Neda Ulaby
Encyclopedia
Neda Ulaby is an American
reporter for National Public Radio, covering arts, cultural trends and digital media. She lives in Washington, D.C.
, Jordan
, during Black September
, Ulaby lived her childhood in Lawrence, Kansas
, and Ann Arbor, Michigan
. Her father, Fawwaz Ulaby, is a prominent professor of electrical engineering from Damascus, Syria.
Ulaby is a graduate of the alternative Community High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan
and attended Bryn Mawr College
, graduating in 1993. She also studied at Oxford University, England
, and in 1996 graduated with an MA
in English from the University of Chicago
. She is a former doctoral student in English literature.
. Ulaby became managing editor of Chicago
'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 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.
. Ulaby has also reported investigative pieces critical of Body Worlds
and BODIES...the exhibition.
Her obituary for musician Elliott Smith
set a record for downloads from the NPR website.
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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
reporter for National Public Radio, covering arts, cultural trends and digital media. She lives in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Early life and education
Born in AmmanAmman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, during Black September
Black September in Jordan
September 1970 is known as the Black September in Arab history and sometimes is referred to as the "era of regrettable events." It was a month when Hashemite King Hussein of Jordan moved to quash the militancy of Palestinian organizations and restore his monarchy's rule over the country. The...
, Ulaby lived her childhood in Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
, and Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
. Her father, Fawwaz Ulaby, is a prominent professor of electrical engineering from Damascus, Syria.
Ulaby is a graduate of the alternative Community High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
and attended Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
, graduating in 1993. She also studied at Oxford University, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and in 1996 graduated with an MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in English from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. 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 and the Washington City PaperWashington City Paper
The Washington City Paper is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.Founded in 1981, and published for its first year under the masthead 1981, taking the City Paper name in volume 2, by Russ Smith, it shared ownership with the Chicago Reader from 1982...
. Ulaby became managing editor of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's Windy City Times
Windy City Times
Windy City Times is Chicago's oldest LGBT newspaper, and the only Chicago gay publication with an independent circulation audit current as of 2008....
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 taught classes in the humanities at the University of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University
Northeastern Illinois University
Northeastern Illinois University is a public state university located in Chicago, Illinois. The main campus is located in the community area of North Park with three additional campuses in the metropolitan area. Tracing its founding to 1867, it was first established as a separate branch of a...
, and at high schools serving at-risk students. She has also edited fiction for The Chicago Review
Chicago Review
The Chicago Review is a literary magazine published four times per year in the Humanities Division at the University of Chicago. It was founded in 1946. Three stories published in the Chicago Review have won the O. Henry Prize...
, and served on the editing staff of the prominent academic journal Critical Inquiry
Critical Inquiry
Critical Inquiry is a peer-reviewed academic journal in the humanities published by the University of Chicago Press. It is considered a leading journal within literary studies, and particularly in the field of critical theory....
. Ulaby joined NPR in 2000 as part of their Next Generation Radio Initiative.
Notable work
She was one of the first to report on the 2005 Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal2005 Sony BMG CD copy protection scandal
The Sony BMG CD copy protection rootkit scandal concerns the copy protection measures included by Sony BMG on Compact Discs in 2005. Sony BMG included the Extended Copy Protection and MediaMax CD-3 software on music CDs. XCP was put on 52 titles and MediaMax was put on 50 titles...
. Ulaby has also reported investigative pieces critical of Body Worlds
Body Worlds
Body Worlds is a traveling exhibition of preserved human bodies and body parts that are prepared using a technique called plastination to reveal inner anatomical structures...
and BODIES...the exhibition.
Her obituary for musician Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
set a record for downloads from the NPR website.
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.