Category: Literary
Country: United States

About

G. Willow Wilson is an American author and essayist, who divides her time between Egypt and the United States. Her articles about modern religion and the Middle East have appeared in many prestigious publications, including the Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times Magazine and the Canada National Post. In 2005, Wilson became the first western journalist to be granted a private interview with Sheikh Ali Gomaa following his promotion to the position of Grand Mufti of Egypt.

Wilson’s first graphic novel, Cairo, with art by M.K. Perker, was published by Vertigo in 2007. Labeled a “magical-realism thriller,” Cairo features an eclectic cast of characters: a drug runner, a struggling journalist, an American expatriate, a young activist, and an Israeli soldier, who interact in the magical urban streets of Cairo. In this work, Wilson drew upon real-life events as well as the deep mythology of Egypt, including folk stories of Jinn. Other graphic projects include Air, an ongoing series for DC’s literary imprint, Vertigo, an original graphic novel, as well as Vixen: Return of the Lion, a DC miniseries.

In 2010 Wilson published her critically acclaimed memoir The Butterfly Mosque: A Young American Woman’s Journey to Love and Islam, which chronicles her move from Boston to Cairo and her conversion to Islam. Called “a first-rate memoir and love story that is a delight to read” by The Library Journal, The Butterfly Mosque, is an uplifting, humorous, and insightful coming-of-age narrative depicting the story of a young woman who discovers love and learns to bridge two worlds.