Anna El-Eini was born in Sudan and grew up in England. While working towards a PhD in molecular neurobiology she volunteered at a local community center and saw first-hand the struggles faced by low-income, minority communities. She became a policy analyst and community organizer in Washington, D.C., and worked with communities across the city. A selection from BEATING HEART, her first novel, received an Honorable Mention in the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Competition 2010.