• Q&A With WriteByNight Coach Tariq Shah

     

    Tariq Shah (Brooklyn, NY) is the author of Whiteout Conditions (Two Dollar Radio, 2020). His chapbook, ‘heart assist device,’ was a finalist for the 2019 no, dear/small anchor press chapbook series. A Best of the Net award nominee, his work appears in or is forthcoming from Whiskey Tit, DIAGRAM, jubilat, Heavy Feather Review, Shirley Magazine, No, Dear Magazine, and New Moons: Contemporary Writing by North American Muslims Anthology edited by Kazim Ali (Red Hen Press, Nov 2021). A former peace corps volunteer in Mozambique, he was born and raised in Illinois and now lives in Brooklyn, where he teaches at St. Joseph’s College.

     

     

    Where are you from?

    Lemont, Illinois.

     

    Where did you study?

    DePaul University (undergrad); St. Joseph’s College (graduate)

     

    How did you get your start as a writer?

    I suppose I started early, writing short short stories to share with my 3rd grade classmates.

     

    Who are some of your influences?

    Joan Didion/Mark Richard/David Markson/Renata Adler/Larry Heinemann/James Baldwin/Donald Barthelme/Annie Dillard.

     

    What is the hardest part of writing for you?

    Maintaining faith in projects.

     

    What is your strangest writing experience?

    When stories come easily.

     

    Any words of wisdom for aspiring writers?

    Here are two: 1) Write what hurts most, and 2) ask yourself what the story is doing in the reader’s heart.

     

    Interested in working with Tariq? Request a free consult now

     

    “I love working with Tariq. He offers great guidance. I promised myself I would finish this book, and with his help we are indeed making progress.”

    — Mike L.

     

    “Everything went fantastic with Tariq today! I greatly enjoyed the session. He had some really good feedback on my sample pages and I’m already excited to start working to revise my manuscript. I definitely think his feedback will help the whole of my book. Thank you for suggesting him as a reader, this whole experience has been wonderful.”

    — Sara M.

     

    “Tariq is really cool and I think I will really benefit from working with him. It seems like a really good match.”

    — Nora S.

     

    “Tariq and I made an immediate connection. He absolutely did his homework and knew my submitted work very well. I’m excited!”

    — John B.

     

    “Tariq is great. I am new to all of this and it is overwhelming so his feedback was truly needed.”

    — Cedric N.