My Reading Life: Liquid writer Mariam Rahmani on the books that shaped her

My Reading Life: Liquid writer Mariam Rahmani on the books that shaped her

Mariam Rahmani, the author of Liquid: A Love Story, is a writer and translator whose work has appeared in Granta, Gulf Coast, n+1, and more. Her first book-length translation was named a Best Book of 2022 by The New Yorker. Rahmani holds a PhD from UCLA, an MFA from Columbia, and degrees from Princeton and Oxford. She currently teaches at Bennington College.

Her debut novel follows an unnamed Iranian-Indian American narrator who, after struggling to find stability post-PhD, embarks on a meticulously planned mission to “marry rich.” What begins as a whirlwind of absurd and revealing dates across Los Angeles shifts when a family tragedy forces her to confront the contradictions in her life—and question whether the person she’s searching for has been there all along.

Below, the author answered our My Reading Life questionnaire, sharing the books that shaped her, the stories that make her laugh, and what’s currently on her nightstand.

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Read an excerpt from Confessions by Catherine Airey

Read an excerpt from Confessions by Catherine Airey

The following is from Catherine Airey‘s Confessions. Airey grew up in England in a family of mixed Irish and English descent. She studied English at Cambridge and now lives in County Cork. The debut is a spellbinding novel that follows three generations of women from New York to rural Ireland and back again. It is now available for purchase in bookstores everywhere.

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My Reading Life: Softie author Megan Howell is a Toni Morrison stan

My Reading Life: Softie author Megan Howell is a Toni Morrison stan

Megan Howell‘s debut collection Softie is filled with fantastical stories that both have a sheen to them and a gloom hanging over them. She balances melancholy and the preposterous extremely well. Howell’s website says she “writes stories for sad ppl” — and this collection proves it.

We wanted to get some recommendations from the writer and see what books shaped her childhood, got her through puberty, and helped her write this book. Welcome to the new, recurring My Reading Life questionnaire.

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Announcing the 2025 Poets & Writers Get the Word Out Fiction Cohort

Announcing the 2025 Poets & Writers Get the Word Out Fiction Cohort

Poets & Writers has announced the 2025 fiction cohort for Get the Word Out, a publicity incubator for early career writers. The program gives selected writers an opportunity to work with an experienced book publicist who will guide them in leveraging the opportunity presented by their first or second major book publication.

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