Kay Hardy Campbell was born in Abington, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Massachusetts and Minnesota. She developed a lifelong fascination for the Arabian Peninsula and earned a BA in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Minnesota and a Master's Degree from Harvard in Middle Eastern Studies. She lived in Saudi Arabia for several years with her American husband, a fellow student of Arabic. While living in the kingdom, she wrote cultural features for the English language dailies, Arab News and Saudi Gazette. Since returning to the U.S., she has traveled back to Saudi Arabia three times on assignment for AramcoWorld Magazine to write about Saudi culture. Her short fiction has appeared in the Aroostook Review, her features and essays in Chamber Music America, Down East, and Cabin Life, and her poetry in the literary journal Mizna. She also researches and writes about the folk music and folk dances of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf. Kay plays Arabic music and is the co-founder and administrative director of the Arabic Music Retreat. She and her husband live in Maine.