The Depression Well where Writing Goes to Die

Posted by Sharif S on Jan 9, 2015 in Blog Ends, Writer to Writer | 1 comment

Depression is hard, but I’ve always bounced back, but this time I’m not.  And I think the problem is in an odd spot.  I don’t think I believe in God anymore…  So that’s a thing.  I don’t really think it’s much of an issue to go from religious to agnostic.  You can believe that God is in Heaven, and all is right with the world regardless of if you’re gay or eat shellfish.  If the religion is ignorant, contradictory, or hates you, then you’re just like “Yeah, I don’t believe in that part.”  In fact, being agnostic can be quite freeing.  Though when you’re raised with a religion, it’s hard to fully escape.  I often just felt like a shitty Muslim that God hated.

Oh, is this the part where we bow down to our God? Sorry, guys, I’m terrible at Islam.

I’ve been transitioning into straight up atheism, and this is a problem for me.  There is no God. You have no consequence. There’s no magic in the world.  I think the last one has been the hardest for me to accept.

Fear

Posted by Sharif S on May 24, 2014 in Blog Ends, Writer to Writer | 0 comments

I parted ways with a friend awhile back.  I was her friend because I was drawn by her clear talent.  Sometimes I check in on her work.  I’m surprised to go “Wow, with all of your talent this is all you could do?”

“STFU ropes are hard.”

Video from the LA Times Festival of Books!

Posted by Sharif S on Sep 8, 2013 in Blog Ends, Videos, Writing | 0 comments

If you recall I did a poetry reading at the LA Times Festival of Books.  Finally, here is the video so that you can lie to your friends and say that you were there!  Or if you’re just curious about the type of writing I do, well sorry, but this is mostly just poetry.  But if you want to see the type of poetry I do then here’s the video!

The video is awesome.  There are people laughing and groaning, and there’s a poem about a Roomba, and a humor piece about a heterosexual unicorn, and a sad thing about crows, and something about Laika (the first dog in space), and this thing based on this Noam Chomsky quote about green ideas dreaming furiously.  OH YEAH THERE’S A POEM ABOUT MY LITTLE PONY!

Introduction by Caron Tate (0:00)

Humor List
Uncovering a Unicorn Mare’s Nightmare: Signs Your Son Is Only Attracted to the Opposite Sex (1:11)

Poetry
The Art of Being Expendable: An Instruction Guide (3:33)
Crow Parenting (5:11)
The Roomba Suicide (6:05)
Best Pony (8:00)
How to Treat Your Ideas (13:40)