Neda Ulaby (, born 1970) is an American reporter for

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

, covering arts, cultural trends and digital media. She lives in Washington, D.C.

Early life and education

Born during Black September in

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

, Jordan, Ulaby spent her childhood in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70 in Kansas, Interstate 70, between the Kansas River ...

, and

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

. The father who raised her, Fawwaz Ulaby, is a professor of electrical engineering from

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

, Syria. After graduating from the alternative Community High School in Ann Arbor, she attended Bryn Mawr College, graduating in 1993. She also studied at

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

, England, and in 1995 graduated with an MA in English from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. She is a former doctoral student in English literature.

Career

Ulaby began her career as an intern for the features desk of the '' Topeka Capital-Journal'' from 1993 to 1994 and later freelanced for the ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

'' and the ''

Washington City Paper The ''Washington City Paper'' is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area since 1981. The ''City Paper'' is distributed on Thursdays; its average circulation in 2006 was 85,588. The paper's editorial ...

''. Ulaby became managing editor of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

's '' Windy City Times'' in 1999, holding the post for one year, and later became co-host of the radio program ''What's Coming Out at the Movies''. She has taught classes in the humanities at the University of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University, and at high schools serving at-risk students. She has also edited fiction for ''The Chicago Review'' and served on the editing staff of the prominent academic journal '' Critical Inquiry''. Ulaby joined NPR in 2000 as part of their Next Generation Radio Initiative, and worked as an editorial assistant and producer before becoming a reporter in 2003.

Notable work

Neda Ulaby was one of the first to report on the 2005 Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal. She has also reported investigative pieces critical of '' Body Worlds'' and ''BODIES...the exhibition''. She is included in the anthology ''Bodies Out of Bounds: Fatness and Transgression''. Her film reviews have appeared in alternative papers nationwide and her articles on slapstick comedy have been published internationally. She hosted the Emmy award-winning public television series ''Arab American Stories'', and in 2010, won a Gracie Award from The American Women in Radio & Television. Ulaby has also been recognized with fellowships from the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism and the USC Annenberg/Getty Arts Journalism Program.

Personal life

In 2014, Ulaby married political consultant Robin Brand, whom she had met online in 2003. On June 6, 2018, Ulaby tweeted "I am, officially, a gay divorcee."

References

External links