Abdi Abdulkadir Sheik-Abdi (born 15 November 1942, Somalia

Somalia

Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...

) is a Somali

Somali people

Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...

 author based in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Biography

Sheikh-Abdi holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in English Literature and African Studies from the State University of New York

State University of New York

The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...

 and a doctorate in African History from Boston University

Boston University

Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...

. He has taught both in Somalia and the U.S., and is the author of numerous short stories, two novels, a collection of fables, as well as articles and essays.

Sheikh-Abdi has two daughters: Ugaso and Ayan.