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Noted as "Word Artist" by critics, Shaila Abdullah is an award-winning author and designer based in Austin, Texas. Her creative work focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of Pakistani women and their often unconventional choices in life. Her writing also deals with the Asian experience in America, the conflict between the two worlds and the culture of her adopted country. She offers her readers a window into the multicultural world through her vibrant characters.
In the ever-expanding landscape of Pakistani Writing in English (PWE) or Pakistani Anglophone Writing (PAW), Abdullah is a relatively new addition. Her new novel, Saffron Dreams, released in February of 2009, explores the tragedy of 9/11 from the perspective of a Muslim widow. Her 2005 debut book, Beyond the Cayenne Wall, is an award-winning collection of stories about Pakistani women struggling to find their individualities despite the barriers imposed by society. Among other accolades, the book won the Norumbega Jury Prize for Outstanding Fiction and the DIY Festival Award. Abdullah also received a grant from the Hobson Foundation for her new novel.
Abdullah is the founder of Hyphenated Spirit, an art blog that features and promotes diverse artists. She also manages a literary blog called Cayenne Lit where she posts about her own work, the literary world, and interviews of other multicultural authors.
Abdullah was born in Karachi, Pakistan in 1971. She has a bachelors degree in English literature and a diploma in graphic design. She also has a diploma in freelance writing. She has written several short stories, articles, and personal essays for various publications, such as Maybe Quarterly, Damazine, Women's Own, She, Fashion Collection, Dallas Child, Web Guru, About Families, Sulekha, Pakistaniaat, and a magazine of the Daily Dawn newspaper called Tuesday Review, etc. She is a member of the Writers' League of Texas.
Abdullah is a seasoned print, web, and multimedia designer as well. At present, she works as a media design associate for SEDL––
a nonprofit research, development, and dissemination organization in Austin, Texas. She is the proud mother of one daughter, Aanyah Sarah.
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