Neel Patel is a screenwriter and author who grew up in Champaign, Illinois. His writing has appeared in Elle India, The Paris Review, on Buzzfeed.com, and more. His first book, If You See Me, Don't Say Hi, is a New York Times Book Review Editors’ choice, an NPR Best Book of 2018, and has been optioned for television. He lives in Los Angeles, where he writes for TV and film.