World Book Day 2026: Meet the Abu Dhabi authors turning personal stories into powerful reads

Abu Dhabi’s creative scene isn’t just about galleries and stages, it’s also building a strong literary voice too. And right now, there's a wave of authors in the capital who are turning personal experiences into stories that they hope resonate far beyond words on a page.

From children’s books tackling real-life challenges to heartfelt lessons on identity and self-worth, and a memoir shaped by adventure and reinvention, these Abu Dhabi-based authors are worth having on your radar.

Tamara Clarke is making internet safety something kids actually understand

Tamara Clarke

In a world where kids are online earlier than ever, Tamara Clarke is tackling a topic most parents struggle to explain - internet safety.

Her book The Super Surfer (modelled on one of her own sons), follows a five year old boy navigating both real waves and surfing in the digital world, encountering everything from cyberbullying to unsafe links along the way.

What makes it stand out is how it simplifies something quite complex without talking down to kids. It’s been designed as a conversation starter, and something parents and children can explore together rather than avoid.

And it’s rooted in real life, touching on cyber bullying, the dangers of geo-tagging and clicking on unknown links. As a tech journalist and mum based in Abu Dhabi, Tamara understands the challenge firsthand. With children in the UAE getting their first devices at an increasingly young age, her story feels less like fiction and more like a necessary guide wrapped in a relatable narrative.

Buy The Super Surfer here

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Patricia Odie is telling stories that build confidence early on

For Patricia Odie, her storytelling started from something deeply personal.

Her children’s book Love Me My Way is inspired by memories of her grandfather, and a story that stayed with her long after childhood. At its core is a simple but powerful message: you don’t need to change to be loved.

The story follows a little tree who believes it would be more loved if it were different, only to learn (through an unexpected friendship) that it’s already enough just as it is.

Patricia intentionally ties her work into Social Emotional Learning, focusing on confidence, individuality, and self-worth at an early age, because it's a message that can impact at a very young age - why not create something that may inspire, comfort, or bring joy to someone else?

And it doesn’t stop at one book Each of her titles reflects a different part of her journey, from personal growth to creativity, and its all built on the idea that stories aren’t just meant to stay in your head - they’re meant to be shared.

Buy I love ME the way I am here

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Winston Cowie is proving real life can be just as gripping as fiction

Not all stories start at a desk - and for Winston Cowie, they definitely didn’t.

His memoir Kiwi to the Kingdoms reads like the kind of life most people only talk about having. From growing up in rural New Zealand to building a life across the Arabian Peninsula, it’s a story shaped by risk, reinvention, and saying yes to the unknown.

After surviving six near-death experiences in his early twenties, Winston made a decision: stop waiting, and start living properly. What followed wasn’t a straight line. A law career gave way to something very different and was sparked, quite literally, by a cold shower on a wooden yacht.

That moment set everything in motion. Oxford University. A career in marine conservation. Expeditions across all seven continents. And eventually, a life rooted in this region.

For the past sixteen years, he’s lived and worked across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar - diving with whale sharks, sailing traditional dhows, and immersing himself in cultures that sit at the crossroads of east and west.

This travel memoir is about perspective, choosing growth over comfort, and about building a life that feels as expansive as the landscapes he writes about.

Pre-order Kiwi to the Kingdoms here