Zeina Sleiman

Zeina Sleiman is a Palestinian Canadian writer who lives in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton). She is a Tin House workshop alum and is the recipient of grants from the Silk Road Institute, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and the Edmonton Arts Council. Her Short Story My Father’s Soil was shortlisted for the CBC Short Story Prize in 2025. Where the Jasmine Blooms is her debut novel.

Her love of books extends to the community. At IslamicFamily, an Edmonton-based social services agency, Zeina volunteers as their Librarian-in-Residence and curates reading lists for the community based on rotating themes. Zeina holds a PhD in political science and works in post-secondary education where she has taught courses in politics, specialized in research on newcomer and citizenship related issues and works with businesses to create barrier free spaces. 

• Edmonton Alberta Canada
• Fiction