Finalist in the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Dream Grant from Hobson Foundation
Semifinalist in the William Faulkner Creative Writing Competition
Honorable Mention in the Willamette Writers Kay Snow Awards
Honorable Mention in the Abilene Writers Guild Annual Contest
Finalist in the 15th Annual Austin Chronicle Short Story Contest (excerpt)
Awards for Beyond the Cayenne Wall
Jury Prize for Outstanding Fiction in the Norumbega Fiction Awards
Winner in the ebook category of the DIY Book Festival
Finalist in the Best Books Book Awards
Notable Mention in the general fiction category of the Eric Hoffer Award
Moment of Reckoning, a story from the book was a winner of the Writer's Digest Short Story Award
Saffron Dreams Arissa Illahi, a Muslim artist and writer, discovers in a single moment that no matter how carefully you map your life, it is life itself that chooses your destiny.
Beyond the Cayenne Wall An award-winning collection of stories about Pakistani women struggling to find their individualities despite the barriers imposed by society.
