Zein El-Amine was born and raised in Lebanon. He has an MFA in Poetry from the University of Maryland where he teaches classes on Arabic language and culture. His poems have been published by Wild River Review, Folio, Split this Rock (featured poem of the week), Foreign Policy in Focus, and DC Poets Against the War: An Anthology. His short stories have been published by Boundoff and Uno Mas magazines. El-Amine lives in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of DC and is a member of the Ella Jo Baker Housing Cooperative.