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WRITING

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The Washington Post

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September 28, 2024

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.

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The Washington Post

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November 22, 2022

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. 

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Salon

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October 22, 2022

I WAS BORN IN IRAN, AND MISOGYNY PUSHED ME AWAY FROM MY CULTURE. NOW I HAVE HOPE FOR IRANIAN GIRLS

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AN EXEC WANTED TO MEET ME BECAUSE OF MY NAME. EVERYTHING CHANGED WHEN HE SAW ME.

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MY MOTHER JUDGED MY BODY AS A GIRL. YEARS LATER, WE FINALLY UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER

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US NEWS & World Report

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April 15, 2025

Why a New Ed Sheeran Pop Song Means So Much to Someone Like Me

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HuffPost


March 7, 2024

THE OSCAR-NOMINATED FILM SHOWS THE PAIN I'M STILL IN FROM LEAVING MY COUNTRY AND THE BOY I LOVED.

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Newsweek

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March 12, 2023

'THE OSCARS SHOWED ME HOW FREE AMERICAN WOMEN CAN BE'​MY MOTHER SAYS I WAS AMERICAN BEFORE I KNEW WHAT AMERICA WAS.

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NBC News

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December 4, 2022

THE MOMENT MY KIDS SHATTERED MY CHRISTMAS ILLUSION

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​The Today Show

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August 12, 2024

I WASN’T ANXIOUS ABOUT BACK-TO-SCHOOL BECAUSE OF MY KIDS. IT WAS THE OTHER MOMS.

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Newsweek

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January 18, 2023

I FELT AT HOME IN AMERICA, UNTIL AN ANGRY CROWD HECKLED ME

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Newsweek

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May 5, 2022

'I FLED IRAN AT 8-YEARS-OLD, THIS IS WHAT UKRAINIAN CHILDREN FACE'

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The Today Show

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August 11, 2023

'MOMMY, IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH ME?'
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Newsweek

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December 22, 2022

STEPHEN 'TWITCH' BOSS' DEATH AWAKENED
MY ANGER AT LOSING A BOY I LOVED

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Salon

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February 4, 2023

THE POWER OF THIS IRANIAN PROTEST SONG AT THE GRAMMYS, ON MY FAMILY AND AROUND THE WORLD

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MEMOIR OR NOVEL?
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BREVITY

 

November 6, 2023

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The Independent


September 16, 2022

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.

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NYT: TINY LOVE STORIES

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"SHE SAW ME"

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New York Times


May 24, 2022

NYT: TINY LOVE STORIES


"IMPERFECT WOMEN"

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HuffPost

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June 13, 2022

I LIVED WITH A SELF-DESTRUCTIVE SECRET FOR 30 YEARS. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED WHEN I TOLD.

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Arlington Magazine


May 16, 2021

NO NOTE, NO EXPLANATION

Suicide rates are rising, and the pain of the pandemic put more people at risk. Talking about it matters.

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Arlington Magazine


March 29, 2021

BELONGING TO AMERICA

Spring break, 1991. It was one of the worst moments of my life. And also one of the best.

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Salon

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April 16, 2022

WHY I STARTED WATCHING PORN WHEN
I TURNED 50

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

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Insider

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February 24, 2023

I CONSIDER MYSELF AN LGBTQ ALLY, BUT MY FRIENDS CALLED ME OUT FOR MY BEHAVIOR.

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Insider

 

November 10, 2022

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.

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Little Old Lady Comedy

 

April 10, 2023 

OPEN LETTER TO WEIGHT LOSS COMPANIES PURSUING ME LIKE AN EX-BOYFRIEND WHO WON’T ACCEPT OUR BREAKUP

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New York Times


November 7, 2020

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.

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.

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