January 2026 Updates
Happy January! I hope you are all doing alright. My monthly updates are below.
- I have two new poems and a short screenplay available to read. You can read my poem “Time” here and my poem “The Monster in the Book” here. My short screenplay “The Cat in the Library” can be found here.
- I continued work on the new short story I spoke of last time, and it’s been fun moving the plot forward.
Thank you for stopping by! You are welcome to share your writing updates in the comments. This month, I encourage you to support the LUCE Immigrant Network of MA, which operates an ICE watch and hotline, and the Rohingya Community Partners’ emergency fundraising campaign to support families who lost their shelters in a fire in Bangladesh. I also encourage you to support Reviving Gaza, a mutual aid network providing aid to people in Gaza. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.
Poem: The Monster in the Book
I told my sister one day
I saw a monster coming out of that book
She cackled at me, saying,
“Kiran, that’s just your imagination”
And sped away, leaving me with the monster
So I sat and stared at the beast
At its brown, curvy antlers
And sparkling blue fur
And I couldn’t help but wonder
Whose monster was it really?
The book’s, right?
I let that answer twist inside me
Tug at my stomach
It didn’t settle
The author’s then?
Perhaps
But
Another response already curled under my tongue
Sat in my veins, vibrated against my chest
I knew whose monster it was
I had already known whose it was
For it was the person here,
Staring at the creature,
Grasping the book
Me
Screenplay: The Cat in the Library
INT. BUCHTTON HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY- MORNING
The scene opens in a library bustling with students reading, mingling, chatting, and laughing.
A girl, VENICE, slumps at a lone desk with glazed eyes and hands gripping a fantasy book. Sighing, her attention wanders to the bookshelves.
An amber tail tip flashes out from behind a stack. Venice jolts to her feet with a gasp. She dashes toward the aisle, abandoning her book. A couple of the other students frown, but then they shrug and continue their conversations.
INT. BEHIND THE BOOKSHELF - A FEW SECONDS LATER
As Venice tiptoes behind the bookshelf, the shadows extend and the aisle elongates. The voices of the other students dim.
Venice pauses, peering at the towering masses of books. A meow startles her.
A few feet away, the cat gazes up at her before padding down the aisle.
Eyes narrowing, Venice follows.
After some time, the cat stops beside a shelf and paws at a book.
Venice kneels and carefully tugs the book out. She holds the novel out to the cat.
The cat tilts its head, turning its amber gaze to her.
Venice sighs and begins sliding the book back onto the shelf. The cat yelps.
She freezes and then draws the book out. As she opens the tome, light bursts across the room.
EXT. GRASSY FIELD- DAY
Venice now stands in a grassy field, clutching the open book to her trembling chest.
A few feet away, the cat beckons her with its tail before slinking off deeper into the meadow. Only the cat’s tail tip is visible through the fronds of grass. Still shaking, Venice follows.
They haven’t gone far before a roar shatters the air. Ten feet away, a large, green-furred beast lunges toward them.
Venice screeches and falls to the ground. The book tumbles from her hands. The creature stampedes toward them, but just before it reaches them, the book falls shut, and a blinding light grasps the air.
INT. BEHIND THE BOOKSHELF- A SECOND LATER
Panting, Venice stares wide-eyed at the closed book inches from her feet. The cat licks its paw.
Venice shoves the book back onto the shelf. The cat stares at her and flicks his tail at another book on a lower shelf. With a shaky hand, Venice kneels and retrieves the book. Light once again fills the room.
INT. COFFEE SHOP- MORNING
Venice and the cat now stand inside a bustling coffee shop. Still trembling, Venice peers at the people shifting around her. They barely acknowledge her and the cat’s presence.
The cat nudges her toward the line, and Venice steps forward. A middle-aged woman smiles at her, allowing Venice to take her spot. However, Venice shakes her head and stands at the back.
Outside the window, a man and woman walk hand in hand. They step into the shop, and a bell softly rings.
WOMAN
You are going to love this place.
MAN
Not as much as I love being with you.
The couple chuckles as Venice watches. She glances at the cat, and the cat’s tail points to the book in her hand.
Smiling faintly, Venice closes the book.
MONTAGE:
Venice and the cat sit in the back of a courtroom watching a hearing unfold with intent eyes.
Shifts to Venice and the cat on a sinking cruise ship. Venice clutches the ship’s railing with one hand and flings the book closed in the other.
