Writer. Facilitator.

Someone once said writers are born into families.

Somewhere along the way, writers discovered there was power in language.

I grew up in a home of many languages. My father is Afghan; my mother is Italian. In my immigrant household, I observed how language was both a barrier and a refuge. Everyone around me struggled to be understood. English was like marbles in the mouth.

From this starting point, I chased a career in language.

Before creating the Dormer Window Writing Studio, I worked in media and the public and private sectors.

With a master’s degree in International Politics, I started out editing books and writing articles on global issues at the Foreign Policy Centre in the United Kingdom. I moved on to the United Nations Association and then CBC News in Canada, where interviewing people in unique situations and writing international stories led me deeper into wanting to explore my own family’s difficult history.

The desire grew after my time in the corporate sector. There, I was mentored by talented female executives who believed in their capabilities and voice, and, to my surprise, shared their struggles. Experiencing their honesty and observing their ambition sharpened something inside me. Like many, I had grandmothers who weren’t given a voice or agency in their lives.

Once I became a mother, I signed up for my first novel-writing workshop and never looked back. My creative work has been illuminated on buildings in NYC, published in magazines, awarded grants and other recognitions, and led me into facilitating writing workshops. I also sat on the Board of Story Planet, a special organization amplifying the voices of equity-seeking youth.