Samira Ahmed is an American author of

young adult fiction Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults. The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

, and

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

, best known for her ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' best selling novels ''Love, Hate & Other Filters'' and ''Internment''.

Early life

Ahmed was born in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, India, and grew up in

Batavia, Illinois Batavia () is a city mainly in Kane County and partly in DuPage County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in the Chicago metropolitan area, it was founded in 1833 and is the oldest city in Kane County. Per the 2020 census, the population w ...

. She has a degree from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, taught high school English for seven years, and worked in nonprofit before publishing her first novel in 2018.

Career

Her young adult debut novel ''Love, Hate & Other Filter''s, about a Muslim Indian-American teen filmmaker making plans about her future while dealing with

islamophobia Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism. The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...

, debuted on #8 of the New York Times Young Adult Hardcover bestseller list and received starred reviews from

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

, and

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

. Her 2019 sophomore novel ''Internment,'' set in near-future America where Muslims are sent to internment camps following a law enacted by the islamophobic president, received a starred review from

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

and debuted on the New York Times Young Adult Hardcover bestseller list at #4. ''Internment'' has been described as one of the "most politically urgent reads of 2019" by ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

''. It has also been optioned for film by

Gotham Group Gotham Group is an American diversified management and production company in the entertainment industry. Goldsmith-Vein and her company have produced such projects as ''The Spiderwick Chronicles'' and ''The Maze Runner'' franchise. The company wa ...

and Chariot Entertainment prior to its release. Ahmed made her comics writing debut with '' Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit''; it was illustrated by Andrés Genolet and published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

. The

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

ran for five issues from December 2021 to April 2022. ''Entertainment Weekly'' highlighted that "''Ms. Marvel'' comics have only been written by Muslim writers so far .. But Samira Ahmed will be the first South Asian female writer to write a ''Ms. Marvel'' series". Avery Kaplan, in her review of ''Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit'' for '' The Beat'', wrote that "''Beyond the Limit'' was a fun and interesting story that went to some unexpected places, all while allowing Kamala plenty of time to shine (and to make a lot of funny food jokes)". The

trade paperback Trade paperback may refer to: * Trade paperback, a higher-quality softcover version of a book * Trade paperback (comics) In comics in the United States, a trade paperback (shortened: TPB or trade) is a collection of stories originally published ...

collecting the five issues was published in June 2022 – ''

Bleeding Cool Bleeding Cool is an Internet news site, focusing on comics, television, film, board games, and video games. Owned by Avatar Press, it was launched by Rich Johnston on March 27, 2009. Avatar Press also publishes an associated magazine, ''Bleeding ...

'' commented that this coincides with the premiere of the ''

Ms. Marvel Ms. Marvel is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was originally conceived as a female counterpart to Captain Marvel. Like Captain Marvel, most of the bearers of the Ms. M ...

'' television

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

Bibliography

Novels

*''Love, Hate & Other Filters'' (

Soho Teen Soho Press is a New York City-based publisher founded by Juris Jurjevics and Laura Hruska in 1986 and currently headed by Bronwen Hruska. It specializes in literary fiction and international crime series. Other works include published by it inclu ...

, 2018, ) * ''Internment'' (

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Little, Brown and Company is an American publishing company founded in 1837 by Charles Coffin Little and James Brown in Boston. For close to two centuries it has published fiction and nonfiction by American authors. Early lists featured Emily ...

, 2019, ) * ''Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know'' (Soho Teen, 2020, ) * ''Hollow Fires'' (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2022, )

Comics

* ''Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit'' #1-5 (with Andrés Genolet, limited series, Marvel Comics, 2021–2022) ** ''Ms. Marvel: Beyond the Limit'' (collects #1-5, trade paperback, June 2022, ) *''Ms. Marvel: Bottled Up'' #1 (with Ramon Bachs,

one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'' (2 ...

Marvel Unlimited Marvel Unlimited, formerly known as Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, is an online service by Marvel Comics that distributes past issues of their comics via the internet. The service launched on November 13, 2007, and now has more than 30,000 comic ...

