through them to find my way and that’s time-consuming.

What are you working on next?

I’m working on a new novel; a gothic mystery about a girl who moves into a strange house by the sea and discovers terrible secrets from a century ago.

Joanna Lobo  is an independent journalist from Goa, who enjoys writing about food, her Goan heritage, and other things that make her happy. By the side,  she co-owns a food publication: But First, Food and sends out a freelancing newsletter: It’s All Write.