Fatima Shaik was born in the historic Seventh Ward of New Orleans and bred on the oral histories told her by her Creole family and neighbors. A former assistant professor at Saint Peter’s University (NJ), she worked for more than a decade as a reporter and editor for daily news outlets. Her articles have appeared in the New York Times, The Root, and In These Times. Shaik is a trustee of PEN America and former board member of The Writers Room in New York City. She is the twenty-second recipient of the Louisiana Writer Award from the state library’s Center for the Book. Recently, The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities chose Economy Hall: The Hidden History of a Free Black Brotherhood as the 2022 Humanities Book of the Year and Kirkus Reviews named Economy Hall one of Kirkus Best Books of 2021 list (nonfiction). She is the author of six books of fiction. Economy Hall is her first nonfiction work. More information can be found at fatimashaik.com.
