Los Angeles-based writer-producer-director, Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla was born in Mombasa, Kenya. At 13 years old, the aspiring novelist sold his first article in Kenya's national magazine, VIVA. Since then, he has written for various national publications and his work has been studied and celebrated at MIT (2004), The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (2009) and as the subject of the prestigious Master's Tea at Yale University (2011).His debut novel, "Ode to Lata" was excerpted in the award-winning anthology "Contours of the Heart (Rutgers), which went on to win the 18th Annual American Book Award. The Los Angeles Times Book Review hailed Dhalla's debut as "an achievement" (Sunday, March 24th, 2002) and Christopher Rice called it "a rare, great novel" (book jacket). "Ode to Lata" went on to create milestones as the first South Asian gay novel ever to be reviewed by The Los Angeles Times Book Review and to be excerpted by Genre Magazine. It was also the first account of the South Asian gay experience from an author from the African continent. "Ode to Lata" was adapted for the motion picture, "The Ode." Dhalla wrote, produced and co-directed the film. "The Ode" premiered at the Oufest Film Festival on July 17th, 2008. It was called "a beautiful portrait of the American experience for many first and second-generation Indian-Americans" (CineQueer, July 18th, 2008) and the UCLA Asia Institute praised it as a film that inspired "after-film contemplation."Dhalla's follow-up novel, "The Exiles" (published also as "Two Krishnas" in its First Edition) explores infidelity and political upheaval across three continents. Author Bapsi Sidhwa (Cracking India, Water) calls it "a touching and masterfully written novel", Christopher Rice (Blind Fall, A Density of Souls) says it's a novel "of great emotion with equal parts passion and precision...a classic tale of tragic, forbidden love", and Chitra Divakaruni (The Palace of Illusions, Sister of My Heart) praises it as "a novel filled with unexpected turns and beauty...complex and heart-wrenching." Lisa See (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan) has praised it as "exquisite, drenched in emotion and timely."A passionate activist, Dhalla co-founded the South Asian program for AIDS intervention for the Asian Pacific Aids Intervention Team (APAIT) in Los Angeles and SATRANG, a support group for LGBT South Asians in Los Angeles.On August 29th, 2009, Dhalla was given a tribute at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (NY) with the headlining event, "An Evening with Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla" where he had the opportunity to map the journey of his novel, "Ode to Lata" to screen and celebrate his other works. The event was thrown by Engendered, an organization that brings awareness to gender and sexuality issues.In October 2012, Dhalla was recognized in the Huffington Post as one of "The Most Influential Asian LGBT Icons" in the world owing to his literary work and activism. Some of Dhalla's influences are Andrew Holleran, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Dorothy Parker and the poetry of Rumi.Author Website: www.GhalibDhalla.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/ghalibshirazdhallaTwitter: @gshiraz