DISCUSSING PUBLIC POLICY, POLITICS, CREATIVE WRITING AND LITERATURE
A short story is a reminder that while human life is finite, our thoughts can still traverse the universe in a few moments or less. The greatest challenge a writer faces is the limitation of time. A writer is a thousand or million-year-old being, held captive in a young body that is subject to gravity….
This week, I received notification from my podcast publishing platform that I have reached a milestone. That milestone is the release of the 100th episode of my podcast—Explore and Engage with Anam! I started podcasting in 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic. As many people were staying inside their homes that year and in-person interactions were…
When I was a young boy, my mother told me the stories of Gulliver. Now, after all these years, I am revisiting the stories of Gulliver. I am reading Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels again. As a young reader, I spent time turning pages and reading abridged versions of many famous novels–Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Robinson…
At a time when people want peace and harmony, the world is seeing a rising number of conflicts. Literature is the way to heal the world and to restore stability. There are armed conflicts in various parts of the world. Even in countries that are not ravaged by war, social and political conflicts are leading…
The COVID-19 pandemic brought changes to people’s lives all over the world. The viral outbreak, and all the things that happened as a result of it, brought changes to my life as well. Sadly, many people died as a result of the pandemic. But it wasn’t just the virus that hurt people. Government policies, since…
Podcasting is fun. That’s a very simple way of describing what many podcasters feel. It is quite easy to start podcasting, with little investment in equipment and setup. But it can be just as easy to end a podcast. That is, if a podcaster runs out of ideas for episodes, or simply does not want…
Voice is powerful. But how do we define voice? Is voice the sound that is produced in our larynx–the sound that comes out of our mouth? Or is it an opinion that one expresses–whether in the form of sound or as words on paper? There are many ways of looking at the meaning of “voice.”…
I was asked what the opening sentence of my autobiography would be. As I stated in a previous blog post, at some point in my life I would like to write an autobiography. Obviously, the autobiography would have to have an opening sentence. What would that be? “A life, although finite, has endless possibilities.” The…
I was asked what the three things are that I couldn’t live without. My answer is: pen, paper, and a source of light. As a writer, I rely on pen and paper to express my thoughts. The paper is the canvas on which my words form colors. As someone who finds freedom through words, I…
I came across a question: what experiences in life helped you grow the most? The answer is not a short one. One must first understand what growth is. Growth is maturity. To grow is to gradually attain wisdom. Simply passing time and becoming older do not necessarily lead to growth. For growth, one must walk…
Will I ever write an autobiography? I hope so. At some point in my life, I plan to write an autobiography. When that would be, I do not know yet. If I write an autobiography, what would be the title of the manuscript? Writing an autobiography is no easy task. It requires self-reflection and a…
Attention friends. At an early age, I started to write poems. I compiled those and after I came to the United States, I decided to self-publish. Accordingly, I published two books of poems – the first one named SHE HAS SURRENDERED TO SLUMBER and the second one is NEPTUNE’S DUSK. Eventually I became very busy…
Each time I sit down to write fiction, I embark on a voyage out in the ocean. A voyage is full of uncertainties. When a writer starts to craft a story, the journey to the last sentence of the manuscript is also full of uncertainties. On some days, the weather is bright and sunny, and…
A period of silence often precedes a storm. Similarly, when a writer feels that his creativity has subsided and his mind has been subject to a draught, a pouring rain of productivity may just be on its way. A writer must never lose hope. As long as the mind exists and is connected to a…
In this age of technology, when people are texting, sending emails, including emojis in messages, my love for handwritten notes has grown in intensity. There was a time when handwritten notes and letters were the primary ways to communicate, in addition to spoken words. Even with the emergence of typewriters, a paper on which a…
Some criticisms are constructive, while others are not. Regarding my writings and podcast, I have never been afraid of criticism. The words and reactions from critics inspire me to continue to be vocal in expressing my thoughts through writing and speaking. I believe in the free expression of ideas. I like to share my thoughts…
Some believe that one’s life flashes in front of the eyes, right before the person’s death. There may be no known scientific way to test and validate that claim, because there is no apparent return from that point. As such, there is no way to write about that experience, except using one’s imagination. Additionally, the…
For the writer, words are flowers that can be woven together to create a garland. The scent from the garland can be intoxicating, not just for the readers, but the writer too. No wonder, reading and writing are both addictive. A writer can forgo sleep to maximize the number of hours spent in creative expression…
Poetry is the highest form of expression. If you want a definition of poetry, there is not one. You can feel free to look for a definition in a dictionary, but that would not tell you much about poetry. Poetry is recited, as much as it is written. But most importantly, poetry is felt. A…
Human beings are mortal. Yet, there is a way to continue to live, long after one’s earthly existence has ceased. “Publish or perish,” said one of my professors at North South University, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. As far as I can recall, he had heard it during his time as a student, and as a teacher…
Words do not attach themselves to each other to create sentences. A writer puts one word after another for the expression of ideas, thoughts, and feelings. What happens when a writer fails to produce new pieces of writing, particularly fiction? If you are a storywriter, you are likely engaged in producing novels or short stories….
A writer is not one who puts the tip of a pen on a piece of paper and proceeds to use language to craft an essay, state an opinion, present a poem, or create a story. A writer is someone who does either one, some, or all of these, not as tasks, but as a…
It is widely believed that the legendary author Ernest Hemingway wrote six-word stories about his life. This is in sharp contrast to the conventional view of long autobiographies that are published in the form of books. While these are no substitutes for full-length biographies, six-word stories do in fact have a tremendous impact. First, a…