, 2022)

Short stories

* Brains Don't Smell (Entropy Mag, 2016) * Red Thread (The Fem, 2016) *''Color Outside the Lines'' (Soho Teen, 2019) (with stories by

Adam Silvera Adam Silvera (born June 7, 1990) is an American author of young adult fiction novels, known for his bestselling novels ''They Both Die at the End'', '' More Happy Than Not'', and '' History Is All You Left Me.'' Life and career Adam Silvera was ...

Anna-Marie McLemore Anna-Marie McLemore is a Mexican-American author of young adult fiction magical realism, best known for their Stonewall Honor-winning novel ''When the Moon Was Ours'', ''Wild Beauty,'' and ''The Weight of Feathers''. Personal life McLemore is ...

, Sangu Mandanna, Elsie Chapman, Caroline Tung Richmond, Kelly Zekas, Tarun Shanker, Eric Smith, Lori M. Lee) *''Take the Mic: Fictional Stories of Everyday Resistance'' (

Arthur A. Levine Books Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...

, 2019) (with stories by

Jason Reynolds Jason Reynolds (born December 6, 1983) is an American author of novels and poetry for young adult and middle-grade audience. Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in neighboring Oxon Hill, Maryland, Reynolds found inspiration in rap and had an ea ...

, Sofia Quintero, Yamile Saied Méndez, Bethany C. Morrow) *''Vampires Never Get Old'' (Imprint, 2020) (with stories by

Dhonielle Clayton Dhonielle Clayton is an American author and chief operating officer of We Need Diverse Books. Life and career Clayton was born in Washington, D.C. She went to Our Lady Of Good Counsel in Wheaton Maryland. She graduated with a B.A. from Wake F ...

Zoraida Córdova Zoraida Córdova is an Ecuadorian-American author of children's books and romance, best known for her ''Brooklyn Brujas'' series. She also writes romance as Zoey Castile. Personal life Córdova was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and came to the Unite ...

, Heidi Heilig, Julie Murphy, Mark Oshiro,

Rebecca Roanhorse Rebecca Roanhorse (born March 14, 1971) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer from New Mexico. She has written short stories and science fiction novels featuring Navajo characters.Kerry Lengel"Navajo legends come to life in Rebecca Ro ...

Laura Ruby Laura Ruby is the author of twelve books, including ''Bone Gap'', winner of the 2016 Printz Award and finalist for the 2015 National Book Award. ''Bone Gap'' is a coming-of-age mystery about a kidnapping in a small Midwestern town, and it incorp ...

Victoria Schwab Victoria Elizabeth (V. E.) Schwab (born July 7, 1987) is an American writer. She is known for the 2013 novel '' Vicious'', the '' Shades of Magic'' series, and ''The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue'', which was nominated for the 2020 Locus Award fo ...

) *''Come On In'' ( Inkyard Press, 2020) (with stories by Adi Alsaid, Zoraida Córdova,

Alaya Dawn Johnson Alaya Dawn Johnson (born 1982) () is an American writer of speculative fiction. Career Apart from short fiction, Johnson has published two urban fantasy novels about "vampire suffragette" Zephyr Hollis set in an alternate 1920s New York City, a ...

Maurene Goo Maurene Goo is an American author of young adult fiction and comics. Her books have been translated into twelve languages and two of her novels, ''I Believe in a Thing Called Love'' and ''Somewhere Only We Know'', have been optioned to be made int ...

Justine Larbalestier Justine Larbalestier ( )' (born 23 September 1967) is an Australian writer of young adult fiction best known for her 2009 novel, '' Liar''. Personal life Larbalestier was born and raised in Sydney. She now alternates residence between Sydney ...

Sona Charaipotra Sona Charaipotra is an American entertainment and lifestyle journalist, and author of young adult fiction. She is best known for her YA lit column on Parade.com and her YA series ''Tiny Pretty Things''. Early life Charaipotra is Indian-American ...

) *''A Universe of Wishes'' (

Crown Books for Young Readers The Crown Publishing Group is a subsidiary of Penguin Random House that publishes across several fiction and non-fiction categories. Originally founded in 1933 as a remaindered books wholesaler called Outlet Book Company, the firm expanded into ...

