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MY BIO

Meet Rajia Hassib

I was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, before moving to the US at age twenty-three. A decade later, I returned to college to study English Writing and Literature and to pursue my life-long dream of becoming a writer. I hold a BA and an MA in English, both from Marshall University, where I now work as an instructor of English, teaching composition, creative writing, and literature. I live in Charleston, WV with my husband, two children, and three cats.

SOME ADDITIONAL FACTS

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  • I hold a BA in Architecture from the University of Alexandria, Egypt. 

  • While I was earning my BA in English from Marshall University, I lived 88 miles away from campus and commuted two to three times per week in order to finish the required coursework. 

  • While I was earning my MA, I moved to Charleston, WV, and my commute got shortened to 55 miles.

  • I learned German before I learned English, and was, during my teenage years, more fluent in German than English. Not any more, though. 

  • Speaking of German: I went to a school run by German nuns from Pre-K until I graduated high school. I give full credit to the nuns for instilling a compulsive sense of discipline in me, which, unfortunately, only extends to the professional aspects of my life. Everywhere else, chaos reigns. 

  • I have half a shelf in my office dedicated to discarded versions of In the Language of Miracles, all of which I wrote while I was earning my MA and working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. And yes, I'm so proud of this fact that it earned its own bullet point on this list.

  • I owe more than I can possibly express to Dr. Jane Hill, Chair of the English Department at Marshall University, and to Marie Manilla, author of, most recently, The Patron Saint of Ugly. Dr. Hill made me a writer; Marie Manilla showed me how to write a novel.

  • 2018 Update: that shelf half-filled with versions of In the Language of Miracles is now crammed with versions of A Pure Heart, as well. I'm still trying to learn a process of writing more efficient than trial and error.  

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