S.K. Ali
S.K. Ali | |
|---|---|
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| Born | India |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | BA in Creative Writing |
| Alma mater | York University |
| Genre | young adult fiction, middle grade fiction |
| Years active | 2017-now |
| Notable works | Saint and Misfits |
| Notable awards | 2017 Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature |
| Website | |
| skalibooks.com// | |
Sajidah "S.K." Ali[1] is an Indian-Canadian author of adult's book, best known for her Asian/Pacific American Award-winning debut young adult novel Saints & Misfits, about Janna Yousuf, an Indian-American hijabsi who grapples with getting sexually assaulted by a friend's cousin from her local mosque.[2]
Personal life
Ali was born in South India and immigrated to Canada when she was three.[3] The first language she learned in school was French.[3] She wrote her first story in seventh grade.[3]
She has a degree in Creative Writing from York University.[1] Aside from writing, Ali also works as a teacher and has written articles for the Toronto Star.[2][4] She mentions Judy Blume as one of her biggest inspirations for her writing career.[2] Ali is a practicing Muslim.[5] In January 2017, she created the hashtag #MuslimShelfSpace as a way to shine light on books by other Muslim authors.[6]
She lives with her family in Toronto.[1]
Ali is friends with fellow writers Ausma Zehanat Khan and Uzma Jalaluddin.[7] Khan told an interviewer that they considered themselves the Sisterhood of the Pen, and appreciated comments as they shared early drafts of their work.[citation needed]
Works
Novels
- Saints and Misfits (Salaam Reads, 2017)
- Love from A to Z (Salaam Reads, 2019)
- Misfit in Love (Salaam Reads, 2021)
Picture books
- The Proudest Blue, co-authored with Ibtihaj Muhammad , illustrated by Hatem Aly (Brown, 2019)
Short stories
- in Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & Love (Simon Pulse, 2019)
- Once Upon An Eid: Stories of Hope of Joy by 15 Muslim Voices, edited with Aisha Saeed, co-authored with various including, G. Willow Thompson, Hena Khan, Rukhsana Khan (Amulet Books, 2020)
Awards
Won
- 2017 Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature for Saints and Misfits[8]
Nominated
- 2018 William C. Morris YA Debut Award for Saints and Misfits[9]
References
- ^ a b c "Serious, Official Bio & FAQs". 2018-09-11. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
- ^ a b c "2018 Morris Award Finalists: An Interview with S. K. Ali". The Hub. 2018-01-24. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
- ^ a b c "Bio". 2016-08-12. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
- ^ "An Indies Introduce Q&A With S.K. Ali". the American Booksellers Association. 2017-06-13. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
- ^ "Monsters, Saints and Misfits: An Interview with S.K. Ali". PRISM international. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
- ^ "With #MuslimShelfSpace, Muslim authors get the spotlight". NBC News. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
- ^
Nick Douglas (2018-11-28). "I'm Novelist Ausma Zehanat Khan, and This Is How I Work". Life Hacker. Archived from the original on 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
I also have a little writing circle. We jokingly call ourselves the Sisterhood of the Pen. (We've also tried out the name #blahblahplot). Uzma Jalaluddin and S. K. Ali share useful career advice, Uzma reads my work as I go along and helps me figure out what's working and what isn't, and we just generally enjoy each other's company and love chatting about writing.
- ^ "2017-2018 AWARDS WINNERS » Asian Pacific American Librarians Association". Asian Pacific American Librarians Association. 2018-02-11. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
- ^ "William C. Morris Debut YA Award | Awards & Grants". www.ala.org. Retrieved 2019-04-10.