Hala Alyan

About

Palestinian American clinical psychologist, award winning novelist, poet, and professor known for her internationally acclaimed books Salt Houses and The Arsonists' City, along with her memoir I'll Tell You When I'm Home. She is also known for working as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Applied Psychology at New York University, where she specializes in trauma, addiction, and cross-cultural mental health.

Before Fame

She earned her BA from the American University of Beirut, an MA from Columbia University, and her PsyD in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers University. Her breakout moment as an author came in 2017 when her debut novel Salt Houses won major international awards.

Trivia

Her work has appeared in major outlets including The New York Times, The Guardian, Time, and Teen Vogue. Her novel Salt Houses won the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and the Arab American Book Award. Her novel The Arsonists' City was a finalist for the Aspen Words Literary Prize. She has published over six poetry collections, including Atrium, Hijra, The Twenty-Ninth Year, and The Moon That Turns You Back. She has appeared in short films and art-house projects including I Say Dust and Tallahassee.

Family Life

She was born in Carbondale, Illinois, and spent parts of her childhood in Kuwait, Oklahoma, Texas, Maine, and Lebanon.

Associated With

She won the Dayton Literary Peace Prize in 2018, the same year Ta-Nehisi Coates was honored.