Leila Abu-Saba

I am a writer, mom, and wife of mixed Lebanese and Southern American heritage. Raised in the USA, I spent many summers and a couple of extended years in my father's village in southern Lebanon. The conflicts of the region shaped my childhood and young adult years.

Read more about me, my background, and the purpose of this blog here (newest) and here.

Six months after starting Dove's Eye View, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My treatment included major surgery and chemotherapy; in its aftermath I entered graduate school, completing my Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Mills College in 2007. I currently teach English Composition at local community colleges in Oakland, California, where I live with my husband and two young sons.

I am at work on a novel set in South Lebanon of the 1970s and 1990s; in it a young Arab-American woman returns to her ancestral village to recover the missing body of her murdered grandmother. Her quest leads her to ask uncomfortable questions about the past; the violence and prejudice she encounters in this journey echo the turmoil of our present moment.

Further update: In September of 2007 I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, and am undergoing treatment. My vigor and will to live remain unchanged and I expect to enjoy many years of life, with God's help.