Mishka Mojabber Mourani was born in Alexandria, the second daughter of a Greek mother and Lebanese-Syrian Christian father. The family moved to Beirut when she was ten. A little later they emigrated to Sydney, Australia, where she completed high school and entered Sydney University. She completed a BA and MA in English Literature at the American University of Beirut. She spent most of the Lebanese Civil War in Beirut, teaching English and working as an educational consultant.