Elika Ansari is a Humanitarian worker, writer, yoga instructor and the founder of Little Lotus Learning Centre, a centre that runs activities for refugee children in Greece. Elika has been working with refugees and asylum seekers in Greece for the past five years, and has had the (mis)fortune of hearing many touching stories about hardship and perseverance, which she touches upon in her writing. She is currently working with refugee youth in London and continues to write books, particularly for children. Her debut middle-grade fantasy novel about the effects of climate on small animals, ‘Seacity Rising: A Tale of Unwatery Adventures’ was published on 6 June 2019 by Black Rose Writing. The book was taught in school curriculums in the U.K. and was a finalist in the Indies Today Award 2019.

'Elika Ansari’s The Five Stages of Moria could not have arrived at a more significant time in UK politics. Although it was written before the exposure of the egregious conditions at Manston, the parallels between the two camps are deeply chilling. As a former aid worker at Moria, Ansari writes herself into the book through the character Maryam. Even if you had not read the preface that outlines Ansari’s experiences, it is clear that this level of insight could only be achieved by someone who has spent years on the frontline. I feel that this work is best read as a piece of investigative journalism that explores the psychology and culture of one of the most notorious refugee camps. This work is far too real to be dismissed as fiction.'