Stories from Pakistan: Saadia Faruqui

The power of narrative to create understanding and empathy is well known. Pakistani-American author Saadia Faruqi has written a new book of short stories, Brick Walls, that brings us seven stories that introduce American readers to the people and the land of her birth.

Saadia Faruqi is a Pakistani American writer of fiction and nonfiction. She writes for a number of print and online publications about the global contemporary Muslim experience and about interfaith dialogue. She has trained law enforcement on cultural sensitivity issues and offers community college classes on a variety of topics related to Islam and Muslims. She is editor-in-chief of Blue Minaret, a magazine for Muslim art, poetry and prose. Her short stories have been published in several American literary journals and magazines. Brick Walls: Tales of Hope & Courage from Pakistan is her debut fiction book.

During the interview we talk about the similarities and differences between regional fiction traditions around the world, her love of Shakespeare, and her memories of her home town, Karachi, Pakistan.

Note: We had a little trouble with the audio connection during the first portion of the interview. We apologize for the disturbance. It is corrected by the second half of the show.