I was invited to be a panelist on TVO’s flagship current affairs program called The Agenda with Steve Paikin. I was on a panel with Sadaf Ahsan a web editor with The National Post, Shaine Jackson, a native artist from B.C. and Andrew Cohen a professor of journalism at Carleton University and a fellow author […]

in the middle of a powerpoint presentation and you’ve got an audience of about a hundred and fifty antsy ten and eleven year olds… What do you do??? This is not a hypothetical situation. It happened today, about three hours ago as I write this. October being Islamic Heritage month, I was invited to Barbara […]

It’s been a day and a half since I returned from Malaysia, the other side of the world, yup twelve hour time zone difference and I’m powering through the jet lag. Alhamdu lillah, it was a fabulous trip. My hosts were were so hospitable!!! Almost too hospitable, need to shed some of the pounds I […]

I’m heading off to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow evening. Very excited! My second time going there, and I was sad to leave the last time. I’m going to be doing a session at the Comel -The Magic of Picture Books conference. Malaysia is one of the most beautiful countries in the world! And so friendly! Last […]

I remember hearing on Dr. Phil that when a person shows anger they’re actually at their weakest. And that anger and sadness are often symptoms of a more basic emotion: fear. I don’t know about all that, I just know that I often have to balance how much news of the world’s events I take […]

Yesterday was Eid ul Adha, and I kept thinking to myself, I can’t wait to get back to work. And I started asking myself if I’m a workaholic, and then I thought, nah! A workaholic would get more done. I’m only partly kidding. I’m at that stuck stage of a project. I began working on […]

The first time I heard the term, I felt quite flattered. Me? A pioneer? It was said by a recently published Muslim author I had connected with. Then I heard it again by another published Muslim author, and another. And then, I don’t know, it doesn’t sound so cute. Oh I get it. They’re saying […]

I’ve had some strange experiences recently. I’m not sure if I mentioned this one, but I went to lunch with some old friends and a kid recognized me and wanted a selfie. Then went to a wedding and a teacher who works with disabled kids, told me how she’d been at a school where the […]

Omigosh, writing this blog post is almost a sort of relief. Child’s play. A chance to unwind after weeks of incredible information overload. I’ve been in meetings and immersed in research a story I’m writing for an educational publisher, and I honestly feel like I’m drowning. It’s very humbling. There’s so much information out there […]

I’ve been thinking and thinking about why Trump, despite all his lies, and all the detritus that is spewing from his blowhole is so popular among a certain demographic of American population, and I think I may have come up with the reason. When I was looking at the faces of the Trump supporters, most […]