Ava Homa

Ava Homa
آوا هما
BornJanuary 1981 (age 44–45)
Iran
Other namesĀvā Humā
EducationAllameh Tabataba'i University (BA), University of Windsor (MA)
OccupationsWriter, educator, journalist

Ava Homa (Persian: آوا هما; born January 1981) is an Iranian Kurdish writer, educator, and journalist. She is the author of Daughters of Smoke and Fire (2020).[1] Her work amplifies marginalized voices especially those of women in Kurdish communities.[2][3] She lives in California, and teaches at California State University, Monterey Bay.[4]

Life and career

Ava Homa was born in January 1981, in Iran into a Kurdish family, and grew up in Sanandaj, Iranian Kurdistan.[5] She moved to Tehran to attend university at Allameh Tabataba'i University, and taught at Islamic Azad University.[4] Later, she immigrated to Canada where she received her MA degree from University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario.[4] She is a silver winner of Nautilus Book Awards for fiction in 2020.[1]

Publications

  • Homa, Ava (October 1, 2010). Echoes from the Other Land. TSAR Publications. ISBN 978-1-894770-64-4.[6]
  • Homa, Ava (May 12, 2020). Daughters of Smoke and Fire (1st ed.). The Overlook Press. ISBN 978-1419743092.[7][8][9][10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Ava Homa – Asian Heritage in Canada". Toronto Metropolitan University Library. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  2. ^ "Q&A with Ava Homa, inaugural PEN/Humber College Writers-in-Exile Scholar". PEN-Canada. 2021-03-11. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  3. ^ "Exiled Voices". reviewcanada.ca.
  4. ^ a b c Benazzouz, Kenza (October 23, 2025). "NextGen Voices: Ava Homa". American University. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  5. ^ "Influential Iranian Women: Ava Homa (1981-)". IranWire. November 20, 2023.
  6. ^ Ferguson, Jenny. "Excavating the Complexities of Humans". Hamilton Review of Books. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  7. ^ Dalton, Julie Carrick (May 11, 2020). "Writing Toward Resiliency in "Daughters of Smoke and Fire"". Chicago Review of Books. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  8. ^ Hunt, L.A. (October 20, 2020). "Book Review: Daughters of Smoke and Fire". The Coachella Review. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  9. ^ Mason, Holly (March 14, 2023). "Plight & Power: A Kurdish Woman's Journey in Daughters of Smoke and Fire by Ava Homa". Big City Lit. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  10. ^ Zarate, Mose (May 24, 2020). "Review: 'Daughters' puts grim realities of Kurdish women in Spotlight". The San Francisco Chronicle (book review).