Sigma Tau Delta 2026 Convention
Fatima Shaik
LitFest Speaker
Fatima Shaik, New Orleans–born author of seven Louisiana-based books, is acclaimed for Economy Hall: The Hidden History of a Free Black Brotherhood. Her work spans fiction, nonfiction, and children’s literature, and has appeared in major journals and anthologies. A recipient of the American Book Award and LEH Book of the Year 2022, she founded Saint Peter’s University’s Communication Department and serves as a PEN America trustee and Writers Room NYC member.
About the Author
Fatima Shaik is a New Orleans native and the author of seven books based in Louisiana. Economy Hall: The Hidden History of a Free Black Brotherhood was published by The Historic New Orleans Collection and described as “lyrical and mysterious and always captivating” by the New York Times. Her previous books include The Mayor of New Orleans: Just Talking Jazz, Melitte (Melinde, German edition), The Jazz of Our Street, On Mardi Gras Day, and What Went Missing and What Got Found. She wrote Louisiana Stories for Young Adults, a print on demand book especially for New Orleans’s schoolchildren. Shaik’s work also appeared in The Southern Review, Callaloo, Literary Hub, The Root, In These Times, and The New York Times and the anthologies N.O. Lit: 200 Years of Louisiana Literature and Breaking Ice: An Anthology of Contemporary African American Fiction among others. She received the American Book Award, LEH Book of the Year 2022, and recognition from the NEH, LEH, the Kittredge Fund and the Platforms Fund. She founded the Communication Department at Saint Peter’s University. She is a member of The Writers Room NYC and a trustee of PEN America.