Zakia R. Khwaja grew up in Pakistan, in a household with strong traditions of written and oral storytelling. Both her parents are educators and she grew up reading Urdu, British and American literature. She went on to graduate with an MBA from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad after which she worked in the nonprofit sector with microfinance institutions serving under-resourced communities. After she moved to the US, Zakia earned an MA in English from the University of Rochester, NY.
Zakia’s work has appeared in Grey Sparrow Journal, the Alabama Review, Forge, the Aleph Review, and Willow Springs among others. She has served as a poetry instructor for Desi Writer’s Lounge, an initiative for South Asian poets writing in English and given readings for the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA). She has also been published by the Pakistan Academy of Letters. She writes a blog at www.zakiarkhwaja.com on creativity and writing.
Zakia’s poetry explores personal, cultural and political landscapes through the lens of her South Asian heritage. Her writing often melds Urdu and English, creating an alloyed voice that is a reflection of blended eastern and western literary sensibilities. Her poems celebrate culture but also invite us to spaces fraught with grief, charged with violence and tragedy.
When she is not writing, Zakia participates in marathon challenges and has a Guinness World Record for participation in the world's highest altitude road race. She loves traveling, collecting statuettes from different countries, and playing Scrabble. Zakia lives in Indiana with her husband and two children.
