A Palestinian writer, Ahlam Bisharat was born in autumn 1975 in the small town of Tamoon in the Northern Valley of Palestine. She worked there as a schoolteacher for a number of years. For four  years now she  has lived on the route between Tamoon and Ramallah where she works at the Ministry of Culture. She holds a Master's degree in Palestinian Literature from Najah University in Nablus. Ahlam published her first book of short stories, Because I Love You, in 2005, followed by another collection, 40th Day after Death Prayer in Blue, in 2010 and a collection of letters If I Think About It, It's Just Thoughts, in 2009. She has also written stories for children including “Naani Is Carrying The Cake,” “The Boy Is Looking For His Name,” “The Window of Zinc,”  “Safwuan Lam Is No Longer a Turtle,”  “My Grandfather's Bed,” and three books for children and teenagers: the novels My Nom de Guerre Is Butterfly (published by Tamer Institute), Trees for Absent People, and a memoir, Poinciana Tree: Memories of a Girl from the Lowest Spot in the World. Ahlam Bisharat has worked as an editor of a magazine section dedicated to youth issues and has taught creative writing. She has also written children’s series for TV and radio. She has been on writers’ residencies in Belgium and in Paris, France.