Assad Cina studied literature in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was an activist during the Soviet occupation and was imprisoned. He came as a refugee to Australia where he has worked as a health officer assisting people from non-English speaking backgrounds suffering from mental problems such as depression. He is also the publisher of
Afghan Voice. His poems have been published in Dari and English, both in Australia and overseas. A short essay of his on poetry from Afghanistan appears in the anthology
Many Voices. (Sources:
Open Boat Barbed Wire Sky, p. 7; also UTS Alumni June 2006 Update.)
