User:Elijah Rakha-Sheketoff/sandbox/Naseem Rakha

Naseem Rakha

Born in 1959 in Chicago to Mohammad Allah Rakha and Beverly Rakha, Naseem Ann Rakha is a writer, journalist, geologist, hiker, public speaker, river rafter, mother, and self-proclaimed "spy", who is most well known for her award-winning journalism, critically acclaimed novel, and 2013 TEDx talk. She lives at her home in Silverton, Oregon with her husband Chuck Sheketoff, her son Elijah Rakha-Sheketoff, and their many animals. Her debut novel The Crying Tree has been the recipient of the 2010 PNBA book award, American Book Sellers Association Top 10 Indie Next List , and the opening book for the 2010 Richard and Judy Book Club.

Since her retirement from journalism and the publishing of The Crying Tree in 2009, she has been the director of  The Quiet  blog, where she publishes photography, essays, and poems, an active contributor to The Guardian, a frequent guest on Oregon Public Broadcasting's Think out Loud   , serves on the editorial board of Salem Weekly , and has been invited on numerous trips involving things such as rafting and hiking because