Kajal Ahmad was born in 1967 in Kirkuk, a disputed city in Iraq with a strong Kurdish population. A poet, journalist, and social critic, she has published four books: Benderî Bermoda (1999), Wutekanî Wutin (1999), Qaweyek le gel ev da (2001), and Awênem şikand (2004). Her work has been translated into Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Norwegian, and English.