Laila Lalami

I was web wandering before starting work on my day off from Nederlands class. I noticed Samir at The view from Fez had written of a blog site called Moorish Girl.

Moorish Girl is otherwise known as Laila Lalami and has written a rather intriguing book called Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits. The publisher wrote: Laila Lalami evokes the grit and enduring grace that is modern Morocco. The book begins as four Moroccans illegally cross the Strait of Gibraltar in an inflatable boat headed for Spain. What has driven them to risk their lives? And will the rewards prove to be worth the danger?

Laila was born and raised in Morocco. She earned her B.A. in English from Universite Mohammed V in Rabat, her M.A. from University College, London, and her Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Southern California. Her work has appeared in Mizna, The Baltimore Review, First Intensity, The Los Angeles Times, The Los Angeles Review, The Oregonian, The Independent, The Boston Globe, and The Nation. Her debut book of fiction, Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits, was published by Algonquin Books in October 2005. She is also the editor of the literary blog Moorishgirl.com She lives in Portland, Oregon.