Venice is now racing through a jungle undergrowth as a roar sounds in the distance. The cat scampers at her feet, and she clutches the open book to her chest.
Transitions to Venice at a summer camp bonfire, clapping along to a song with the book and cat beside her.
The scenes continue shifting between genres from sci-fi to horror to fantasy to comedy. Each scene stars Venice, the cat, and the book as background characters; however, Venice’s outline fades more and more as the scenes transition. Soon, only her faint outline alone is visible.
INT. LIBRARY- MORNING
Venice’s outline now stands in the back of the library. Time and people whiz by while her silhouette grows fainter. Other students mill around her, some even passing through her.
Just as Venice begins to disappear, a meow pierces the silence. The cat sits at the edge of the bookshelves.
Venice meets the cat’s gaze, her outline slowly solidifying. She approaches the creature. With each step, her figure grows in transparency until she is fully visible. Time returns to its normal pace.
At last, Venice arrives before the cat. She kneels, and the cat nuzzles her hand.
VENICE
Thank you.
The cat purrs in response.
Poem: Time
It’s cruel, Time
How it glistens in the edges of photos
How it lurks in faded smiles
And stains youthful grins
It’s agonizing, Time
How I can see the laughs
Glimpse the embraces, the touches, the nods
But, cannot hear them, feel them
Time, I had an older brother once
We were children once
Giggling beside the lake
I can see our pasts laid out in frayed photographs
But never again will I hear his voice
Calling, “Mickey, I’m home”
December 2025 Updates
Hi, everyone! I hope you had a great December! I can’t believe it’s officially been a year since I first started doing these monthly updates. These updates have helped keep me accountable when it comes to my writing. This month’s updates are below.
- I worked a little more on a new short story I started. The short story revolves around three siblings and their encounter with a mysterious owl.
- I also continued my work on a new screenplay that stars a snake and a rabbit debating over a well.
Thank you for sticking with me this past year! I wish you all the best in the new year. You are welcome, as always, to share your writing updates in the comments. This month, I encourage you to support the Barana Hanabneiho Organisation, a youth-led Sudanese organization that provides food, shelter, and education in underprivileged areas of Sudan. I also encourage you to support the Uyghur Wellness Initiative, which provides safe spaces for Uyghur communities, and the “We Got This” program, which is a Milwaukee-based community garden. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.
November 2025 Updates
Hello, everyone! I hope November treated you well. I have posted my updates for this month below.
- I started a new short story exploring some characters I haven’t worked with in a while, and it’s been nice returning to them.
- I worked more on the short screenplay I’ve been talking about, and it’s been fun trying to work out the dialogue.
That’s all for this month! I can’t believe it’ll be a year since I started doing these updates next month. Thank you for sticking with me! You are welcome to share your writing updates in the comments. This month, I am once again encouraging you to donate to Khartoum Kitchen, which is directly running 12 kitchens in the Khartoum area in Sudan, and to follow Saroyah’s Twitter list for updates on the humanitarian crisis. I also encourage you to give to the Western Alaska Disaster Relief Fund, which is supporting Western Alaskan communities following devastating typhoons and storms in October. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.
October 2025 Updates
Hi, everyone! Happy October and almost-Halloween! I hope your month went well. My updates are below.
- I worked more on the new short screenplay that I talked about last month. It’s been fun varying up my style.
- I started a new poem with a character that I haven’t worked with in a long time, so it’s fun returning to her.
Thank you for checking out my updates! Feel free to share your writing updates in the comments. This month, I encourage you to support The Needle of Hope, which raises money for Omar to tailor clothes for children in Gaza, the Sudan Solidarity Collective, which is raising money to support food distribution in El Fashir, and the Ohketeau Cultural Center, which is a Native-led cultural center that supports Indigenous people in Central and Western Massachusetts. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.
September 2025 Updates
Hi, everyone! I hope you had a good September! My updates for this month are below.
- I wrote another poem. It was one that I had started a while ago, but only found new inspiration for recently, so I completely rewrote it and altered its themes. It’s definitely a sadder poem, but I had a good time touching on a character that I had originally created for a novel I outlined back in high school.
