Shumaila Hemani

Blending memory, autoethnography, and poetry, Dr. Shumaila Hemani (Ph.D., M.A., University of Alberta) invites readers to listen to the wounds that shape us—and to the music that helps us heal. An award-winning ethnomusicologist, soundscape composer, and changemaker based in Alberta, Hemani has served as music faculty with Semester at Sea and the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Extension.

Her work bridges music, mental health, and social justice, earning her a place on the Women in Music Canada Honour Roll (2023), the Cultural Diversity Award (2016), and a nomination for the Alberta Magazine Awards (2022) in the poetry category. Hemani is also a proud member of the Canadian Authors Association and PEN Canada’s Writers in Exile network.

Her writing has appeared in The Conversation, National Observer, and the international Human Rights Arts Movement's special issue on Hannah Arendt (forthcoming), where she explores the intersections of sound, healing, and cultural memory. Through her scholarship, music, and writing, Hemani invites audiences to re-imagine listening as a path toward justice, resilience, and collective care.