creative writing

Ever since I was a young girl, I loved writing stories and going on weekly trips to the library with my parents. Books and the stories I’d read within them played like a movie in my head, and allowed me to travel to new places and new timeperiods, and meet characters I could’ve never imagined. Below are short descriptions of two picture books I hope will be able to see the world someday. I’m currently reaching out to literary agents and publishing houses that accept submissions from un-agented authors.

Writer’s Bio:  I am a Michigan-born writer with a rich multicultural background of Lebanese and Italian heritage. From a young age, my parents inspired a love for reading with weekly trips to my local library. I craved books that reminded me of my family, cultural background, and experiences I had with my two siblings. These experiences inspire my stories that celebrate multigenerational and cross-cultural connections, family, identity, and curiosity about the world. Although my current role as a doctoral student involves academic publishing, my passion lies in crafting creative stories that capture the warmth and complexity of a multicultural childhood. I hold a B.A. in English Language and Literature with a minor in Arab and Muslim American Studies, which enriches my storytelling. I am a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

Figs for Ida

In FIGS FOR IDA (picture book, 836 words), when young Ida tastes her first fig, she’s transported into a tender, magical moment with her late Bisnonno, discovering the connections between memory, food, and loved ones that we may have never gotten the chance to meet.  This story is intended for children ages 3 through 8, gently introducing ideas of loss, grief, and familial legacy to children, as well as the enduring nature of family bonds.

Ever since Ida first heard her mother’s stories about summers spent with her grandparents eating figs, Ida couldn’t wait to try some for herself. When Ida visits her Nonna’s house to taste her first fig, she finds herself transported into a garden where she meets her late Bisnonno, the man who first planted the fig tree that still bears fruit today. Together, they harvest, peel, and eat figs—the green and purple kind that Ida’s mother used to sneak into her pockets as a child. In this moment suspended in time, Ida connects with a man she has never met, through fruit, through stories, and through the loving hands that passed these traditions down. By the end of the day, Ida learns she loves figs just like her Bisnonno and Mama, and begins to understand it’s not just their taste that’s so sweet.

FIGS FOR IDA would be enjoyed by readers who loved The More You Give by Marcy Campbell, Everywhere, Still by M.H. Clark, Applesauce Day by Lisa J. Amstutz, The Spoon by Sandra Siemens, and The Arabic Quilt by Aya Khalil—stories that honor multigenerational love, tradition, and cultural memory. What makes this story unique is its unique blend of Mediterranean family traditions, magical realism, and the symbolism of figs as a vehicle for love, remembrance, and cultural continuity. FIGS FOR IDA deals with the grief and joy that might linger after someone passes across multiple generations.

Sami’s Sunday Surprise

SAMI’S SUNDAY SURPRISE (picture book, 928 words) tells the story of an Arab-American boy who, after weeks of avoiding his Baba’s Sunday phone calls to family in Lebanon, finds the courage to connect with his cousins—and is transported on an adventure that brings him face-to-face with the people and place he’s only ever heard about, forging a connection with his family and their home across the ocean.

Every Sunday morning, Sami’s Baba calls his family in Lebanon. And every Sunday, just before he’s asked to speak with cousins he’s never met in person, Sami hides—too shy and too unsure of what to say. But Baba’s patience is growing thin, and Sami knows he needs to try. So he comes up with a plan: a list of questions to ask his cousins. When Sunday arrives again, Sami gathers his courage and presses what his father called a “magic button” to speak with his cousins face-to-face. Suddenly, he’s no longer in his bedroom, but standing in front of his cousins in a country he’s only heard about in stories. Together, Sami and his cousins go on an adventure through the streets of Beirut, sharing shawarma and pickles, eating Ashta ice cream, and dancing to familiar songs. In a single afternoon, Sami feels closer to his cousins and Lebanon.

Readers who enjoy books like Amah Faraway by Margaret Chiu Greanias and Where Three Oceans Meet by Rajani LaRocca will enjoy SAMI’S SUNDAY SURPRISE with its themes of cross-continental connections, diaspora, family, and love that travels oceans. It is a story written for children ages 3 through 8, capturing the challenges and rich possibilities that come with fostering cross-continental connections with loved ones and places.