Elliott Colla teaches Arabic literature at Georgetown University. His first book, Conflicted Antiquities: Egyptology, Egyptomania, Egyptian Modernity, explores the colonial roots of modern Egyptology and the ways modern Egyptians have viewed the Pharaonic past. His current academic projects focus on protest cultures in contemporary Egypt. 

Colla has translated novels, short stories and poems by authors from Libya, Syria, Egypt and Palestine, including Rabai al-Madhoun's story of return to Gaza, The Lady from Tel Aviv. His 2014 novel, Baghdad Central, was adapted for television by Euston Films and Channel4 and can be seen on Hulu, Starzplay and other platforms. His graphic poem, We Are All Things, composed with Ganzeer, can be purchased from Radix Media.