Bishakh Som

I am a Bengali-American transgender author, artist, illustrator and ex-architect. I was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and moved to New York City when I was six. My parents were affiliated with the United Nations as I was too, having attended the United Nations International School for 12 years. I studied interior design at Cornell University and received a graduate degree in architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. I practiced architecture, most notably at I.M. Pei's New York office, for longer than I care to remember. In 2012 or so, I left that world behind to pursue a dream of writing and drawing graphic novels, of making art. Eight years later, this dream became palpable as I have two graphic novels out in 2020: Apsara Engine, a collection of eight short stories, published by The Feminist Press; and Spellbound, a graphic memoir out from Street Noise Books.

I live in Brooklyn, NY. I love neem leaves with fried eggplant, Rioja, My Bloody Valentine, hotels, maps, boots and kittens. My pronouns are she/her/hers.