Cathleen Miller is an internationally best-selling American nonfiction writer based in California. Her 2013 book, ''Champion of Choice'', is the biography of

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

leader

Nafis Sadik Nafis Sadik (18 August 1929 – 14 August 2022) was a Pakistani physician, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General with additional responsibilities as Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia, and former executive director of the United Nations Po ...

. She is also the author of Desert Flower (1998), co-written with

Waris Dirie Waris Dirie (; born 21 October 1965) is a Somali model, author, actress and human rights activist in the fight against female genital mutilation ( FGM). From 1997 to 2003, she was a UN special ambassador against FGM. In 2002 she founded her own ...

—a Somali nomad turned model turned activist—who shared her experience with

female genital mutilation Female genital mutilation (FGM) (also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision) is the cutting or removal of some or all of the vulva for non-medical reasons. Prevalence of female ge ...

to bring about global awareness. The book has been cited by the

as having played a major role in the advocacy against female genital mutilation. Desert Flower was made into a feature film in 2009 and released in 34 countries. The print version sold over 11 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 55 languages.

Biography

Cathleen Miller was born in the United States but has traveled widely in pursuit of research, adventure, and experience. "She has interviewed diplomats and heads of state on five continents, patients in an Addis Ababa Hospital, rape camp survivors in Kosovo, and midwives in the mountains of East Timor. Her work sometimes places her in strange circumstances, for example cruising St. Petersburg in a Winnebago to interview prostitutes, and running down a Brazilian mountain at midnight fleeing bandits." Miller earned her MFA in Creative Writing from

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

in 1997 and has been teaching Creative Writing at

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the List of oldest schools in California, oldest public university on the West Coast of ...

since 2004. Miller co-founded Wild Writing Women, a group of women writers who travel worldwide and come together to write their stories of adventure. She is also a member of the Bay Area Travel Writers organization. Her work has appeared in many magazines and newspapers in the United States, including the

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

, ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'',

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

, and ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

''.

Awards

* 2018 Fulbright Scholars’ Award, Distinguished Chair of the Humanities, University of Manchester, United Kingdom * 2017 Silicon Valley Creates Artist Laureate * 2013 Champion of Choice: Top Ten Biography of 2013 by the American Library Association * 2005 Lowell Thomas Gold Prize, Society of American Travel Writers, Best Online Travel Magazine (Editor-in-Chief) * 2005 North American Travel Journalists Association Award, Best Online Travel Magazine (Editor-in-Chief)

Bibliography

Nonfiction

* ''Champion of Choice: The Life and Legacy of Women's Advocate Nafis Sadik'' (March 2013) * ''The Birdhouse Chronicles: Surviving the Joys of Country Life'' (October 2004) * '' Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad'' (August 1998)Review of Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad by Waris Dirie, Cathleen Miller
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Anthologies

* ''Travelers’ Tales Best Travel Writing Volume 11'' (November 2016) * ''Travelers' Tales San Francisco: True Stories'' (November 2002) * ''Wild Writing Women: Stories of World Travel'' (April 2002)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Cathleen Writers from San Francisco Pennsylvania State University alumni American non-fiction writers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American women non-fiction writers 21st-century American women