Fatima Shaik is the author of books for adults and children, including The Mayor of New Orleans, Melitte, and On Mardi Gras Day, among others. Her work has appeared in the Review of Contemporary Fiction, the Southern Review, Callaloo, the New York Times, In These Times and others. She is an Assistant Professor at Saint Peter’s University and a former assistant editor of McGraw-Hill World News. Fatima Shaik has written a love letter to the entertaining, unpredictable, and flawed characters who populated New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina in What Went Missing and What Got Found (Xavier Review Press), a lyrical short story collection with undertones of the blues. Set in a deep-rooted community, the book describes the inner lives of outsiders with humor and tenderness. There are religious zealots, day-dreaming musicians, failed romantics, and more. What Went Missing and What Got Found adds to the rich diversity of voices in contemporary fiction and to our understanding of Southern literature.
