I’ve had many changes and ups and downs in my life, but one thing that has always remained constant has been my love for books. Whether reading them, writing them, or even thinking about them, books have always been a big part of my life. As the daughter of a chemistry professor and a biologist, I grew up in a family that valued education and reading. Every shelf and table space was covered with textbooks, research papers, almanacs, newspapers, and nonfiction books. As a child, I would often flip through my father’s books as he graded exams and lab reports, trying to sound out the words and familiarize myself with them even though I didn’t yet understand what they meant. I’d also read and re-read my copies of Little Bear, Judy Moody, and Dear America books until they started falling apart. On top of this, I had limitless imagination and loved to create different worlds and characters. This often involved scribbling ideas down in my Dora the Explorer notebook and having my dolls act out the scenes in dramatic Bollywood-style fashion. Storytelling was my favorite pastime because there was always a new tale to explore.
The first original poem I ever wrote was for my language arts class in second grade: a free-verse poem about nighttime, with a hand-drawn illustration of a sleepy girl and a moonlit window at the top of the page. After turning in my poem, my teacher, Ms. Emmond, pulled me aside to tell me that she loved my poem and asked if she could share it with the class. I remember how, like a public reading of an author’s latest work, she carefully read my poem to the entire class and asked me questions about my inspirations and word choice. The memory of her reading my line about falling asleep “in a bed sheet heap” and asking me about its meaning is something I cherish to this day.
My love for language continued into my middle school and high school years. As a teen who faced severe bullying and later developed anxiety and depression, reading and writing became a source of comfort and a way for me to reflect on my experiences and the world around me. In the school library, I would immerse myself in different books and genres, including children’s fantasy like The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani, YA historical fiction such as Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, literary fiction like A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, as well as Japanese manga and graphic novels. These books introduced me to diverse, complex characters and empowered me to develop my own unique perspectives and creative styles.
This lifelong passion for literature and writing led me to major in English Language and Literature and concentrate in Creative Writing at Smith College. During my senior year at Smith, I pursued a Special Studies project where I wrote a YA historical fiction on the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, combining my interests in global history and diverse storytelling. I am grateful and excited to work with Sundress Publications and support its mission to champion traditionally underrepresented writers.
Tara Rahman (she/her) is a Sundress editorial intern with a BA in English Language and Literature from Smith College and an MSc in Global Development from SOAS, University of London. She is also a recent graduate of the Columbia Publishing Course in Oxford, UK. With a strong interest in culture, identity, and global history, her personal writing often focuses on intersectionality and the untold stories and experiences of marginalized communities. In her free time, she enjoys reading literary and YA fiction, watching anime, and spending time with her tripod cat, Tuntuni.
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