Diana Abu-Jaber
Encyclopedia
Diana Abu-Jaber is Jordanian American
author and a professor at Portland State University
. She was born in Syracuse, New York
. Her father was Jordanian
and her mother was American
, descended from Irish
and German
roots. At the age of seven she moved with her family for two years to Jordan. She currently divides her time between Miami and Portland and teaches at Portland State University. She often writes about issues of identity and culture.
Jordanian American
A Jordanian-American is an American citizen who is descended from Jordanian people or a Jordanian who has U.S. citizenship. According to surveys conducted in 2007 with respect to the American population, about 64,211 people descend from Jordanians.-History:...
author and a professor at Portland State University
Portland State University
Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...
. She was born in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. Her father was Jordanian
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
and her mother was American
Americans
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
, descended from Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
roots. At the age of seven she moved with her family for two years to Jordan. She currently divides her time between Miami and Portland and teaches at Portland State University. She often writes about issues of identity and culture.
Education
- BA - English and Creative Writing, State University of New York at OswegoState University of New York at OswegoState University of New York at Oswego, also known as SUNY Oswego and Oswego State, is a public university in the City of Oswego and Town of Oswego, New York, on the shore of Lake Ontario...
- MA - English and Creative Writing, University of WindsorUniversity of WindsorThe University of Windsor is a public comprehensive and research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has a student population of approximately 15,000 full-time and part-time undergraduate students and over 1000 graduate students...
- Ph. D - English and Creative Writing, Binghamton UniversityBinghamton UniversityBinghamton University, also formally called State University of New York at Binghamton, , is a public research university in the State of New York. The University is one of the four university centers in the State University of New York system...
Academic appointments
- 1990 - Visiting Assistant Professor, English, Iowa State UniversityIowa State UniversityIowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
- 1990-1995 - Assistant Professor, English, University of OregonUniversity of Oregon-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
- 1996–present - Writer-in-Residence/Professor, English Department, Portland State University
Awards
- National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the ArtsThe National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
Writing Fellowship - PEN/Hemingway Award for First Novelist, Finalist
- Oregon Book AwardOregon Book AwardThe Oregon Book Awards are presented annually by Literary Arts, Inc. for "the finest accomplishments by Oregon writers who work in genres of poetry, fiction, literary nonfiction, drama and young readers literature." -History:...
- Story Magazine Short Story Contest, Finalist
- Fulbright Research Award, Amman, Jordan
- International Writers NEA Fellowship in Fiction
- National Endowment for the HumanitiesNational Endowment for the HumanitiesThe National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
Summer Seminar - Guest Fiction Editor, Seattle Review
- Pushcart PrizePushcart PrizeThe Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
Finalist, short fiction - Judge, National Endowment for the Arts Fiction/Nonfiction Fellowship Competition
- Named one of the "Top Women Writers 2003" by Vanity Fair magazine
- Crescent named one of Twenty Noteworthy Novels of the Year by The Christian Science MonitorThe Christian Science MonitorThe Christian Science Monitor is an international newspaper published daily online, Monday to Friday, and weekly in print. It was started in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. As of 2009, the print circulation was 67,703.The CSM is a newspaper that covers...
- Northwest Distinguished Author Award from Willamette Writers
- American Book AwardAmerican Book AwardThe American Book Award was established in 1978 by the Before Columbus Foundation. It seeks to recognize outstanding literary achievement by contemporary American authors, without restriction to race, sex, ethnic background, or genre...
- PEN Center USAPEN Center USAPEN Center USA, founded in 1943, is one of two PEN centers in the United States and 145 centers in the world. It was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1981...
Award for Literary Fiction - Language of Baklava named Booksense Notable Book, April 2005
- Northwest Bookseller's Award
- Origin Top five Booksense Pick
- 2008 Arab American Book AwardArab American Book AwardThe Arab American Book Award was established in 2006 to celebrate and support the research of, and the written work of, Arab Americans and their culture. The Arab American Book Award encourages the publication and excellence of books that preserve and advance the understanding, knowledge, and...
, Honorable Mention
Critical studies
- Ibis Gómez-Vega, "The Memory of Loss in Diana Abu-Jaber's Arabian Jazz." South Atlantic ReviewSouth Atlantic ReviewThe South Atlantic Review is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by the South Atlantic Modern Language Association. It was established in 1935 and publishes articles and reviews in the fields of language and literature. Its editor-in-chief is Matthew Roudané....
72.3 (2007): 17-37. - Steven Salaita, "Sand Niggers, Small Shops, and Uncle Sam: Cultural Negotiation in the Fiction of Joseph Geha and Diana Abu-Jaber," Criticism 43.4 (2001) 423-444. Muse.JHU link
- Salwa Essayah Chérif, "Arab American Literature: Gendered Memory in Abinader and Abu-Jaber," MELUS 28.4 (Winter 2003), pp. 207–228. Stable URL
- Pauline Kaldas, "Beyond Stereotypes: Representational Dilemmas in Arabian Jazz." MELUS 31.4 (2006), 167-186.
- Carol Fadda-Conrey, "Arab American Literature in the Ethnic Borderland: Cultural Intersections in Diana Abu-Jaber's Crescent." MELUS 31.4 (2006), 187-206.
- Robin E. Field, "A Prophet in Her Own Town: An Interview with Diana Abu-Jaber." MELUS 31.4 (2006), 207-225.
- Lorraine Mercer, "Counter Narratives: Cooking Up Stories of Love and Loss in Naomi Shihab NyeNaomi Shihab NyeNaomi Shihab Nye is a poet, songwriter, and novelist. She was born to a Palestinian father and American mother. Although she regards herself as a "wandering poet", she refers to San Antonio as her home.-Career:...
's Poetry and Diana Abu-Jaber's Crescent" MELUS2007 Winter; 32 (4): 33-46. - Andrea Shalal-Esa, "Diana Abu-Jaber: The Only Response to Silencing...Is to Keep Speaking" Aljadid: A Review & Record of Arab Culture and Arts, 2002 Spring; 8 (39): 4-6.
- Andrea Shalal-Esa, "Arab-American Writers Identify with Communities of Color" Aljadid: A Review & Record of Arab Culture and Arts 2003 Winter-Spring; 9 (42-43): 24-26.
- Brinda Mehta, Rituals of Memory in Contemporary Arab Women's Writing Syracuse, NY: Syracuse UP; 2007.
- Michelle Hartman, "'This Sweet/Sweet Music': Jazz, Sam CookeSam CookeSamuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
, and Reading Arab American Literary Identities" MELUS 2006 Winter; 31 (4): 145-65. - Sabiha Sorgun, “Space and Identity in Diana Abu-Jaber’s Arabian JazzArabian JazzArabian Jazz is a novel written by Diana Abu-Jaber and published in 1993.This fictional work traces the occurrences of an immigrant Jordanian family and their integration into American society...
,” presented at The Midwestern Conference on Literature, Language and Media, 2009. DeKalb, IL.