Kathryn Silver-Hajo
Kathryn Silver-Hajo is an internationally published author whose work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best Small Fictions, Best Microfiction, and Best American Food Writing Anthology. Her work has been published in dozens of journals including Atticus Review, Bending Genres, Citron Review, CRAFT Literary, Emerge Literary Journal, Fictive Dream, Flash Boulevard, Litro Magazine, New World Writing, New York Times-Tiny Love Stories, Pithead Chapel, Ruby Literary, Rusted Radishes: Beirut Literary and Arts Journal, and The Phare. Kathryn’s work has been anthologized in “Flare: An Anthology of Chronic Illness Told in Flash Narratives” and “Potato Soup Journal: Best of 2022.” Her flash collection Wolfsong (ELJ Editions) and her YA novel Roots of The Banyan Tree (FlowerSong Press) were both published in 2023.
Kathryn Silver-Hajo’s debut novel paints an unforgettable portrait of the life of young protagonist, Noor, as she navigates the dangers of civil war in her native Lebanon and the challenges of life in the diaspora in the New York City of the 1970s. Silver-Hajo deftly portrays the tragedy of a country torn apart by sectarian conflict, but also the excitement of the teenaged narrator’s coming-of-age adventures. But when her mother reveals a closely-held secret, Noor is shaken, yet wiser and more determined than ever to define her place in the world. The characters and events that animate Roots of the Banyan Tree promise to burrow deep in readers’ hearts and refuse to be forgotten.