Zia Ahmed is a poet and writer hailing from North-West London. He is part of the London Laureates, having been shortlisted for London’s Young Poet Laureate 2015/16. He is a former Roundhouse Slam Champion and a Writer in Residence at Paines Plough as part of Channel 4’s Playwright Scheme 2017. In 2018 he was chosen to be a part of the Bush Theatre's Emerging Writers Group. In 2019, Zia’s stage debut I WANNA BE YOURS premiered at the Bush Theatre. Zia's latest project, PEACEOPHOBIA, was performed at venues in Manchester and Bradford in 2021. Described as "part theatre, part car-meet", the show was developed with Bradford-based performances, drawing from their experiences and love of automobiles to explore the realities of being a Muslim Man in Britain today.