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For more information about my writings, please visit my full Publications page.
Essay: “Planting Seeds, Creating Safe Passages.” Poets.org/
Poems: “Partition,” “Burn the Path Home,” “Tangled Toes,” “Quest for Water,” and “How Many Monuments Must We Construct?”. Weavers Literary Review, Vol. 1, 2. Eds. Moazzam Sheikh, Amna Ali, Weavers Press, pp. 103-109.
Poems: “Octavia E. Butler: Electric Energy Crossing Time,” and “Rotation,” Academy of American Poets (poets.org), September 2025.
Poems: “Octavia E. Butler: Electric Energy Crossing Time,” and “Human Connection,”Altadena Poetry Review, Online Edition. Ed. Lester Graves Lennon, pp. 99 and 171, September 2025.
Essay: “Skyping My Father Goodbye.”In the New Century: An Anthology of Pakistani Literature in English Ed. Muneeza Shamsie, January 2025, pp. 240-241.
Essay: “Un/Natural Disasters.” Sapan News, January 2025.
Poems: “On Belonging, “Tearing Wires, Building Bridges,” Doc 101: Intro to Life and How to Live It,” and “Why Are You Looking at Me Like That?” Poetry in English from Pakistan. Eds. Ilona Yusuf and Shafiq Naz, Alhamra Publishing, 2024, pp. 152-156.
Poem: “On Belonging: A Found Poem.” Altadena Poetry Review: Anthology 2024. Ed. Peter J. Harris, Golden Foothills Press, p. 156.
Hybrid (images, recipe, & poem): “Cooking and eating a Pakistani omelette,” and “Rotation.” Earthkeepers Handbook, Eccospace, June 2023, pp 176-177.
Essay: “Call Me Sehba.” Cultural Daily, April 20, 2023.
Essay: “Refuelled: 48 hours.” Aleph Review, April 19, 2023.
Essay: “Addressing Youth Violence: Foster Communities that Break Isolation.” L.A. Parent, Los Angeles, pp 33-35.
Essay: “My Chicana-South Asian daughter, finding her roots in Karachi and south Texas,” LA Times, Feb 2022.
Essay: “Invisible Lines.” Accolades: A Women Who Submit Anthology. Eds. Tisha Marie Reichle-Aguilera and Rachael Warecki, Jamii Publishing, 2020, pp 64-66.
Poem: “Rotation.” Altadena Literary Review 2020, Ed. Teresa Mei Chuc, Altadena Public Library, Shabda Press, 2020, p. 228.
Fiction excerpt: “Remembering the 1971 War from Karachi; excerpt from Black Wings;” India Currents, September 2019.
Short story: “Railway Track.” Houston Noir. Ed. Gwendolyn Zepeda, Akashic Press, May 2019, pp 219-238.
Novel: Black Wings (second edition). El Paso: Veliz Books, February 2019.
Poetry: “On Belonging and Other Poems.” Papercuts Nomad issue. Ed. Sorayya Khan. Desi Writers Lounge, December 2018.
Essay: “They Will Make Muslims Out of Us.” Aleph Review, Broken Leg Publications, 2018, pp 212-216.
Essay: “When you’ve lived many places, how do you find home?” Gray Matters, Houston Chronicle, 1 February, 2018.
Essay: “Invisible Lines.” Borderlines Volume Three.Eds. Margot Backus and Maria Gonzalez. Houston: Voices Breaking Boundaries, Spring 2017, pp.115-120.
Essay: “A Delicate Matter in the Examination Room.” Lives column, New York Times Magazine, 2016.
Essay: “What Is Home?” Borderlines Volume Two. Eds. Margot Backus and Maria Gonzalez. Houston: Voices Breaking Boundaries, 2015. pp 29-36.
Interview: “An Interview with Shirin Herman.” Borderlines Volume Two.Eds. Margot Backus and Maria Gonzalez. Houston: Voices Breaking Boundaries, 2015, pp 22-28.
Essay: “Skyping My Father Goodbye.” Gray Matters, Houston Chronicle, Houston, May 6, 2015.
Essay: “No Borders: Delhi 25 Years Later.” Aman Ki Asha, Karachi, Pakistan, February 04, 2015.
