I once heard a writer describe life as a writer as being kind of bipolar in terms of sociability. You need SECLUSION in order to write, to delve deep enough to actually write anything worth while, but you need SOCIETY and SOCIAL STIMULATION to have something to write about. I know I’ve often felt it. […]

Got permission from the powers that be, that I can finally release the good news that I’ve been clutching to my chest all summer long! Two things! Which should I say first? The local or the international??? Hmm. Let’s start local: The Toronto District School Board has chosen me along with some other authors (I’m […]

is a stretch of highway 16 that I drove between Prince Rupert and a small town called Terrace B.C. Actually it might be further, but I specifically remember that stretch of road. One of the most beautiful areas of North America, I bet. You can see pics of it here: http://www.rukhsanakhan.com/photogallery/CalgaryVancouverandPrinceRupert2009/mexicanstandoffwithcamerasg.html Today they discovered one […]

Went to a family wedding recently, my side…the wacky Pakistanis…and oh boy how weddings have changed!!! Decided I’d been the Prodigal Daughter/niece/Cousin whatever for too long, and thought, what the heck, and me and hubby went. The biggest issues I had to deal with my daughters’ weddings were mostly Islamic stuff: separation of the sexes, […]

Today, for the very first time, I was described by someone, as a ‘mover and shaker’. LOL. And she meant it in the traditional sense of someone setting up meetings and making business deals happen! (as opposed to someone who just ‘shakes’ when they ‘move’) And wow, what a jarring thought it was, to think of myself […]

I was going to write a blog post about how as a Muslim, I try my best to counter all the negative images in the media by trying to uphold an example of what Islam really teaches us to be. I was going to talk about how hard it’s been growing up. How at first I […]

Along with two other diplomats in Benghazi. All because of a film that insulted the Prophet (peace be upon him). I can’t believe it! I’m absolutely shocked. It’s crazy. What would the Prophet (peace be upon him) say? To kill innocent people this way just because you’re outraged??? And ESPECIALLY diplomats!!! They didn’t do anything!!! […]

It’s been a long time since I wanted to watch a movie twice. Now that my daughters are all married and gone, and there’s just me and hubby and son, the estrogen factor is outnumbered by testosterone factors, two to one and that affects the type of movies we choose to watch. I really wanted […]

I’ve been slowly updating my website! It’s so hard for me (I’m a klutz at website stuff!) but I managed to do it, and finally finally, I put up the photos I took in England and in Malaysia. You can see them here: http://www.rukhsanakhan.com/about/photogallery.html The captions are self-explanatory, and I tried to have some fun–often […]

It’s never a good idea to critique a story at 12:30 am when you’ve got a frozen shoulder from being on the computer too long and you’re exhausted and downright cranky. Increasingly I have been getting pleas for help from aspiring authors and darn it, I can still remember what it felt like to be […]