New Books In Literature

Ala Fox speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her essay “Ramadan in Saint-Denis,” which appears in The Common’s most recent issue. Ala talks about weaving together the threads of her experiences living in Paris into an essay that explores a lot of questions but doesn’t try to answer them. The piece dives into the dynamics between neighborhoods, and between native Parisians and immigrant communities, and explores the possibility of creating and sustaining love across language barriers and distance. Ala also discusses why she was nervous about publishing the essay, and how it would be received in the Muslim community. Ala Fox is a Muslim American daughter of Chinese immigrants. She writes in English, Python, memories, and JavaScript. When not coding, she writes about life and love online @alalafox. Her work has been published in Ruminate, Hunger Mountain, and MuslimMatters. She is passionate about racial equity and Oakland. ­­Read Ala’s essay “Ramadan in Saint-Denis” in The Common here. Learn more about