, 2020) (with stories by

, Tara Sim, Natalie C. Parker,

Libba Bray Martha Elizabeth "Libba" Bray (March 11, 1964) is an American writer of young adult novels including the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, '' Going Bovine'', and ''The Diviners''. Early life Martha Elizabeth Bray was born in Montgomery, Alabama. Her father w ...

, Kwame Mbalia,

V.E. Schwab Victoria Elizabeth (V. E.) Schwab (born July 7, 1987) is an American writer. She is known for the 2013 novel '' Vicious'', the '' Shades of Magic'' series, and ''The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue'', which was nominated for the 2020 Locus Award fo ...

Nic Stone Andrea Nicole Livingstone (born July 10, 1985), known as Nic Stone, is an American author of young adult fiction and middle grade fiction, best known for her debut novel ''Dear Martin'' and her middle grade debut, ''Clean Getaway''. Her novels ...

, Jenni Balch, Mark Oshiro,

Samira Ahmed Samira Ahmed (born 15 June 1968) is a British journalist, writer and broadcaster at the BBC, where she has presented Radio 3's ''Night Waves'' and Radio 4's '' PM'', ''The World Tonight'', ''Sunday'' and '' Front Row'' and has presented the ...

, Tessa Gratton,

Tochi Onyebuchi Tochi Onyebuchi (born October 4, 1987) is a Nigerian American science fiction and fantasy writer and former civil rights lawyer. His novella, '' Riot Baby'', received an Alex Award from the American Library Association and the World Fantasy Awa ...

)

Poetry

* Low Light (Claudius Speaks, 2016) *''Ink Knows No Borders'' (

Seven Stories Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children's Books is a museum and visitor centre dedicated to children's literature and based in the Ouseburn Valley, Newcastle upon Tyne, close to the city's regenerated Quayside. The renovated Victorian m ...

, 2019) (with poems by

Elizabeth Acevedo Elizabeth Acevedo is a Dominican-American poet and author. In September 2022, the Poetry Foundation named her the year's Young People’s Poet Laureate. Acevedo is the author of the young adult novels ''The Poet X'', '' With the Fire on High'', ...

, Erika L. Sánchez,

Ocean Vuong Ocean Vuong (born , ; October 14, 1988) is a Vietnamese American poet, essayist, and novelist. Vuong is a recipient of the 2014 Ruth Lilly/Sargent Rosenberg fellowship from the Poetry Foundation, a 2016 Whiting Award, and the 2017 T.S. Eliot P ...

, Fatimah Asghar,

Chen Chen Chen Chen (born March 9, 1989) is a Chinese-American poet. His book, ''When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities'', has been longlisted for the 2017 National Book Awards. Chen has served as the Jacob Ziskind Poet-in-Residence at ...

Ada Limón Ada may refer to: Places Africa * Ada Foah, a town in Ghana * Ada (Ghana parliament constituency) * Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria Asia * Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, Tur ...

Kaveh Akbar Kaveh Akbar (کاوه اکبر) is an Iranian-American poet and scholar. Early life and education Akbar was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1989, and grew up across the United States including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Indiana. He moved ...

Hala Alyan Hala Alyan (born July 27, 1986) is a Palestinian-American writer, poet, and clinical psychologist who specializes in trauma, addiction, and cross-cultural behavior. Her writing covers aspects of identity and the effects of displacement, particula ...

Safia Elhillo Safia Elhillo ( ar, صافية الحلو; born December 16, 1990) is a Sudanese-American poet known for her written and spoken poetry. Elhillo received a BA degree from the Gallatin School at New York University and an MFA in poetry from The Ne ...

, and

Bao Phi Bao Phi is a Vietnamese-American spoken word artist, writer and community activist living in Minnesota. Bao Phi's collection of poems, ''Sông I Sing'', was published in 2011 and, ''Thousand Star Hotel,'' was published in 2017 by Coffee House Pre ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed, Samira Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Women writers of young adult literature Writers from Mumbai 21st-century American women writers American women poets Indian emigrants to the United States Schoolteachers from Illinois American women educators University of Chicago alumni People from Batavia, Illinois