Essay: “That Long Monday Afternoon.” Borderlines Volume 1. Eds. Margot Backus and Maria Gonzalez. Houston: Voices Breaking Boundaries, 2014, pp 85-88.
Essay: “Bapsi Sidhwa’s Laughter, Tea and Novels.” Houston Chronicle, December 5, 2014.
Essay: “Bangladesh’s Unresolved History of Independence.” Creative Time Reports, December 16, 2013.
Essay: “The Story Behind the Stories.” Homes and Histories. Eds. Sehba Sarwar and Joshua N. Turner. Houston: Voices Breaking Boundaries, Fall 2013, pp 3-7.
Essay: “Invisible Thread.” Women Under Siege, Eds. Sehba Sarwar and Joshua N. Turner. Houston: Voices Breaking Boundaries: Fall 2013, pp 3-7.
Essay: “Freedmen’s Town Lives!” CITE 91, A Hand-Made Issue, Rice Design Alliance, March 2013.
Blog posts: Poet-in-Residence for Poets & Writers, October 2012: October 1. October 9, October 15, October 22.
Op-Ed: “Observing social change, in Houston and Karachi,” Houston Chronicle, Houston, TX, January 29, 2012.
Poems: “Doc. 101: Intro to Life and How To Live It and Why Are You Looking at Me like That? Vallum Contemporary Poetry, 9:1 | Winter 2012: 27-30 (Canada).
Essay: “Slipping Between Borders.” South Asian Review, Special Issue, Pakistani Creative Writing in English, 31.3. Co-guest eds. Fawzia Afzal-Khan and Waseem Anwar. October 2011, pp. 106-11.
Essay: “Devouring Mangoes with Gusto.” Dawn Books & Authors, 14 August, 2011.
Essay: “Think Global/Act Local.” Houston Chronicle Op-Ed. 30 January, 2011.
Essay: “The poor are the hardest hit by devastation in Pakistan.” Houston Chronicle, 12 September, 2010.
Essay: “For Choice.” in an on-line roundtable Pens and Swords. The Mantle, 26 January, 2010.
Essay: “Education is the key to peace.” Houston Chronicle, 17 October, 2009, B-15.
Essay: “Sisters in Struggle: Karachi & Houston.” CITE Magazine. Rice Design Alliance, 79 Summer 2009: 9.
Essay: “Heartbeat.” Callaloo Salutes Texas Writers. 32.1 (2009): 235-240.
Short story: “Soot.” And the World Changed: Anthology of Short Stories by Pakistani Women Writers. Ed. Muneeza Shamsie. New York: Feminist Press, 2008.
Essay: “Lives: Karachi’s Winter Days.” New York Times Sunday Magazine, 30 March 2008.
Blog post: “Street Signs: Karachi Graffiti.” Words Without Borders blog, 14 February 2008.
Blog post: “Kalidas in NAPA in Karachi.” Words Without Borders blog. 16 January 2008.
Essay: “Sisters in Struggle: Karachi & Houston.” CITE Magazine. Rice Design Alliance, 79 Summer 2009: 9.
Poems: “Why I Can’t/ Don’t Write About the War” and “Tearing Wires, Building Bridges.” ASIA: Magazine of Asian Literature 3.4 (2008): 94-103.
Poem: “Tearing Wires, Building Bridges.” BorderSenses online Magazine, June 2007.
Poems: “For René” and “Jamshed Road.” Alhamra Literary Review, Volume 2, Spring 2007: 116-118.
Short story: “A Sandstone Past” in Neither Day nor Night: Pakistani Women Writers. Ed. Rakshanda Jalil. New Delhi: Harper Collins, 2007.
Novel: Black Wings. Alhamra Publishing, Islamabad, 2004
Essay: “Recovering my Voice.” GOOD. Ed. Mel Chin with support from Polly Koch (Essay commissioned by Toni Beauchamp.), Houston, 2000, pp. 18-22.
CONTACT
I am an author and speaker, an artist, and a community and cultural activist.
If I can use my talents and passions to inspire you or your network to push boundaries and become involved in our communities, please connect with me. I offer a range of services including: readings, workshops, courses, or multidisciplinary performances/installations. I look forward to hearing from you!
