Diana Abu-Jaber () is an American author and a professor at Portland State University.
Early life and education Abu-Jaber was born in Syracuse, New York. Her father was Jordanian with a Palestinian mother from Jerusalem; Diana's mother was American, descended from Irish and German roots. At the age of seven, she moved with her family for two years to Jordan.
She received a BA in English and Creative Writing from the State University of New York at Oswego, an MA in English and Creative Writing from the University of Windsor, and a PhD in English and Creative Writing from Binghamton University. She divides her time between Miami, Florida and Portland, Oregon.
Career Abu-Jaber writes about Arab and Arab-American culture and identity, often using the culture of food and food production.
Her academic appointments include: Visiting Assistant Professor, English, Iowa State University (1990); Assistant Professor, English, University of Oregon (1990–1995); and Writer-in-Residence/Professor, English Department, Portland State University (1996–present).
Bibliography
Fiction Arabian Jazz (1993) - Oregon Book Award (1994) Crescent (2003) - PEN Center USA Award for Literary Fiction (2004), Twenty Noteworthy Novels of 2003 by The Christian Science Monitor Origin (2007) Birds Of Paradise (2011) Fencing with the King (2022)
Nonfiction/memoir The Language of Baklava (2005) Life Without a Recipe (2016)
Young Adult fiction Silverworld (2020)
Essays The Other Woman: Twenty-one Wives, Lovers, and Others Talk Openly About Sex, Deception, Love, and Betrayal includes "The Lost City of Love"
References
External links
"My Elizabeth," a short story by Diana Abu-Jaber Portland State Faculty Profile 2011 radio interview (one hour) at The Bat Segundo Show