To all of you who love literature, and alternately enjoy and struggle with writing, welcome to my blog! This is the first of many posts, wherein I rant and rave about the books and literary pieces that come across my desk. I think that to know me, you have to know what I’m reading, and where I’m coming from. I’m a professor of english and comparative literary studies who loves books that are written from the margins by the underestimated, stories that challenge empire and established power structures by those who were overlooked, and narratives that reveal both big and little truths about ourselves that had hitherto been locked away. But, I also love the whimsical like Harry Potter, or romantic historical fictions like the Outlander series. During my upcoming posts, I will be mostly blogging about Middle Eastern memoirs published after 9/11 since I’m making my way through an amazing selection of books as part of my academic book research. But, I’ll also be devouring those tempting, more popular novels that you might be consumed with, as well. Lastly, I hope to use this blog as a creative means to track my own writing progress, and to show the seams of a scholarly work being stitched together. I will, no doubt, be disclosing my struggles, but I also hope to share any tips or tricks I might find along the journey of crafting my academic book. As I always remind my students, writing is a process, so I appreciate you bearing witness to mine.
Welcome to my blog!
