Raise Your Words

Kalina Tagore is a GEN -Z British Bangladeshi novelist, playwright/screenwriter, blogger, and academic. Kalina has a Bachelor's in Psychology from the University of Greenwich and a Master's in Modern Languages and Comparative Literature from Birkbeck University. She was a student at the Faber Writing Academy. Her short story, Remy and Herstory, is published in a literary magazine by Breadfruit, looking to enter the publishing space.

Huda Fahmy grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, and has loved comics since she was a kid. She attended the University of Michigan, where she majored in English. She taught English to middle and high schoolers for eight years before she started writing about her experiences as a visibly Muslim woman in America and was encouraged by her older sister to turn these stories into comics. Huda resides in Texas. Episode Title credits given to @bookishbasma on Instagram. Huda can be found on Instagram @yesimhotinthis. You can find Raise Your Words podcast on Instagram @raiseyourwordspod.

LeUyen Pham is the award-winning and best-selling creator of over 140 books for children, including The Man Who Didn’t Like Animals by Deborah Underwood, Shrinking Violet by Laurel Snyder, Caldecott Honor Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris, and the Eisner Award–winning graphic novel Lunar New Year Love Story with Gene Yang. She is also the illustrator of the Princess in Black series, Real Friends graphic novel series, and cocreator of Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn with Shannon Hale. Her own books include Big Sister, Little Sister, A Piece of Cake, and the award winning Outside Inside.  LeUyen lives with her family in Los Angeles, CA. Her favorite quote is "I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” ― Maya Angelou. If you liked this episode of Raise Your Words, rate it from wherever you're tuning in from!

✨ Fantasy, fierce heroines, and a little bit of magic! ✨On this episode of Raise Your Words, host Amani sits down with fantasy author A.T. Qureshi to chat all things books and storytelling! 📚🐉A.T. takes us behind the pages of her fantasy novels as we talk about creating magical worlds, crafting unforgettable characters, finding inspiration, and what it’s really like bringing a fantasy story from imagination to the bookshelf. You can buy copies of her books ⁠here.⁠ Whether you’re a fantasy reader, an aspiring writer, or just love hearing how authors create the stories that are hard to put down, this conversation is for you!🎙️ Grab your favorite drink, settle into your reading nook, and raise your words with Amani and A.T. Qureshi!

Shifa Saltagi Safadi is the National Book Award winning author of Kareem Between, the Amina Banana series, and several picture books, including The Gift of Eid. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature, is a former ELA teacher, and is passionate about spreading a love of reading through storytimes and school visits. Shifa was born in Syria and immigrated to the US with her parents as a young girl. She lives near Chicago with her husband and four children. Find her on Instagram.