WRITING
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Winter 2026
I'M FAT. HERE'S WHY I'M TAKING A WEIGHT LOSS DRUG.
For people like me, who have struggled for years with accepting our large bodies, the worship of the new GLP-1 weight loss drugs has been disheartening.
MY MOTHER’S DIETING AFFECTED ME, TOO
My mother’s obsession with weight is not unique. Researchers have studied how a mother’s restricted eating habits can affect her children, particularly daughters.
THE BLUE DRESS
I wrote a book based on my childhood and it's going to come with Macmillan's imprint Farrar Straus Giroux Books in Winter 2026.
I WAS BORN IN IRAN, AND MISOGYNY PUSHED ME AWAY FROM MY CULTURE. NOW I HAVE HOPE FOR IRANIAN GIRLS
HuffPost - #1 AppleNews trending story on pub & repub dates. Over 3 Million views.
April 8, 2022 (Republished September 7, 2023)
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AN EXEC WANTED TO MEET ME BECAUSE OF MY NAME. EVERYTHING CHANGED WHEN HE SAW ME.
MY MOTHER JUDGED MY BODY AS A GIRL. YEARS LATER, WE FINALLY UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER
THE OSCAR-NOMINATED FILM SHOWS THE PAIN I'M STILL IN FROM LEAVING MY COUNTRY AND THE BOY I LOVED.
I WASN’T ANXIOUS ABOUT BACK-TO-SCHOOL BECAUSE OF MY KIDS. IT WAS THE OTHER MOMS.
A MAN TRIED TO ABDUCT ME, TOO.
A man tried to abduct me, too. So why did I blame Eliza Fletcher for running at 4am? I’m embarrassed by how I reacted to the kindergarten teacher’s death.
I LIVED WITH A SELF-DESTRUCTIVE SECRET FOR 30 YEARS. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED WHEN I TOLD.
NO NOTE, NO EXPLANATION
Suicide rates are rising, and the pain of the pandemic put more people at risk. Talking about it matters.
BELONGING TO AMERICA
Spring break, 1991. It was one of the worst moments of my life. And also one of the best.
AFTER I MOVED TO A NEW COUNTRY FOUR DECADES AGO, MY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER TOLD ME TO CHANGE MY WARDROBE. IT HURT AT FIRST, BUT IT MADE LIFE EASIER.
I suspected my teens knew more about porn than me. I didn't want to talk to them about it
until I did some research
OPEN LETTER TO WEIGHT LOSS COMPANIES PURSUING ME LIKE AN EX-BOYFRIEND WHO WON’T ACCEPT OUR BREAKUP
NEW YORK TIMES LETTER TO THE EDITOR
We’ve reached a place where most of us cannot bear the things this president utters. My skin crawls every time I hear President Trump declare to a chanting crowd “you have good genes!”
To find out more about my past or current work, contact me today.