Abstract

Samira Ahmed, an Indian American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet, was born in Bombay (Mumbai) in 1971. Her parents took her to Batavia, Illinois, in 1972. Ahmed spent countless hours at the Batavia Public Library reading Agatha Christie and Louisa May during her formative years. She received her BA and MAT from the University of Chicago in 1993 and worked as a high school English teacher for 7 years in the suburbs of Chicago and New York City. In collaboration with education nonprofits, Samira established more than 70 small high schools in New York City and raised fair funds for public schools throughout New York State. She currently lives in Hyde Park, Chicago.