Shaila Abdullah
Encyclopedia
Shaila Abdullah is an author whose creative work focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of Pakistan
i women and their often unconventional choices in life. Her work also deals with the Asia
n experience in the United States
, the conflict between the two worlds and the culture of her adopted country.
Abdullah was born in Karachi
, Pakistan in 1971. She has a bachelors degree in English literature and a diploma in graphic design. She also has a diploma in freelance writing. In 1993, she started writing fiction stories, articles and personal essays for some local publications. She got married in 1995 and moved to Los Angeles, California
the same year to be with her husband. She moved to Austin, Texas
in May 2000 and presently works as a multimedia/graphic designer for an educational non-profit in downtown Austin.
Abdullah has been published in Dallas Child, Web Guru, About Families, Sulekha, Women's Own, She, Fashion Collection and a magazine of the Daily Dawn newspaper called Tuesday Review. Her latest book, Beyond the Cayenne Wall, is a collection of stories about Pakistani women struggling to find their individualities despite the barriers imposed by society.
Beyond the Cayenne Wall received the Jury Prize for Outstanding Fiction which is the highest award in the Norumbega Fiction Awards, and the DIY Convention Award. The book also received special mention in the Writers Notes Book Awards
and Abilene Writers Guild Award.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i women and their often unconventional choices in life. Her work also deals with the Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n experience in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the conflict between the two worlds and the culture of her adopted country.
Abdullah was born in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Pakistan in 1971. She has a bachelors degree in English literature and a diploma in graphic design. She also has a diploma in freelance writing. In 1993, she started writing fiction stories, articles and personal essays for some local publications. She got married in 1995 and moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
the same year to be with her husband. She moved to Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
in May 2000 and presently works as a multimedia/graphic designer for an educational non-profit in downtown Austin.
Abdullah has been published in Dallas Child, Web Guru, About Families, Sulekha, Women's Own, She, Fashion Collection and a magazine of the Daily Dawn newspaper called Tuesday Review. Her latest book, Beyond the Cayenne Wall, is a collection of stories about Pakistani women struggling to find their individualities despite the barriers imposed by society.
Beyond the Cayenne Wall received the Jury Prize for Outstanding Fiction which is the highest award in the Norumbega Fiction Awards, and the DIY Convention Award. The book also received special mention in the Writers Notes Book Awards
Christopher Klim
Christopher Klim is an American novelist, best known for the novels Jesus Lives in Trenton and The Winners Circle.-Life:...
and Abilene Writers Guild Award.
External links
- Shaila Abdullah's website is at http://www.shailaabdullah.com
- If These Walls Could Talk, Nirali Magazine, April 2007