Boston, Massachusetts
Manuscript Seminar with Aysegül Savaş
I currently live in Massachusetts but was raised in California. Two passion areas of mine are writing and social justice. I hold an MFA in Creative Writing and a Masters in Social Work. I cofounded Sahiyo, a transnational organization with the mission to empower Asian and other communities to end a form of gender-based violence known as female genital cutting. The Muslim American Leadership Alliance awarded me their Human Rights Storytellers Award for my work in utilizing storytelling to create awareness of FGC and help survivors heal. My social justice-related writing has appeared on NPR, and in Ms. Magazine, HuffPost, The Fair Observer, Brown Girl Magazine, The San Francisco Examiner and more.
A few short stories of mine have been published in various literary journals throughout the years. During Under the Volcano, I’m hoping to really dive into and continue working on my novel which is set in 1950s India. And lastly, when I’m not working, I’m an avid potter and you can find me throwing clay at the wheel!