Fiza Pirani immigrated to the United States from Saudi Arabia with her family in the mid-90s. Though she was born in India — and is still hoping to revisit her birthplace one day — Atlanta has been home for more than two decades. Fiza was previously a staff writer at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she earned a Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism and founded Foreign Bodies, an award-winning mental health newsletter centering immigrants and next-gens. Her freelance work has been published in 285 South, Teen Vogue, The Guardian, and Electric Literature, among other publications. Fiza is currently at work on a memoir-in-progress.
The musician gained renewed attention last year for “Watermelon Seeds,” a song he wrote in response to Israel’s assault on Gaza. This fall, it’ll be part of his final full-length project, Heartbreak Phay.
Open late into the evening, Middle Eastern and South Asian coffeehouses serve as alcohol-free “third places” for those who’d rather skip the bar scene. And there’s a big appetite for them.