Dunya Mikhail
Dunya Mikhail is an acclaimed Iraqi-American poet and writer born in Baghdad. After working as a journalist and translator for The Baghdad Observer, she fled Iraq in the mid-1990s due to censorship and political persecution, eventually settling in the United States. Her work often explores themes of war, exile, loss, and the experiences of women, frequently bridging ancient Mesopotamian traditions with contemporary realities. She is a recipient of numerous honors, including the United Nations Human Rights Award for Freedom of Writing and a Guggenheim Fellowship, and she teaches Arabic and creative writing at the university level.
Awards
['United Nations Human Rights Award for Freedom of Writing', 'Guggenheim Fellowship', 'Kresge Fellowship', 'Arab American Book Award', 'UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture', 'United States Artists Fellowship']
Notable Works
['The War Works Hard', 'Diary of a Wave Outside the Sea', 'The Iraqi Nights', 'The Beekeeper: Rescuing the Stolen Women of Iraq', 'In Her Feminine Sign', 'The Bird Tattoo', 'Tablets: Secrets of the Clay']
