Diana Abu-Jaber is the author of the novel Birds of Paradise, which came out in fall 2011 from W.W. Norton. Prior to the release of Birds of Paradise, her novel Origin was named one of the best books of the year by the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the Washington Post. The Language of Baklava, her memoir, won the Northwest Booksellers Award. Her novel Crescent won the PEN Center Award for Literary Fiction and the American Book Award, and her first novel, Arabian Jazz, won the Oregon Book Award for Literary Fiction. Her work has appeared in a number of publications, including the New York Times, Vogue, and O Magazine. She teaches at Portland State University and divides her time between Portland and Miami.