Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla

Los Angeles-based writer Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla was born in Kenya, where, at 13 years old, he published his first article in the national magazine VIVA.

His critically-acclaimed debut novel, "Ode to Lata", was hailed by the LA Times as "an accomplishment" and The Library Journal as "brilliant." An excerpt premiered in the anthology, Contours of the Heart (Rutgers), and went on to win the 18th Annual American Book Award. The novel created milestones as the first South Asian gay novel ever to be reviewed by the LA Times Book Review and to be excerpted by LGBT landmark magazine, Genre. It was also the first account of the South Asian gay experience from an author from the African continent.

Dhalla went on to adapt, produce and co-direct the novel into the feature film, "The Ode" which premiered at the Outfest Film Festival (2008). It was called "a beautiful portrait of the American experience for many first and second-generation Indian-Americans" (CineQueer 7/18/08) and a film with performances that are "memorable" and filled with "cinematic intensity" (Planet Homo 7/19/08). The UCLA Asia Institute praised it as a film that inspired "after-film contemplation" and boasting performances that are "noteworthy" (Asia Pacific Arts 8/8/08).

A passionate activist, Dhalla co-founded the South Asian program for the Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team (APAIT) which provides prevention, health and social services, community leadership and advocacy to over 10,000 individuals in Southern California. He is also one of the founding members of SATRANG, a support group for LGBT and questioning South Asians in Los Angeles.

In June 2007, Dhalla was listed as one of the Top 21 Tastemakers and "Most Important Movers and Shakers" in America (Genre Magazine). In August 2007, Dhalla was listed as one of the "Top 25 People Who Make Us Melt - Angelenos Who Redefine What's Hot" (Frontiers Magazine).

On August 29th, 2009 Dhalla was showcased at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York with the headlining event, "An Evening with Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla."

His follow-up novel, "The Two Krishnas" garnered raves from peers, Lisa See, Chitra Divakaruni and his inspiration, Andrew Holleran and was published as "The Exiles" in India where it went on to become a bestseller.

He is currently developing "Embrace", a feature film based on love stories impacted by actual terror events from around the world. His short, upon which the feature is based, premiered at New York's prestigious IAAC film festival and was praised by the Huffington Post as a film that "captures the raw intensity of two ordinary people...A fascinating glimpse of humanity in crisis. The film delivers a message of the defeat of evil and triumph over adversity."

You stay in touch with Ghalib on twitter (@gshiraz) and facebook (www.faceboo.com/ghalibshirazdhalla)