Middle Eastern and South Asian American Authors Series at Montgomery County Public Libraries Features Author Hena Khan For Immediate Release: Monday, March 15, 2021 Award-winning Pakistani-American children’s author, Hena Khan will be presenting her work virtually at Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) at 7 p.m. on March 16. Khan’s middle grade novel, Amina’s Voice, was named a Best Book of 2017 by the Washington Post, Kirkus Reviews and NPR. The sequel, Amina’s Song, was released on March 9. She has written several acclaimed picture books including Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, Night of the Moon, It’s Ramadan Curious George, Under My Hijab, and Like the Moon Loves the Sky - a picture book inspired by the Quran.  Khan’s Author Talk is part of the Middle Eastern and South Asian American Authors series in partnership with the Office of Community Partnerships Middle Eastern American Advisory Group (MEAGG).  Registration is required - https://mcpl.libnet.info/event/4792986 “We are delighted to be able to partner with MEAGG and bring Ms. Khan and other incredibly accomplished authors and artists to MCPL to share their stories,” said MCPL Director Anita Vassallo. “This is a unique opportunity to learn first-hand about their work and their creative processes.” The free virtual author series take place the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. until July 2021. Event moderators are Debbie Trent, MEAGG chair and Karen Leggett, co-chair of the Maryland Friends of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina of Alexandria, Egypt. Registration is required for all programs. Other events of the series include: April 20 Rashin Kheiriyeh - Internationally recognized author/illustrator who has published more than 80 books in the U.S, Europe, Asia and her native Iran.  https://mcpl.libnet.info/event/4792988 May 18 Nadia Hashimi - Montgomery County pediatrician turned novelist whose parents came to the U.S. from Afghanistan before the Soviet invasion and author of Sparks Like Stars. https://mcpl.libnet.info/event/4792989 June 15 Susan Muaddi Daraj - Author of A Curious Land: Stories from Home, a short story collection which won the 2014 AWP Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction and a 2016 Arab American Book Award. https://mcpl.libnet.info/event/4792991 July 20 Pauline Kaldas - Professor of English and creative writing at Hollins University in Roanoke, VA author of Looking Both Ways, a collection of essays and The Penguin Book of Migration Literature. https://mcpl.libnet.info/event/4766716 For more information about MCPL and its programs, events, and other offerings, please visit https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/library/.

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