Member Profile

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Maria Saba

Maria Saba

An Ottawa-based writer, storyteller, and arts educator, Maria Saba was born and raised in Iran.  She has published three books of nonfiction (in Farsi) and over a hundred articles, essays, interviews, and stories.  "My First Friend", her short story published in Scoundrel Time, was nominated for the Pushcart Prize and won the Editor's Choice Award.  Maria founded Tirgan short story contest open to the Farsi speaking world in 2011.  She is the recipient of Ontario Volunteer Award in Art and Culture in 2013 as well as grants in English literature from Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and the City of Ottawa Arts Funding.  Maria has attended Banff Writing Studio, Banff Residency, Tyrone Guthrie (Ireland), Al Purdy A-Frame in Ameliasburgh (2018), Joy Kogawa House and Wallace Stegner House in Eastend (2021). Her novella, "The Secret of Names" was long listed for the 2020 Disquiet Literary Prize and her short story collection was a semi-finalist for the Iowa Short Fiction Prize.  

City:
Ottawa
Province:
Ontario

Awards

Ontario Volunteer Service Award in Arts and Culture, 2013
Pushcart Prize Nomination for My First Friend, 2017
Editor's Choice Award for Scoundrel Time for "My First Friend", 2018
Links:
Maria Saba's website
http://mariasaba.ca
,
Maria Saba on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/maria.sabaye
,
Maria Saba's weblog
http://mariasabaye.blogspot.ca/
,
Eligible for National Public Readings Program:
Yes

WITS

Presentation Description

Reading, storytelling, workshop

Presentation Length:
varies (10 minutes to 45 minutes)
Genre:
Fiction, creative nonfiction, fairytales and fabels
Grades:
1 to 12 (6 years up)
Audience Size:
5 to 100
Workshop Description:

Equity Initiative

As part of the Union’s Equity Implementation Plan, we are committed to increasing awareness of authors who are Black, Indigenous, racialized, LGBTQI2S, or living with a disability. This author identifies as:

  • Black, Indigenous, and/or racialized