About
Short Version Bio
About Hena
Hena Khan has been publishing books for children, including many that center Pakistani American and Muslim characters, for over two decades. She writes award-winning books in a multitude of formats, including picture books, middle grade fiction, pick-your-path adventures, and graphic novels. Her stories are often centered around her culture, community, friendship, and family, and draw from her own experiences. Hena’s bestselling novels include Amina’s Voice and More to the Story. She is also the author of the Zayd Saleem Chasing the Dream, Zara’s Rules, and Super You! series. Hena’s acclaimed picture books include Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, Under My Hijab, and It’s Ramadan, Curious George. She holds an MA in International Affairs from The George Washington University, has served on the board of We Need Diverse Books, and is a member of the Children’s Book Guild of DC. Hena lives in her hometown of Rockville, Maryland.
Long Version Bio
About Hena
Hena Khan is an award-winning author of picture books and middle grade fiction. Her
groundbreaking middle grade novel Amina’s Voice was named a Best Book of 2017 by the Washington Post, NPR, Kirkus Reviews, and others. The sequel, Amina’s Song, won the 2022 Asian/Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature.
As a child, Hena spent countless hours at the public library, but never saw her life as a Pakistani American Muslim reflected on the pages of a book. It didn’t occur to her that someone like her deserved to be a character in a story. After completing her MA in International Affairs from The George Washington University, Hena worked with non-profit health organizations as a writer and editor for many years.
Hena began writing for kids with Scholastic book clubs over twenty years ago, publishing books for popular series including Spy University, Space University, and How to Survive Anything. She also wrote adventure-filled pick-your-path books and was thrilled to revisit the genre with her Super You! series, which includes The Power of Flight and The Power of Invisibility.
Hena wrote the Zayd Saleem, Chasing the Dream and Zara’s Rules series and More to the Story, a novel inspired by her all-time favorite book, Little Women. Hena’s award-winning picture books include Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, Under My Hijab, It’s Ramadan, Curious George, and Like the Moon Loves the Sky, among others.
Hena has also enjoyed co-authoring books with friends, including Adam Gidwitz for the Unicorn Rescue Society, Sarah Mylnowksi for Best Wishes and Andrea Menotti for Super You! and believes that two creative minds are better than one.
Hena’s own novels are often centered around her culture, community, friendship, and family, and draw heavily from her own experiences. She divides her time between writing and presenting to children, educators, and others, and serves on the board of We Need Diverse Books. Hena lives in her hometown of Rockville, Maryland with her family but is grateful to have traveled a lot—and she hopes to add to the 35 countries she has visited so far. Her favorite things are getting letters from kids, perfect cappuccinos, and reading in bed.
Like so many writers, I grew up with my nose in a book. My mother believed children should be seen reading and not heard whining about boredom, and she regularly took us to the Rockville Public Library with grocery bags to fill with books. Along with grabbing new titles each visit, I often chose the same ones over and over again. And I reread treasured personal copies of my favorites until they fell apart.
The books I connected with as a child left a bigger impression on me than almost anything I come across today. I still think of the characters, stories, and random facts that I absorbed years ago. That’s why I love writing for kids—in the hopes that they’ll pick up something I write more than once, and let it become part of who they are.
Here are a few details about me: I’m a Pakistani-American Muslim who was born and raised in Maryland, and enjoy sharing and writing about my culture and religion. I’ve written about a bunch of other topics, from spies to space travel, that take me out of my reality and on adventures. I’ve had a few adventures of my own, managed to get to some pretty fantastic places on our planet, and met incredible people along the way. I’m slightly obsessed with Spain, ceramic tiles and pottery, food, flamenco, and good coffee. When I’m not cooking up a story, I’m often actually cooking food or baking treats for my family or friends. I also spent a good chunk of my life writing and editing for international organizations that work to improve the health of people around the world.
Did you always want to be an author?
Honestly, when I was a kid I had no idea I could be an author. I never met an author or even thought they were regular, living people. And I didn’t see characters like me in books. But I always loved writing and did it in various forms since I was very young.
How did you get your start in children’s publishing?
I started writing for Scholastic Book Clubs for series like Spy University, Space University and others. I realized at that point that I loved it, and that I had stories of my own that I wanted to share, especially ones featuring characters who looked like me and my family.
Where do you get your ideas?
Mostly from personal experience, but also from research, interviews and reading interesting things. I’m often inspired by my children, and other people in my life, and by the idea of creating books that I would have loved to have had read myself as a kid.
Will you write books for adults?
Maybe one day, but for now I’m happy writing for kids.
Can you read my manuscript?
I’m sorry I don’t review manuscripts, but I recommend joining SCBWI and forming a critique group with a group of writers you trust who can give you feedback on your work. And it’s always a good idea to read as many books in the genre you are writing as you can and really familiarize yourself with it.
Can you help me publish my book?
I wish I could! But I don’t have any special connections or inroads into getting your book published. A literary agent is far better suited to do that than I am. I found an agent to represent me after 8 years of selling and publishing on my own, and after plenty of rejection. Literary Rambles is a great site to start researching potential agents who might be a good fit for you.
What is your best writing advice?
I meet so many people who say that they want to write, or have a story that lives inside them, but they don’t actually write. The first step is to just take the time to get your thoughts out on the page. Your first draft will stink, but that’s okay because they all do. And then you can revise it to get it where it needs to be. Writing, like any other skill, takes practice and training yourself to get better at it. In the meantime, keep reading!
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