Long before I knew the alphabet, I wanted to write. I still have childhood journals filled with wavy lines—my earliest attempts to put stories on a page before I had the words to tell them.

I have always believed that stories connect us to one another’s humanity. They help us recognize ourselves in lives that may look very different from our own, and they remind us that beneath all the labels we carry are experiences of love, loss, longing, hope, and belonging.

Writing, for me, is a way of paying attention—to memory, to what has been left unsaid, and to the moments that shape who we become.

We all carry stories. What is yours?

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On Sale Now

A woman with short gray hair, dark red lipstick, and gold earrings and bracelet, standing indoors near a window with green trees outside. She is wearing a brown, glittery top and holding a 2023 Writers Studio Annual Collection magazine.
Cover of the book 'Letters to Lilly' by Alexian Wines and Melissa Cohen, featuring a red background with an envelope and a heart, and the subtitle 'Lessons in Leadership & Loving Yourself'.
A book titled 'The Called Women Who Throwaway' by Shama Shams is placed on a wooden surface, partially covering a collage of various magazine covers and flyers, including a prominent circular sticker that reads 'WINNER INDEPENDENT AUTHOR AWARDS SINCE 2024'.

BARN’s 2025 Writers’ Studio Collection

Letters to Lilly (Lessons in Leadership & Loving Yourself)

Literary Global Award

Colorful cartoon illustration of chaotic, vicious circus scene with various aggressive animals and clowns, including a lion, a clown in a striped suit, and a dog, engaging in violent and destructive activities.

Shama’s writings are published in the following magazines:

She was a finalist for the Black Warrior Review

The Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference hosted by the University of North Texas selected four of her essays.