Aarya Handa is an emerging writer and creative based in Nottingham. She uses poetry and prose to examine the friction of the human condition, typically blending social commentary with a healthy dose of cynicism. A final-year BA (Hons) Philosophy student at the University of Nottingham, she is the 2026 Under 25 Writer in Residence at Nottingham Women’s Centre. Aarya is also a member of Nottingham City of Literature’s Youth Advisory Board and Connecting Notts’ Youth Board, where she is a youth voice advocate.
She works with local organisations such as the Renewal Trust and the National Literacy Trust to deliver activities for children and champion reading for leisure. Aarya was on the Youth Selection Panel for the books of the ‘Big City Reads’ 2026 campaign and contributed a poem to Adoption East Midlands’ creative writing project, which was selected for publication in their ‘Book of Belonging’ booklet. She is currently working on multiple poetry collections, which she hopes to publish in future!
Aarya Recommends:
