Zeyn Joukhadar

Zeyn Joukhadar
Occupation	Writer
Education	University of Connecticut (BS) Brown University (PhD)
Notable awards	Stonewall Book Award (2021) Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Literature (2021)
Website
www.zeynjoukhadar.com

Zeyn Joukhadar is a Syrian American writer. Joukhadar is the recipient of the 2021 Stonewall Book Award and Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Fiction for The Thirty Names of Night . ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Biography

Zeyn Joukhadar is nonbinary and uses he/him and they/them pronouns. ^{[4] [5]} Joukhadar is originally from New York City. ^[6] Joukhadar holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Connecticut and a PhD in pathobiology from Brown University. ^[7] Prior to pursuing writing full time, he worked as a biomedical research scientist. ^[6] His first novel, The Map of Salt and Stars, was published in 2018. ^[8]

Published works

Novels

• Joukhadar, Zeyn (2018). The Map of Salt and Stars: A Novel. Atria Books. ISBN   978-1501169038.
• Joukhadar, Zeyn (2020). The Thirty Names of Night: A Novel. Atria Books. ISBN   978-1982121495.

Anthology (Fiction)

• Joukhadar, Zeyn (2021). "The Voyeurs". In Kwon, R.O.; Greenwell, Garth (eds.). Kink: Stories. Simon & Schuster. ISBN   978-1982110215.
• Joukhadar, Zeyn (2023). "Tiresias". In Northington, Jenn; Williams, S. Zainab (eds.). Fit For the Gods. Vintage. ISBN   9780593469248.

Anthology (Non-Fiction)

• Joukhadar, Zeyn (2022). "Catching the Light: Reclaiming Opera as a Trans Arab". In Jahshan, Elias (ed.). This Arab Is Queer . Saqi Books. ISBN   978-0863564789.
• Joukhadar, Zeyn (2023). "On Queerness". In Anappara, Deepa; Soomro, Taymour (eds.). Letters to a Writer of Colour. Vintage. ISBN   978-1529115840.

Honors and awards

Won

The Map of Salt and Stars

• 2018 Middle East Book Award - Youth Literature Award ^[9]

The Thirty Names of Night

• 2021 Stonewall Book Awards - Barbara Gittings Literature Award ^[10]
• 2021 Lambda Literary Award - Transgender Fiction ^[11]

Nominated

The Map of Salt and Stars

• 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards finalist - Historical Fiction ^[12]
• 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist - Debut Author
• 2019 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize shortlist - Best Published Novel ^[13]

Short stories and essays

• 2015 Pushcart Prize - "We Will Tell Our Children," first published in Gulf Stream Magazine
• 2020 Pushcart Prize - "Incantations for Unsung Boys," first published in the Columbia Journal

References

1. Chapman, Monica (February 2, 2021). "2021 Barbara Gittings Literature Award and Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award of the Stonewall Book Awards Announced". American Library Association.
2. Henderson, Jane (June 1, 2021). "Lambda Literary Awards announce winners". St. Louis Post-Dispatch .
3. Memmott, Carol (November 23, 2020). "Review: Zeyn Joukhadar's 'The Thirty Names of Night' is a poetic portrait of a trans man's search for a rare bird — and his own identity". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved December 8, 2021.
4. "Ten Questions for Zeyn Joukhadar" . Poets & Writers. November 24, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
5. "Joukhadar, Zeyn". LC Linked Data Service. Library of Congress. August 14, 2017. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
6. "Meet the Author: Zeyn Joukhadar". Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
7. Sutherland, Amy (September 25, 2018). "[Zeyn] Joukhadar '08 (CLAS)". UConn Magazine. Archived from the original on February 10, 2025. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
8. Joinson, Suzanne (June 19, 2018). "In a Novel, Mystical Maps and Intertwined Journeys in Syria". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 21, 2023.
9. "Youth Literature Honorees | Middle East Book Award". Middle East Outreach Council. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
10. "Stonewall Book Awards List | Rainbow Roundtable". www.ala.org. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
11. "2021 Winners". Lambda Literary. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
12. "Zeyn Joukhadar". Simon & Schuster. Archived from the original on December 1, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
13. "Shortlist Revealed - 2019 Best Published Novel". Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation. Retrieved April 3, 2025.