Eating represses feelings, Exercise lets them go.

Originally posted on Shireen Hakim:
I’ve always been physically active; I played sports and fidgeted in my seat in class. I’m happier when I’m active. For the past few years though, in a household of TV watchers, I became couch potato chip-eater, and therefore depressed. I ignored my instinct to go outside and walk because…

It’s Springtime! by Rabia Bashir illustrated by Azra Momin

Originally posted on Islamic School Librarian:
This sweet 18 page board book introduces seasons to our littlest Muslims through rhyming lines, Islamic gratitude and activities enjoyed during certain times of the year.  It even has a “spot and talk” activity at the back and a way to explain “Alhumdulillah” to children.  The text is simple…

New Position as BuzzFeed Contributor!

I’m so grateful. This really is a dream come true. I’ve been pitching to BuzzFeed since 2017, and thankfully this year they onboarded me as a Contributor! I can’t wait to share my first article with you! Which will of course be about books! Stay tuned. Thanks for your support.

30 Days of Ramadan Reads

Thank you so much to the Muslim authors that shared their books with me! I enjoyed immersing myself in Muslim authors and books with Muslim characters, specifically from indie publishers. It brought me back to my early days as a self-published writer, reviewing fellow Authors’ books on Amazon. Here is my Read list: I especially

Celebrating Eid at Home

My second Personal Essay for We Need Diverse Books One of the biggest honors of my writing career was working on the We Need Diverse Books blog team. My second essay for WNDB was about the first Eid under the Covid-19 pandemic. It was a comfort to express my thoughts and experiences with the WNDB

Top Reviewer for NetGalley!

I’m grateful that publishers have chosen to feature my reviews for their books! I love NetGalley’s digital ARC selection and appreciate all the requests they have granted me. Thank you!

NetGalley Professional Reader

” Stay tuned for my first book review blog post for NetGalley this Sunday! What awesome unreleased book could I be reviewing? 3 guesses: I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella Love from A to Z by SK Ali Internment by Samira Ahmed Comment below with your guess! 🙂 Thanks, Shireen

First Reading of “Rabbi the Rabbit!”

I had a great time reading my award-winning children’s fiction short story “Rabbi the Rabbit” at the Islamic Center of Claremont’s Community School! The kids were attentive and asked intelligent questions, like ‘who is the illustrator?’ I was nervous that the kids wouldn’t sit through the story, which is about a heavy topic, refugee children.

NaNoWrimo Blog post: Follow the Rabbit

I’m excited and grateful that I blogged for NaNoWriMo! I love their site and have benefited from their advice, so I’m happy they responded to my ideas. I feel validated as a writer. My blog post has my tips on traditionally publishing a book, based on my experience writing and publishing my refugee story “Rabbi

Eating represses feelings, Exercise lets them go.

I’ve always been physically active; I played sports and fidgeted in my seat in class. I’m happier when I’m active. For the past few years though, in a household of TV watchers, I became couch potato chip-eater, and therefore depressed. I ignored my instinct to go outside and walk because everyone else sat inside. (Observation