Noshing With Michael Issac Shokrian – May 21, 2026

Author, American Playground

Editor, The Thieving Magpie

This week on “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with Michael Issac Shokrian, author of the acclaimed novel American Playground and editor of The Thieving Magpie. In this engaging and deeply personal conversation, Michael shares his remarkable journey from immigrating to Los Angeles in the 1970s to discovering a lifelong love of literature, eventually pursuing law school in his 30s while balancing the responsibilities of family life and then a full-time legal career.

Michael discusses how he carved out “four billable hours a day” (with agreement from his wife) to pursue his passion for writing, and how those efforts evolved into American Playground—a powerful literary exploration of identity, belonging and the immigrant experience in America. He reveals how the novel began as three interconnected short stories—“Recess,” “Beaner Boy,” and “Bike”—each tied together through recurring narrators, themes and characters before eventually becoming a fully realized novel.

The conversation explores the meaning behind the book’s title and the “playground” metaphor as a reflection of learning how to navigate American culture while remaining true to yourself. Michael also discusses the influence of his Persian and Persian Jewish heritage, the use of Farsi throughout the novel, and the importance of crafting what he calls an “earned ending.”

In addition, Michael shares the fascinating story behind launching The Thieving Magpie, originally intended as a platform for his own writing before it quickly became a home for submissions from writers around the world. He also reflects on the best rejection letter he ever received—and how rejection can sometimes become motivation.

This episode is a thoughtful conversation about storytelling, perseverance, cultural identity, reinvention and the creative process behind building meaningful fiction.

ABOUT MICHAEL:

Michael Isaac Shokrian is an Iranian-Jewish writer born in Hamburg, Germany and raised in Los Angeles by way of Tehran. With little knowledge of the English language or American culture, Michael became a self-taught American via terrestrial radio and TV. He began writing at UCLA and as he honed his poetic flair in his adopted language, a theme emerged: the voice, perspective and humor of the Outsider and the struggle of marginalized characters to find authenticity and identity. 

Michael’s work introduces readers to the multi-layered world of Iranians in America and their effort to find their place in America through hard compromises, small triumphs and poignant defeats. Always a dedicated and self-reliant writer, Michael kept his literary aspirations alive by working in newsrooms, restaurants and warehouses. He has been a private investigator, rug merchant, delivery driver, P.R. executive, news editor, line cook, waiter and more. In his 30s, he entered law school and eventually set up a solo practice in the Los Angeles suburb of Studio City. 

Despite commitments as a husband, father, lawyer and aspiring writer, Michael launched a non-profit online literary quarterly, The Thieving Magpie, in 2017 – his effort to create a literary community and platform for established, emerging and underrepresented voices. Michael’s previous work has been in short fiction, poetry and essays. His short story, “Asphalt Like Moderns,” won the Best Fiction prize in the 20th Anniversary Issue of American Literary Review.

American Playground is Michael’s first novel.

Michael Isaac Shokrian          Website

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The Thieving Magpie             Website