Abia Fazili
Atlanta, GA| Grant Category: | Fulbright-Nehru Student Research Program |
| Project Title: | Identifying the Methods of Mystic Poetry |
| Field of Study: | Creative Writing |
| Home Institution: | Emory University, Atlanta, GA |
| Host Institution: | University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana |
| Grant Start Month: | September 2025 |
| Duration of Grant: | Nine months |
Brief Bio:
Abia Fazili is a poet from Salt Lake City, Utah. She graduated in English and creative writing from Emory University. She writes fiction about South Asian immigrant and diaspora experiences, and poetry about the natural world, love and heartbreak, and anything that may inspire her. At Emory, she worked as an editor of the university’s literary magazine for several years. She is interested in the interdisciplinary application of poetry and works with cancer patients and their family members at writing workshops. Abia’s research interests lie in the history of Indian mystics and the use of Indian poetic traditions in contemporary Western literature.
Abia’s Fulbright-Nehru research project, based in Hyderabad, is studying the poetic traditions and practices of both the Hindu Bhakti and Islamic Sufi streams. Her research is identifying the techniques and elements of both traditions’ poetry and comparing them with methods used by contemporary Western poets. She expects her research and immersive experiences to aid her in writing her own collection of modern, mystic poems.