Daastan aims to help writers monetize their work and earn through their literary talents. Through this platform, Maham Shah released her first book that talks about her mental health journey; from her battles with depression to her journey of self-awareness. Our Marketing director, Samin Alam conducted a live session with Maham to have an open discussion about her book and her publishing journey. Maham also recited a heartfelt excerpt from her poetry.
About Maham Shah
Maham got her bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University Of Punjab in 2019. She is currently doing her MPhil in education, leadership and management from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). She works part time as a writer for a women centric global platform. Keeping in mind Maham’s sociological background, she particularly enjoys writing content that has a positive impact on society. Particularly about social issues that need awareness.
My Therapist Tells Me Not To Ruminate: an insight to the poetry collection
In conversation with Samin, Maham talks about how the title of the book is quite literally what the title is. She discusses the difficulties she has had trying to not overthink and how it has almost always been impossible to refrain from it. ‘I just wanted to paint a picture for my ruminations.’ Maham explains to the viewers the thought process behind the book. On being asked what/who her inspiration was, she answers that the inspiration came from the feeling of not being heard.
Social Media as a tool for aspiring writers
Maham Shah shared the struggles that writers face commonly and talk about how social media provides a platform to start one’s writing career. Maham clarified how she started small through her Instagram page. She started off by posting anecdotes from time to time. After a while of writing on social media, she thought she had gathered enough encouragement and content to finally publish.
The struggles faced in order to finally be able to publish
Maham further talked about how at times she would feel so discouraged that she was unable to put her thoughts to paper. However, she did not give up and tried endlessly to get where she is today. She also felt that a major reason for her continuing down the path was the constant support and encouragement from her editor Summaiya at Daastan. Maham also discusses her journey of self-publishing with Daastan; raising her concerns about the dangers of plagiarism and how Daastan walked her through each step of the way.
Maham concluded the live session with a breath-taking recital of a few poems from her collection. To get a glimpse of her poems and check out the beautiful recital, head over to Daastan’s Instagram page! Moreover, to read the complete collection of her poems, click here to buy the book from Qissa.