Laila Ibrahim was born and raised in Whittier, California, located on the eastern edge of Los Angeles County. She later moved to Oakland to attend Mills College, where she studied Child Development and Psychology. Ibrahim's educational background and professional experiences in multiracial, developmental psychology and attachment theory have significantly influenced her writing. She is passionate about early childhood education, childbirth, and religious education, all of which are reflected in her novels.
Ibrahim is the founder and former director of Woolsey Children's School. During her time at Woolsey, she had the opportunity to care for and interact with many children who were not her own. These experiences have had a lasting impact on her and can be seen in various scenes in her novel, Yellow Crocus. In addition to her work at Woolsey, Ibrahim has also worked as a birth doula and the Director of Children and Family Ministries at the First Unitarian Church in Oakland, all of which have contributed to the rich and diverse tapestry of her writing.
Ibrahim's writing journey began in 1998 when she was inspired by a conversation about Tiger Woods' racial identity. The idea for her first novel, Yellow Crocus, came to her in a flash, and she was compelled to tell the story of Lisbeth, Mattie, and Miss Anne, despite having no prior writing experience. Ibrahim's writing process was a personal marathon, and she spent many years bringing her characters to life. Her second novel, Living Right, deals with the themes of family, identity, and acceptance, while her third novel, Mustard Seed, explores the lives of Lisbeth and Mattie after the war.
Ibrahim's latest novel, Paper Wife, focuses on Mei Ling, a young Chinese woman immigrating to San Francisco in the early 1920s. The novel examines the challenges and struggles faced by immigrants during this time and the lengths they went to in order to build a better life for themselves and their families. Ibrahim's writing is deeply rooted in her experiences and education in developmental psychology, and she has worked as a preschool teacher, director, birth doula, and Director of Children and Family Ministries. She is a devout Unitarian Universalist and is committed to adding love and justice to the world. Ibrahim currently lives in a small co-housing community in Berkeley, California, with her wife, Rinda, their beloved dog, Hazel, and their amazing young adult children, Kalin and Maya.