Patricia Sarrafian Ward was born and raised during the civil war in Beirut, Lebanon, and moved to the U.S. when she was 18. Much of her work explores themes of civilian wartime suffering, emigration, and tensions around nationality and identity. Her father was American and her mother is Lebanese of Armenian/Danish heritage. Having grown up surrounded by the Armenian side of her family, she often uses her mother’s maiden name of Sarrafian on her works, as a way to honor that part of her life story.

Ward is the author of “The Bullet Collection” (Graywolf Press, 2003), “Skinner Luce” (Talos press, 2016), and “The Cherished” (HarperCollins, 2023). Her next novel, “Mercy,” is forthcoming from HarperCollins in 2025.

In between writing her first and second novels, Ward took a hiatus to explore book arts, making miniature books and dioramas that were exhibited in a variety of venues both in the U.S. and abroad. More recently, she has taken to sewing, enjoying the tactile counterbalance to writing.

Visit Patricia’s website: www.patriciasarrafianward.com

Current as of December 2024