About

SHORT BIO

Raidah Shah Idil was born in Singapore, grew up in Sydney, Australia, worked in Amman, Jordan and now lives in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia with her husband, three children and mother-in-law. Raidah earned her BA in English and BSc in Psychology from the University of New South Wales and her Diploma of Counselling from the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors. Her writing has been published in local Malaysian anthologies, SBS Voices, Muslim Matters, SISTERS magazine, The Feminist Wire, Daily Life, Lip Mag, The Elephant Journal, Venture Beat and MuslimVillage. Raidah loves ginger tea, noodle soup and dreams of uninterrupted sleep.

Raidah’s debut Middle Grade fantasy novel, HOW TO FREE A JINN, will be published on September 3rd (in Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Oceania). Stay tuned for pre-order links and a cover reveal!

Raidah is represented by Allison Hellegers of Stimola Literary Studio.

LONG BIO

Raidah Shah Idil  is a detective fiction, young adult, fantasy/sci-fi, classics and poetry enthusiast. She was born in Singapore and migrated to Sydney, Australia, at the age of 12. She graduated from the University of New South Wales in 2005 with a BSc (Psychology) and BA (English). Alongside her studies, she worked as a volunteer hospital chaplain for 5 years, at the Prince of Wales Hospital and the Sydney Children’s Hospital.

Raidah lived in Amman, Jordan from 2009-2011, studied the Islamic sciences with traditional scholars, worked as a marketing copywriter and travelled around the Middle East. She returned to Sydney at the cusp of the Arab spring. Shortly after, she married her best friend. In the spirit of returning to her roots, they migrated to Malaysia in early 2014. Since then, Raidah has completed a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) through Murujan, a counselling diploma through AIPC and worked as a creative instructor at Axiom Learning. Most significantly, Raidah has given birth to two strong little girls and her little boy. No, she does not get much sleep. Yes, she has no shortage of kisses and cuddles.

Her writing has been published in SBS Voices, Muslim Matters, SISTERS magazine, The Feminist Wire, Daily Life, Lip Mag, The Elephant Journal, Venture Beat and MuslimVillage. Her novel, Finding Jamilah & The Story of Yusuf was published by MyLegacy Publications in early 2014. Her poetry has been published in the “Armed With Only Our Souls” anthology by New York Poet, Caits Meissner. Her poetry was featured in the 2014 Australian Muslim Artists exhibition at the Islamic Museum of Australia. Her recent publications include her short story ‘Datuk’, featured in the short story anthology, Bitter Roots, Sweet Fruits. Her poetry has recently been published in Rumi Center’s Opening the Eye of the Heart Anthology II taught by Baraka Blue. Her personal narrative, “The Memory of Mee Soto”, was shortlisted in the local Fay Khoo Award in 2018 and available for purchase here Telltale Food: Writings from the Fay Khoo Award 2017 – 2019.

Raidah is part of the anthology Safar: Muslim Women’s Stories of Travel and Transformation, edited by Sarah Malik.

Safar: Muslim Women’s Stories of Travel and Transformation is a beautifully illustrated gift book that explores the emotional and spiritual aspects of journeying. Through a series of interviews with Muslim women from diverse backgrounds, Australian journalist Sarah Malik considers personal growth and self-knowledge in the context of travel.

Safar is the Urdu and Arabic word for ‘journey’. Whether it be travelling to a new country or a new locale, or how these experiences affect the way Muslim women perceive and understand the world, Sarah weaves together her own experiences of travel with the thoughts and feelings of women who share their own adventures and challenges. There are fascinating stories of love and friendship, as well as stories of how travel connects to roots, spirituality, confidence, identity, privilege and inspiration.

Featuring stunning illustrations by Amani Haydar, this is an important and loving book that centres the experiences and perspectives of Muslim women, offering insights for readers from all backgrounds. (source: Hardie Grant website)

Raidah’s current projects include raising her three little children and writing despite hilarious exhaustion. She is currently working remotely for Basira Education. Audiobooks, podcasts, and regular reading help to keep her afloat. She has a deep interest in holistic health, especially TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). She is an ardent fan of Katy Bowman’s work on nutritious movement, and tries her best to apply Peaceful Parenting practises to her every day life. Raidah lives with her husband, children and mother-in-law in Petaling Jaya, a green, leafy suburb in Malaysia. One day, she hopes to live on a farm (but never without Wi-Fi!). 

**Note: Raidah is no longer a counsellor for the SeekersHub Q&A service Please do not contact her on social media and ask her for counselling. 

If you are experiencing a crisis, please contact your local healthcare provider.

Please direct your counselling questions to resources such as Ask The Counsellor

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