Hi, I’m Sabrina.
I’m a former Washington Post editor, award-winning journalist, mom, and (very) former collegiate lacrosse player. Some of you might remember me from my old blog. I’ve carved out space online in different ways over the years, and I’m grateful you’re here for this next chapter.
“Is This Thing On?” is a free newsletter with recorded audio that’s emailed to subscribers as soon as I post. If you haven’t already, you can subscribe here:
My newsletter is a mix of my unfiltered observations and reflections on life, my personal experiences. memories, and motherhood. I’m always trying to make sense of fleeting moments and untangle stories and beliefs and my writing reflects that.
In addition to my newsletter, I also write poetry under a section titled “Poison and Prayer,” which is all about love, betrayal, and rising from the wreckage. While my newsletters are free, “Poison and Prayer” is only accessible to users who have subscribed to a paid plan. If you’d like to support my work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for as little as $5 a month.
These days, I’m likely to be found at my kids’ ‘sportsball’ games—on a court or field somewhere. I’m always wrangling someone, and my kids are still at the ages where I follow behind while they’re on bikes, and stash bandages in every room. They can do a lot on their own now, too. Like, get themselves ready for school (sometimes with coaxing), set the dinner table, tie their shoes, and talk back. I’m still in the thick of it, but in different ways than I was when they were toddlers and babies.
When I’m not doing all the seen and unseen work that mothers do (checklists, laundry, school, playdates, planning, remembering, etc.) I’m analyzing geopolitical trends or scribbling thoughts (and sometimes drawings) on motherhood and life and job hunting (the market is very bleak right now) now that I’m done with grad school. I recently completed my master’s degree in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, with a side of Women’s and Gender Studies so, reviving my grad-school-era podcast, Qalam & Culture is on my someday list—along with completing the two novel manuscripts I have scattered across 40 Word documents, 10 notebooks, and at least a few group chats.
Pull up a chair, new friends and old, and please read the disclaimer below.
I’m so glad you’re here.
XO, Sabrina
Disclaimer: All the writing on this Substack weaves together memory, fact, and imaginative reconstruction. Names and identifying details have been altered, compressed, or invented for narrative clarity. All stories reflect the author’s personal recollections and opinions and should not be taken as a definitive statement of fact about any real individual.
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