Amal Awad is a writer, director and performer. She has contributed to such publications as The Guardian, The Sydney Morning Herald, ELLE, Meanjin and Frankie, and has produced and presented for ABC Radio National. Outside of mainstream media, Amal has held senior editorial roles at a number of trade media publications, reporting on the financial services, property and pharmacy industries. Amal has appeared as a speaker at schools, universities and writers’ festivals around Australia. In 2019, she was a TEDx Macquarie speaker, giving a talk on ‘Moving beyond the token minority’ in film and television. Amal is the author of eight books, which include both fiction and non-fiction titles. As a screenwriter, Amal has worked on several film and television projects, including her own. In recent years, Amal has also pursued directing and acting, and has taught story and writing intensives.