Ana S. Gad
w r i t e r, e d i t o r a n d d i g i t a l a r t i s t
Ana S. Gad is a pen name of Dr. Ana Stjelja, the Dubai-based, internationally acclaimed writer, scholar, journalist, editor and digital artist.
She was born 1982 in Belgrade (Serbia). In 2005 she graduated from the Faculty of Philology from the Turkish Language and Literature Department. In 2009 she earned a Master’s degree in Sufism. In 2012 she obtained her PhD in Literature (with the thesis on the life and work of one of the first Serbian women writers and world travelers Jelena J. Dimitrijevic).
She is an award-winning poet, writer, translator, journalist, independent scientific researcher and editor. She published more than 30 books of different literary genres. She is the author of numerous research papers and essays on literature, feminism and diverse cultures (cultural heritage). She is also a digital artist (with special focus on the graphic design, digital collage art).
Her digital collage artworks have been featured in numerous virtual exhibitions worldwide, including those in Hungary, Venezuela, USA, Mexico, Peru (Peru Biennial), Dubai. Several of her pieces are currently on display at the Mercure Deira Hotel in Dubai (curated by Peter Gressman), More Cafe, One Central Dubai (curated by the Artezaar Online Art Gallery) and International Studio of Art and Galleries, Safa Park Complex, Al Safa 1, Dubai.
Additionally, her graphic design skills are showcased through her work in both printed and online magazines, as well as in her books and anthologies. Much of her creative output is accessible on online digital platform Issuu.
She is the Editor-in-Chief of the Alia Mundi Magazine for cultural diversity, the Enheduana Online Literary Magazine, the online magazine for satire Oximoron and the online magazine for poets and poetry in English Poetryzine. She is also the founder and the editor of the Web Portals: Eastern Pearl (and its blog Ibisʼ blog) dedicated to the literature, art and culture of the East, Maštoplet (and its blog Maštoplet’s blog) dedicated to children and children’s creativity. She is the founder and the editor-in-chief of Cultural Newspapers, Tesliarium and Samo Kulturno Magazine, Dubai-based Sands and City Magazine and art magazine Art&Act Magazine.
As an acclaimed and awarded writer, she has published her works in various Serbian and international print and online magazines, literary blogs and portals. She was the regular collaborator of The Poet Magazine (England) conducting the interviews with world poets.
As a cultural and project manager, she conducted various international projects that included a great deal of artists and cultural professionals.
In 2018 she established the Association Alia Mundi for promoting cultural diversity. She is a member of the Association of Writers of Serbia, the Association of Journalists of Serbia, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) , Associação UMEA - Associação da União Mundial de Escritores e Artistas and Europeana Pro.
In 2021, she successfully completed the creative workshop Awake Not Sleeping - Reimagining Fairy Tales for a new generation organized by UN WOMEN for Europe and Central Asia (UN WOMEN ECA) and was featured in the UN Women ECA story collection with her fairytale ‟Aisha in the Dreamland”. In 2023 her fairy tale “The Girl with a Golden Pen” (which was creating during the above-mentioned creative workshop) has been awarded with the “Golden Wizard Book Prize”.
As a program coordinator of the Woman Scream Festival for Serbia and WB in March 2023 she edited and published poetry and art anthologies titled KRIK ŽENE.
In July 2022, she successfully completed the Introduction to Psychology course at the American Yale University, where her lecturer was the university professor and world-famous (Canadian-American) psychologist Paul Bloom. Right now, she is a mentee of the Creative Spotlight Program supported by the British Council and the Thomson Foundation.