| 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 | |
Sajidah "S.K." Ali 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.
Personal life
Ali was born in South India and immigrated to Canada when she was three. The first language she learned in school was French. She wrote her first story in seventh grade.
She has a degree in Creative Writing from York University. Aside from writing, Ali also works as a teacher and has written articles for the Toronto Star. She mentions Judy Blume as one of her biggest inspirations for her writing career. Ali is a practicing Muslim. In January 2017, she created the hashtag #MuslimShelfSpace as a way to shine light on books by other Muslim authors.
She lives with her family in Toronto.
Ali is friends with fellow writers Ausma Zehanat Khan and Uzma Jalaluddin. Khan told an interviewer that they considered themselves the Sisterhood of the Pen, and appreciated comments as they shared early drafts of their work.
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
Nominated
- 2018 William C. Morris YA Debut Award for Saints and Misfits
References
- ^ "Serious, Official Bio & FAQs". 2018-09-11. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
- ^ "2018 Morris Award Finalists: An Interview with S. K. Ali". The Hub. 2018-01-24. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
- ^ "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.
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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.