About
I’m an Indian-Pakistani, Muslim-American, bipolar, Gen X, vegan, cisgender woman who loves the Cleveland Browns, Bugs Bunny and Metallica.
The bipolar part is why I started writing for “fun.” I was 22, depressed and trying to get through my last group session of the day—writing therapy. I thought it would be pointless like the other groups.
But something happened.
I couldn’t put down my pen, and the tears rolled down my cheeks to my neck. Everything came out. The screams and cries rattling in my skull for years paused for a moment, and my brain finally took a breath.
Until then, I thought my outlet was art, but that stopped working. The tumor of depression kept returning, invading my cells. I used to carry a sketchbook everywhere, but it morphed into a journal after I left the hospital.
I haven’t stopped writing since.
I also have a rare genetic disorder called periodic paralysis, but that’s another story. Literally, I’m writing a story about it.
Here’s the more traditional “about me” info: Born in Cleveland, raised in Montgomery County, MD. B.S. in architecture from University of Virginia—which I never used. M.F.A in film and media arts from Temple University. Art department coordinator on five feature films. Film and media studies adjunct (underpaid) professor. Now, a content manager at a national nonprofit.