Irfan Ali is a poet, essayist, writer, and educator. His short poetry collection, "Who I Think About When I Think About You" was shortlisted for the 2015 Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers. Accretion is his first full-length work. Irfan was born, raised, and still lives in Toronto.

Accretion, Irfan Ali's triumph of a debut, masterfully unravels the third culture experience with deceiving simplicity, humour, grace and candour. Standing at the threshold of what it means to be a son, a South Asian man, a Muslim, and a human, Ali resists the temptation of binaries—faith is not linear, identity is not fixed, and culture is not singular. Ali's genius lies in his effortless ability to hold space for what is unsaid and unknown. Like Majnun from the famous Sufi fable, Ali sets out on a journey only to discover that his Beloved is the mirror within him." — Jury Citation, 2021 Trillium Book Award for Poetry

"Irfan Ali delves fearlessly into the beauty and cruelty of a utilitarian city and the chasms between people. The struggle between head and heart binds these poems. In fact, Accretion might be considered a roadmap for finding love in everything—ourselves, family, soul mates, urban life, and faith." — Emily Pohl-Weary, author of Ghost Sick