More about Naz Ford
(in case you really want to know):
At some point in her youth, Naz learned that she is a curious soul—an explorer at heart. When asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she was always torn. There were so many things she wanted to do.
She wanted to be an archeologist—with much credit due to Indiana Jones, no doubt—uncovering the mysteries of history.
She wanted to be an architect creating beautiful spaces that defined how we lived in the world.
She wanted to be an agent (the secret kind), traveling the globe on exciting missions.
And that was just the start of the alphabet…she hadn’t even gotten to the “Bs” let alone the XYZs (zoologist!).
Sometime in her teens, she realized being a writer meant she could actually do all of the above—to some extent anyway. She didn’t know yet if she could write fiction (her first love), but she knew she could write about the real world and so she embraced the idea of a career in journalism. It fit her talents, her interests, and fed her sense of adventure. So she got a B.A. in English at Loyola Marymount University (with a double minor in sociology, Asian-Pacific studies, which was almost a triple minor with multi-media in the mix) and went to work at a small downtown Los Angeles newspaper.
She quickly discovered that newspaper journalism was not as adventurous as she had envisioned. She loved interviewing people and researching, but she wanted to take a deeper dive…and be able to pay her rent. Seeking her adventure elsewhere, she took a technical writing job in the defense industry. (Can you say “analyst”?) While earning her master’s degree in creative writing at the University of Southern California, Naz freelanced and worked as a substitute teacher, traveling as much as possible. In addition to her Masters, she ended up with a novel, a stage play, a screenplay, several articles, some poetry, and an enthusiasm for educating. Naz has continued teaching, writing, and traveled the world. She also moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, got married, had two daughters, and recently added a puppy to the family…Actually, wait, let’s back up.
She was born in Tehran, Iran in the midst of the Islamic Revolution. Faced with the uncertainties of a seemingly endless, tragic war, the scarcity of goods and freedoms, and a generally bleak outlook, her family fled to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. About a year later, her family came to the United States, following other family members who had escaped from Iran. She learned some English (the British variety) while in Dubai and completed first through 12th grades in California public schools.
Okay, now that we covered that bit…Naz (re)discovered children’s literature with her daughters in her lap. She found that she still believed in happy endings—or at least hopeful ones—and she loved the supportive culture within children’s writing, which is keenly focused on its audience of young minds and hearts. Mostly, she has a passion for the way the art brings people together and opens doors to so many worlds.
Currently, she is an adjunct professor in the English department at the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. An active, 5+ year member of SCBWI, she is the Nevada regional newsletter editor (as of five minutes ago) and participates in two critique groups. This marks year two of her 12x12 membership.
Naz organizes her closet by item type, then color because she likes the way it looks; she organizes her bookshelf by category and book most recently read, so she can find what she wants to lend someone quickly. She plays tennis, coaches her children’s sports teams with enthusiasm, and advocates for dessert before dinner as often as possible. As someone who will always love learning all sorts of things, she advocates for education, giving her time to a variety of nonprofit organizations like Equipo Academy, Teach for America Las Vegas Valley, Nevada Women’s Philanthropy, and the James Joseph Ford Foundation. She loves volunteering at her children’s school—especially in the library—and serves on the Board of Trustees.