Nahid Rachlin attended the Columbia University MFA program on a Doubleday-Columbia Fellowship and then went on to the Stanford University MFA program on a Stegner Fellowship. Her publications include a memoir, PERSIAN GIRLS (Penguin), four novels, JUMPING OVER FIRE (City Lights), FOREIGNER (W.W. Norton), MARRIED TO A STRANGER (E.P.Dutton), THE HEART'S DESIRE (City Lights), and a collection of short stories, VEILS (City Lights). She taught at Barnard College as a writer in residence, for five years, and currently teaches at New School University.