Sehba Sarwar

Sarwar at the 2019 Texas Book Festival

Sehba Sarwar is the author of Black Wings (First Edition Alhamra Books 2004; Second edition, Veliz Books 2019).

Biography

She grew up in Karachi, Pakistan and has published essays, poems and short stories in newspapers and magazines in India, Pakistan, the US and Canada. She also produces experimental videos and art installations.

Sarwar received her B.A. in English from Mount Holyoke College in 1986, and a graduate degree from the University of Texas, Austin in Public Affairs. She has worked as a journalist in Pakistan and as an educator in Houston before founding Voices Breaking Boundaries in 2000. She currently resides in California and serves as Altadena Poet Laureate for Community Events (2024-2026).

Works

• "Recovering My Voice". GOOD, Livable Houston Magazine, 2000.
• Black Wings Alhamra Publishing, 2004
• "Karachi's Winter Days." New York Times, March 30, 2008.
• "Devouring Mangoes With Gusto." Dawn, August 14, 2011.
• "Bangladesh’s Unresolved History of Independence." Creative Time Reports, December 16, 2013.
• "Lives: A Delicate Matter in the Examination Room." New York Times, June 12, 2016.
• On Belonging. Menil Collection, 3 February, 2018.
• "On Belonging & Other Poems." Desi Writers Lounge, 2019.
• Black Wings - second edition. Veliz Books (2019), ISBN   9781949776003
• "Railway Track."Houston Noir - editor Gwendolyn Zepeda. Akashic Books (2019), ISBN   9781617757068
• "Addressing Youth Violence: Foster Communities That Break Isolation." L.A. Parent, September 1, 2022.
• "Refuelled: 48 hours." Aleph Review, April 18, 2023.

References

1. "Interview: Sehba Sarwar". Newsline, April 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
2. Yusuf, Ilona. "I let the writing guide me." The News on Sunday, October 2, 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
3. Rudick, Tyler. Living Room Art. Culture Map. November 5, 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
4. Shah, Bina. "Sehba Sarwar: A Voice That Breaks Boundaries". Sampsonia Way, October 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
5. White, Andrea. "Crossing Borders With Art". Houston Chronicle, September 28, 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
6. Weston, Charisse.“Meaning and Memory: Sehba Sarwar Explores Home".” Arts and Culture Texas, 16 March, 2015. Retrieved 10 April, 2025.
7. The Ms. "Q&A: What Intergenerational Storytelling Means to Sehba Sarwar." Ms. Magazine, 8 July 2019. Retrieved 10 April, 2025.
8. Cheby, Lisa. "Review: Black Wings by Sehba Sarwar." Entropy Magazine, April 2021. Retrieved 30 April, 2021.
9. Gomez, Manuela. "From Karachi to Houston on the Black Wings of Secrets." India Currents, 1 November 2019. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
10. Sikandar, Sarah. "Borders, like people, are temporary." The News on Sunday, 12 December 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
11. Meet the New Altadena Poets Laureate" Colorado Boulevard, May 7, 2024. Retrieved 15 June, 2024.
12. Rivera, Anissa. "After the fires looking back at COVID." Pasadena Star Magazine, March 13, 2025. Retrieved 20 March, 2025.

External links

• Official site
• SAWNET biography
• Voices Breaking Boundaries

• Blog