Past Forward

When the civil war in Somalia began, Abdi Nor Iftin was five; he attended a madrassa while providing for his family. Amidst the daily shelling and the famine, Abdi had one escape: American movies and music. He learned of America, and taught himself English, and began to dream of a life in the United States. 

In Call Me American, Abdi recounts his harrowing, extraordinary, and uplifting story. His love of western culture and music earned him the name “Abdi American.” This became a liability when Islamic extremism took hold of Somalia. Evading conscription by al-Shabaab while secretly filing stories for NPR under penalty of death, he stayed in Somalia until he had no choice but to flee to Kenyan. And then, a stroke of incredible luck: he won the Diversity Visa Lottery. Now a proud and legal resident of Maine and on the path to citizenship this year, Abdi will become one of us.

Call Me American
Knopf, June 2018

A World Without Books was created to help writers connect with readers during the pandemic. This Micro-Podcast provides authors a platform to share stories about writing, discuss current projects, and consider life without books. Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you podcast.

Without Books®, a division of Heritage Future, is an author-centric book initiative. Our resources support authors. We also provide access to millions of books.

Kirsten Imani Kasai is the author of The House of Erzulie (Shade Mountain Press, 2018), Ice Song (2009), and Tattoo (Random House, 2011). According to Foreword Reviews, “Kirsten makes the macabre beautiful.” She teaches creative writing and literature at San Diego State University and Southern New Hampshire University.

The House of Erzulie
Shade Mountain Press, 2018

A World Without Books was created to help writers connect with readers during the pandemic. This Micro-Podcast provides authors a platform to share stories about writing, discuss current projects, and consider life without books. Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you podcast.

Without Books®, a division of Heritage Future, is an author-centric book initiative. Our resources support authors. We also provide access to millions of books.

Aimee Liu is the author of the new novel Glorious Boy. Her other books include the novels Flash House, Cloud Mountain, and Face and the memoirs Gaining: The Truth About Life After Eating Disorders and Solitaire. She holds an MFA from Bennington College and teaches in Goddard College’s MFA in Creative Writing Program at Port Townsend, WA.

Glorious Boy
Red Hen Press, 2020

A World Without Books was created to help writers connect with readers during the pandemic. This Micro-Podcast provides authors a platform to share stories about writing, discuss current projects, and consider life without books. Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you podcast.

Without Books®, a division of Heritage Future, is an author-centric book initiative. Our resources support authors. We also provide access to millions of books.

Yi Shun Lai is the author of Not a Self-Help Book: The Misadventures of Marty Wu (2016) and Pin Ups (2020). Adjunct faculty at Bay Path University and Southern New Hampshire University's MFA programs. Columnist, The Writer magazine.

Pin Ups
Homebound Publications, 2020

A World Without Books was created to help writers connect with readers during the pandemic. This Micro-Podcast provides authors a platform to share stories about writing, discuss current projects, and consider life without books. Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you podcast.

Without Books®, a division of Heritage Future, is an author-centric book initiative. Our resources support authors. We also provide access to millions of books.

Amy Shearn is the author of the novels How Far Is the Ocean from Here, The Mermaid of Brooklyn, and Unseen City. She works as an editor, and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, and elsewhere. Amy lives in New York City with her two children.

Unseen City
Red Hen Press, 2020

A World Without Books was created to help writers connect with readers during the pandemic. This Micro-Podcast provides authors a platform to share stories about writing, discuss current projects, and consider life without books. Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you podcast.

Without Books®, a division of Heritage Future, is an author-centric book initiative. Our resources support authors. We also provide access to millions of books.

Ellen Meeropol is the author of the novels Her Sister’s Tattoo, Kinship Of Clover, On Hurricane Island, and House Arrest. Recent short fiction and essays are in Solstice Magazine, Lit Hub, Ms Magazine, and Lilith. She grew up in the D.C. area and lives in Western Massachusetts.

Her Sister’s Tattoo
Red Hen Press, 2020

A World Without Books was created to help writers connect with readers during the pandemic. This Micro-Podcast provides authors a platform to share stories about writing, discuss current projects, and consider life without books. Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you podcast.

Without Books®, a division of Heritage Future, is an author-centric book initiative. Our resources support authors. We also provide access to millions of books.

Lara Ehrlich is the author of the short story collection Animal Wife (Red Hen Press, Sept 2020), which won Red Hen’s Fiction Award, judged by Ann Hood. Lara lives in Connecticut with her husband and daughter.

Animal Wife
Red Hen Press, 2020

A World Without Books was created to help writers connect with readers during the pandemic. This Micro-Podcast provides authors a platform to share stories about writing, discuss current projects, and consider life without books. Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you podcast.

Without Books®, a division of Heritage Future, is an author-centric book initiative. Our resources support authors. We also provide access to millions of books.

Donna Hemans is the author of two novels: River Woman and Tea by the Sea. Her work has appeared in Electric Literature, Ms. Magazine, Crab Orchard Review, among others. She lives in Maryland and owns the DC Writers Room, a co-working studio for writers.

Tea By the Sea
Red Hen Press, 2020

A World Without Books was created to help writers connect with readers during the pandemic. This Micro-Podcast provides authors a platform to share stories about writing, discuss current projects, and consider life without books. Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you podcast.

Without Books®, a division of Heritage Future, is an author-centric book initiative. Our resources support authors. We also provide access to millions of books.

Sasha Abramsky is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared over the past twenty-five years in major newspapers and magazines in the United States and United Kingdom. These include the Nation, the Atlantic, the New Yorker online, Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, the New York Times, the Guardian, the Independent, the Observer, and the New Statesman. Little Wonder is Abramsky’s ninth book. He teaches writing part-time at the University of California, Davis, and lives in Sacramento with his wife and two children.

Little Wonder: The Fabulous Story of Lottie Dod, the World’s First Female Sports Superstar
Akashic Books, 2020

A World Without Books was created to help writers connect with readers during the pandemic. This Micro-Podcast provides authors a platform to share stories about writing, discuss current projects, and consider life without books. Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you podcast.

Without Books®, a division of Heritage Future, is an author-centric book initiative. Our resources support authors. We also provide access to millions of books.

Chelsea Catherine is a native Vermonter living in St. Petersburg, FL. Most recently, she won the Mary C Mohr nonfiction award through the Southern Indiana Review and her book, "Summer of the Cicadas," won the Quill Prose Award through Red Hen Press, set for publication in 2020. 

Summer of the Cicadas
Red Hen Press, 2020

A World Without Books was created to help writers connect with readers during the pandemic. This Micro-Podcast provides authors a platform to share stories about writing, discuss current projects, and consider life without books. Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you podcast.

Without Books®, a division of Heritage Future, is an author-centric book initiative. Our resources support authors. We also provide access to millions of books.