by AnnSheybani | Oct 19, 2025 | Reading, Writing
I was sitting in a workshop at Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, watching Scott Russell Sanders field questions about his career. If you don’t know Scott’s work, he’s written a bunch of books and made his living that way, with a side of teaching...
by AnnSheybani | Oct 12, 2025 | Reading
Every Iranian New Year, we’d drive through Abadan, and I’d watch the flames shooting from the tops of those massive stacks—the oil refinery burning off excess natural gas like some kind of industrial volcano. The infrastructure stretched for acres, a...
by AnnSheybani | Sep 29, 2025 | Reading, Writing
I’m not one to brag on clients (okay, that’s a lie—I totally am), but Cecilia and Jason Hilkey are the real deal, and I want you to know about them. Here’s what happened: These two came to me at the end of 2024 wanting to publish a parenting... by AnnSheybani | Sep 18, 2025 | Life, Writing
I was on a blind date, sitting across from some guy I’d met on Match.com, when he asked what I did for a living. You would have thought I was a street walker, the way I started hemming and hawing. I was so mortified to tell him I was a chemical...
by AnnSheybani | Sep 15, 2025 | Writing
Let’s pretend you’re ready to start writing your book. That you’re a real eager beaver. Now, word of advice: Before you stare at a blank document for the next three months wondering why writing feels impossible, let’s talk about the content...