- I also started writing a new short screenplay that involves a rabbit and a snake. It’s funny how rabbits always seem to show up in my animal pieces. 🐰
Thank you for stopping by, and as always, you are welcome to share your writing updates in the comments. This month, I encourage you to support AIDESEP, an organization in Peru that supports the rights of Indigenous peoples along the Amazon. It appears that you need a Peruvian identification number to support them financially through their website, but you can follow their social media accounts for more information about their actions. I also encourage you to support On the Rise, a Massachusetts community and Safe Haven for women, transgender, and nonbinary people moving through homelessness, and to follow Refugees in Niger, which brings attention to the Black African refugees protesting the neglect and human rights abuses they are facing in Agadiz. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.
August 2025 Updates
Hi, everyone! It looks like I’m back to doing these updates last minute lol! Anyways, my writing updates for this month are below.
- I finally finished editing my short screenplay about the cat! So it joins the long list of completed writings I have yet to publish online…
- I wrote a couple more very short pieces based on some prompts. It’s been fun just forcing myself to write and examine different topics.
That’s all for August! I welcome any of your writing updates in the comments! This month, I encourage you to check out the National Black Food & Justice Alliance, a coalition supporting Black self-determination and food sovereignty in the US. Additionally, The Okra Project is a mutual aid collective supporting Black Trans folks through food and housing security and mental health support. I also urge you to support the Rohingya Community Partners’ fundraiser to run a training program for Rohingya refugee youth and girls. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.
July 2025 Updates
Hello, everyone! Why does time keep going by so fast? It doesn’t feel like it’s been a month since I did my June updates. Anyways, here are my updates for this month:
- I finished my poem about Kiran and hopefully that will be up sometime soon, along with all the other things I’ve written and need to post…
- I also did more editing on my short screenplay about the cat. I’m hoping to finish editing it by my next update!
Thank you for stopping by! I would love to hear your writing updates in the comments! This month, I urge you to support USCPR’s Water Is Life Gaza campaign, which is a Palestinian-led project that delivers clean water to families displaced by Israel’s ongoing genocide. I also encourage you to support Refugees in Libya, an organization advocating for refugees throughout North Africa and Europe. Finally, please support the Massachusetts Bail Fund, which is an abolitionist direct service organization that pays bail for those who cannot afford it. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.
June 2025 Updates
Happy June! I hope you are all well. My writing updates for this month are below.
- I’ve been struggling a little bit the last few months to feel motivated to write, but recently I’ve been doing drabbles for some prompts, and that’s been fun.
- I’m almost done editing my short screenplay about the cat in the library and my poem about Kiran. Hopefully, I’ll be posting both of those in the coming months.
That’s all for June! You are welcome to share your writing updates in the comments. This month, I encourage you to donate to the Sameer Project, a Palestinian initiative working to provide medical aid, supplies, and food in Gaza. Also, please check out ‘Āina Momona, a community organization working toward environmental health, social justice, and Hawaiian sovereignty. Thirdly, Hope Relief and Rehabilitation is a Sudanese organization supporting people with disabilities, particularly in the Nuba Mountains, where famine has been declared. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.
May 2025 Updates
Well, time has definitely gotten away from me, but hopefully I can get this out in time for the last day of May, at least for my time zone! My updates for May are below.
- I continued editing the short screenplay about the cat in the library. It’s coming around nicely and it’s nice trying out a different style than I’m used to.
- I have also continued writing a new poem that grapples with imagination and reading. It’s been a fun time!
Thank you for stopping by this month! Please feel free to leave your writing updates for May below. This month, if you live in the US, I encourage you to contact your congresspeople to urge action regarding the ongoing forced famine in Gaza here and to advocate against cutting SNAP here. Please also review Saroyah’s Twitter list here for updated information regarding the continuing humanitarian crisis in Sudan. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.
April 2025 Updates
This month definitely felt a bit longer than previous months even though it’s only a 30-day one. I hope you are all hanging in there. I have pasted my updates below.
- I worked more on the cat screenplay, and I started a new poem about Kiran and her sister Sora. You might recognize them from previous stories I’ve written.
- I also created a Neocities site and a Wix blog that you can find linked in my Carrd.
Thank you for checking out my update and please feel welcome to share your own writing updates in the comments! This month, I encourage you to support the Basandja Coalition, which lifts the voices of Indigenous and local communities in the Congo Basin, and FiveforFive, a collective fund for trans women in the UK. Also, please check out AILA’s immigration advocacy resources. For more resources and organizations to support, please look here.