Habib grew up in
Kerala,
South India and is currently based in
Brooklyn,
New York. Her poem
Of Hypocrisy and Cheekbones won the First Prize in the Ninth
National Poetry Competition in 2000 organized by
The Poetry Society (India) in collaboration with
British Council. Her short story "Something Special About Sayyida" was selected for the anthology
21 under 40. Her essays, travel writing, and criticism have appeared in
The Guardian,
The New Yorker,
Afar, the anthology
Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething Writers, and many other publications. Her work has twice been named to the Notable Essays and Literary Nonfiction list by the
Best American Essays series. ==Awards==