Ishrat Husain grew up in Karachi, Pakistan. After graduating from Dow Medical College in Karachi, she came to Cincinnati, Ohio where she trained in Pathology, Dermatopathology and Clinical Dermatology. She moved to California in 1981 and remained in private practice until her recent retirement. She now lives in San Diego where she spends her time working on her novels and short stories.
Ishrat’s interest in creative writing has been lifelong. She was writing for school magazines Sunbeams, and Minerva during her high school and premed years. Creative writing took a backseat during medical school and residency, but after she went into private practice, she picked up her passion for writing.
Busy with patients, during the day, she attended The Night Writers’ Group in Claremont California. In 2010 she enrolled in the Creative writing program at UCLA and graduated with honors in 2012. She subsequently joined SDSU and graduated with an MFA in 2015.
Writing Influences: Ishrat is an avid reader of both English and Urdu literature. Her favorite authors include Somerset Maugham, Thomas Hardy, Chekov, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Hemingway, Mark Twain, Toni Morrison and writers from both India and Pakistan including Saadat Hasan Munto and Ismat Chughtai.
Ishrat's writing has been described as lyrical and evocative with elements of magical realism and historical fiction. Her work examines social issues, including migration, women's experiences, identity, caste, and power structures. Many of Ishrat's short stories are cross-cultural accounts inspired by true-life incidents.
Ishrat's manuscript of medical short stories examines the human side of practicing medicine, including the physician-patient relationship, the role of empathy, and its emotional toll.
Ishrat has written more than fifty short stories, many of which have been published in magazines including Writers’ Ink, Fiction International, the Centennial Issue of West Winds, and The Huffington Post.
In 2014, her short story "Tales from the Toofaan Express" was nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
Ishrat has written two novels, The Long Road to Freedom, and Rana’s Crossing which are awaiting publication.