Shahnaz Radjy

Book Review: “Crossing the River”

In her memoir “Crossing the River: Seven Stories That Saved My Life“, Carol Smith takes us on a journey through grief and out the other side, so to speak – though anyone who has experienced grief knows it isn’t something you get over, but rather it’s something you learn to live with. As I put […]

The Seven S’s of Spring & the Persian New Year

One of my favorite traditions growing up was the Persian New Year, “Nowrooz“, celebrated on the Spring Equinox. The crisp new bills older adults gave us young ones was without a doubt part of the magic, but not only.  Nowrooz has a few different components and celebrations to it, and inside the home its crux […]

What my daughter’s first birthday party meant to me as a first time mother

As I stood on the dirt terrace, looking around me, I couldn’t quite believe it was real: We were hosting our daughter’s first birthday party, and not only was it in-person like pre-pandemic days, but there were easily 30 people there! It was both better than and not at all what I had expected. Back […]

Writing hack: Be your own accountability buddy

A few months ago, I started an experiment. I launched a Facebook business page to keep myself accountable with regards to my writing goals. This stemmed from previous success with a real life accountability buddy that I had calls with regularly. We’d do writing exercises together, share drafts, exchange feedback. It was brilliant. Then I […]