by AnnSheybani | May 1, 2016 | Reading, Writing, writing lessons
When I was in grad school, I took an essay writing course. We were assigned an anthology called The Best American Essays, which still sits, all marked up with black ink, on my bookshelf. (If I could find a link, I’d put it here, but I can’t.) In it, I... by AnnSheybani | Mar 14, 2016 | Life, Reading
The last time I came back to the States for vacation while living in Iran, I got together with some old friends and regaled them with my latest in-law stories. I recounted the one about my mother-in-law, who, when staying with us in our tiny dorm room for months on... by AnnSheybani | Feb 8, 2016 | Life, Reading, Writing, writing lessons
When I first began writing and presenting my short stories about Iran, people in my workshop class looked nervous. No doubt remembering the fatwa placed on Salmon Rushdie’s head for his Satanic Verses, they asked me, “Don’t you think Iranians might... by AnnSheybani | Feb 1, 2016 | Reading, reinvention, shame, Writing, writing lessons
Here’s the thing. If you’re a coach or a speaker looking to write a book, your readers (a.k.a. potential clients) want to know that you’ve overcome the same challenges that they’re currently facing. They want to know that you’ve had your own on-your-knees... by AnnSheybani | Dec 15, 2015 | books, Reading
The idea of downsizing totally appeals to me. The seven-bedroom house in Connecticut made sense (not really, but hey) when we had kids at home, but now that they’re grown, not so much. Now that the dogs are dead, too (the kids are still alive, thank God, so no... by AnnSheybani | Dec 13, 2015 | books, Reading, Writing
All writers learn and do at the same time. Don’t think for a minute that you need to put your book-writing dreams on hold until you’ve earned an MFA. To save you the $30,000, I’d like to share with you what I learned at Harvard; the very thing each writing teacher...
