Tina Shah

Finding Nima Tina Shah

I have been writing since I was five - little articles, poems, short stories. For me, writing is cathartic.. It offers me a chance to escape the trappings of my body and my environment. Writing much like watching movies or listening to music has been my best friend growing up. When I was upset or looking to decompress in high school or college, I would pick up a pen or my headphones before picking up a phone. Writing is my expression, watching movies is my escape, and listening to music is like calling on a friend who understands exactly what I need to hear and what emotions I need to evoke in that exact moment. Is it a melancholy "The Sound of Silence" kind of day? Is it time to pretend I am the ordinary girl that magically bags the hot football quarterback like Molly Ringwald in "Pretty in Pink"? Movies, music, and writing are my constant companions that continue to soothe, encourage and commiserate with me even as an adult woman. Finding Nima is an homage to my love for the movies - some of my favorites here but it is also an acknowledgement of the journeys that I have seen in my own life and lives observed and imagined. This collection of vignettes peeks into journeys - literally (on a plane, in a car) and figuratively (maturing, learning, growing). Much like life (and the movies), the journey is often just as satisfying as the destination or the journey takes you somewhere you would never imagine in a million years.