"A brutal, brilliant debut that’s hard to put down. Patel’s searing novel skitters through a world of toxic exes, mean girls and bad jobs – and it’s addictive."- The Guardian

"A fast, fizzing cherry bomb of a debut... mining the darkest depths of coercion, seduction and abuser dynamics... Like a sociopathic ex who's stalking your Twitter, I'm a Fan will stick with you for a very long time" - Observer

Sheena Patel made an international name for herself with her debut novel I’m A Fan. The book about stalking on social media was voted Discover Book of the Year at the prestigious British Book Awards (also known as the Nibbies) in 2023.

She was a guest at the Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival The Hague (22-25 January 2026). In collaboration with The Lighthouse, Sheena came to the Speakers' Corner at The Hague University of Applied Sciences for what was sure a sparkling interview, with Bianca Tudorache as host and moderator.

With a clear and unforgiving eye, Sheena Patel makes startling connections between power struggles at the heart of human relationships to those in the wider world, offering a devastating critique of social media, access and patriarchal systems.

Social media obsession
The unnamed protagonist of I'm A Fan is a young woman who spends a lot of time on social media, where she meticulously follows every post and like of “the man I want to be with”, an artist with whom she has a vague relationship. And then there is “the woman I am obsessed with”, a glamorous influencer who is having an affair with the artist. She herself has a devoted lover whom she neglects. The connection between all these relationships is that they are each, in their own way, completely unbalanced and disruptive.

In short chapters that fire at the reader like bullets, Sheena Patel draws you into the logic of an obsessive woman who is well aware of everything that is wrong with the relationships she has or desires, but cannot break free from them.

She knows it is an impossible dream, but she cannot stop chasing her perfect, Instagram-proof dream world in which she is the centre of adoration and the epitome of sophistication. The razor-sharp insights about social media, race, gender and privilege that she sprinkles throughout make her an ambiguous heroine who is both prey and predator.


Friday and Saturday: big festival nights
Writers Unlimited Festival also welcomed you to one of the other festival locations! The big festival evenings on Friday 23 or Saturday 24 January 2026 at Theater aan het Spui and Filmhuis Den Haag, where you choose your own route from around twenty performances on four stages, are reasonably priced at €15 for everyone up to the age of 31. The regular price is €35 (Early Bird tickets €25, until 26 December 2025). The programme included poetry, stories, spoken word, film, music and topical discussions with writers and poets.

From 22 to 25 January 2026, Writers Unlimited International Literature Festival The Hague was to be found in theatres, libraries and schools throughout the city: from Theater aan het Spui, Filmhuis Den Haag, GR8 to Theater Dakota, Curaçaohuis, the Centrale Bibliotheek, the Laakkwartier, Nieuw Waldeck, Schilderswijk and Ypenburg libraries, the Institute of Social Studies and De Haagse Hogeschool. With over 100 writers, poets, spoken-word artists and musicians from the Netherlands and abroad. With readings, prose, poetry, storytelling, spoken word, author interviews, topical talks, films and music.