Zeyneb Holdridge and Diana Ma — A Thousand Nights

Third Place Books welcomes Zeyneb Holdridge and Diana Ma to share stories featured in the new anthology A Thousand Nights. In the mold of Arabian Nights, this groundbreaking YA anthology—featuring sixteen Muslim women writers—links together fantastical stories that a group of refugees tell one another within a riveting frame story.

For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. This event will include a public signing and time for audience Q&A. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book!

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This event is free to attend. Registration is recommended in advance.

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About A Thousand Nights. . .

On her way across the desert, fleeing the soldiers who have destroyed all she knows, one refugee meets another. And another and another. As they travel together, on a journey in search of safety, they take turns telling one another stories—stories woven in the imagination; tales with echoes of the reality they face now. Tales of young people stolen away by jinn and tales of siblings rescuing one another; tales of lands encroached on by settlers and abandoned by rain; tales of magic found in caves, deserts, mountains, lakes, and, above all, in people, community, and faith. With a frame story written by Nafiza Azad and Intisar Khanani interwoven with stories from fifteen additional authors of various backgrounds, drawing on the mythologies and legends of their cultures, this extraordinary collection will appeal to lovers of fantasy and to those looking for books that center refugees and diverse narratives.

Born in Vancouver, B.C., Zeyneb Holdridge was raised to embrace her Turkish Iraqi heritage, which has informed her passion for infusing her lifelong love of storytelling with elements of Turkic culture. Growing up in an immigrant family and always on the move, she often found her imagination running wild, and books became for her a home and getaway. Her experiences as a neurodivergent Muslim woman have further fueled the direction of her writing to include a variety of misunderstood characters with complex identities.

Diana Ma is a Chinese American author of books that include fantasy, speculative fiction, romcoms, Middle Grade, Young Adult, and educational nonfiction. Her debut novel Heiress Apparently was a 2021 Washington State Book Award finalist in Young Adult Literature. She was a 2019 We Need Diverse Books mentee and a 2021-2023 Highlights Foundation Muslim Storytellers Fellow. Diana teaches at a community college in Seattle. She believes that it’s important for everyone to recognize themselves as the heroes of the books they read. Her belief that diverse books help us create a better world is what drives her writing and teaching. More information can be found about Diana on her website: Dianamaauthor.com

About Third Place Books

Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events.