Short Bio
Karuna Riazi is a born and raised New Yorker, with a loving, large extended family and the rather trying experience of being the eldest sibling in her particular clan. She holds a BA in English Literature from Hofstra University, an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University, and is an online diversity advocate and educator. She is the author of The Gauntlet (S&S/Salaam Reads, 2017), The Battle (S&S/Salaam Reads, 2019), Ghostwriter: The Jungle Book (Sourcebooks Wonderland/Sesame Workshop, 2019), and A Bit of Earth (HarperCollins/Greenwillow Books, 2023).
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Longer Bio
Karuna Riazi is a born and raised New Yorker, with a loving, large extended family and the rather trying experience of being the eldest sibling in her particular clan. She holds a BA in English Literature from Hofstra University and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University's MFAC program, and is an online diversity advocate and educator.
She was a 2017 honoree on NBC Asian America's Redefining A-Z list, featuring up and coming talent within the Asian-American and Pacific Islander community, and her work has been featured on Entertainment Weekly, Shondaland, Amy Poehler's Smart Girls, Book Riot and Teen Vogue, among others.
Karuna is fond of tea, video games, Korean dramas, writing about tough girls forging their own paths toward their destinies, and baking new delectable treats for friends and family to relish.
The Gauntlet (Simon and Schuster/Salaam Reads, March 28, 2017) was her middle grade debut. It was translated into Spanish, German and Czech, and was featured as a Most Anticipated Spring 2017 title by Entertainment Weekly. It was also selected by Bank Street Books as a Best Children's Book of the Year Selection title, was on the Wisconsin State Reading Association's reading list, and was a Lectio Book Award finalist in Texas.
The Gauntlet was followed by a companion, The Battle (Simon and Schuster/Salaam Reads, August 27, 2019), which was called an "exciting return" by Kirkus Reviews. She has also adapted The Jungle Book for the Apple TV series Ghostwriter (Sourcebooks/Sesame Workshop, December 2019).
Her next middle grade, A Bit of Earth, will release in 2023 from HarperCollins/Greenwillow Books, and is a contemporary retelling of The Secret Garden told in a blend of prose and verse with a young South Asian heroine.
Karuna can be found on Twitter as @karunariazi, on Instagram as @karunariazi, and on her website at karunariazi.com.
Contact
Karuna Riazi is available for radio, podcast, print and broadcast interviews.
or thao(at)dijkstraagency.com