diff --git a/shelly.cabal b/shelly.cabal
--- a/shelly.cabal
+++ b/shelly.cabal
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 Name:       shelly
 
-Version:     1.4.2
+Version:     1.4.3
 Synopsis:    shell-like (systems) programming in Haskell
 
 Description: Shelly provides convenient systems programming in Haskell,
@@ -41,13 +41,12 @@
     containers                >= 0.5.0.0,
     time                      >= 1.3 && < 1.5,
     directory                 >= 1.1.0.0 && < 1.3.0.0,
-    text,
     mtl                       >= 2,
     process                   >= 1.0,
     unix-compat               < 0.5,
     system-filepath           >= 0.4.7 && < 0.5,
     system-fileio             < 0.4,
-    bytestring
+    text, bytestring, async
 
   if impl(ghc >= 7.6.1)
     build-depends:
diff --git a/src/Shelly.hs b/src/Shelly.hs
--- a/src/Shelly.hs
+++ b/src/Shelly.hs
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 module Shelly
        (
          -- * Entering Sh.
-         Sh, ShIO, shelly, shellyNoDir, sub
+         Sh, ShIO, shelly, shellyNoDir, asyncSh, sub
          , silently, verbosely, escaping, print_stdout, print_stderr, print_commands
          , tracing, errExit
 
@@ -107,6 +107,7 @@
 import Control.Applicative
 import Control.Exception hiding (handle)
 import Control.Concurrent
+import Control.Concurrent.Async (async, Async)
 import Data.Time.Clock( getCurrentTime, diffUTCTime  )
 
 import qualified Data.Text.IO as TIO
@@ -1244,3 +1245,9 @@
 -- | threadDelay wrapper that uses seconds
 sleep :: Int -> Sh ()
 sleep = liftIO . threadDelay . (1000 * 1000 *)
+
+-- | spawn an asynchronous action with a copy of the current state
+asyncSh :: Sh a -> Sh (Async a)
+asyncSh proc = do
+  state <- get
+  liftIO $ async $ shelly (put state >> proc)