.png)
Indie Author Spotlight, Episode 30
- Jennifer Martin
- 14 hours ago
- 4 min read
Hello! Jennifer Martin here! I'm a budding short story writer and a new volunteer at The Writer's Workout as well as a recent graduate. I have learned that breaking into the literary world can be daunting feat and so I am taking every opportunity to meet new and interesting people in the literary community, like today's guest Michael Isaac Shokrian.
As a writer and editor, Michael Isaac Shokrian cannot keep himself away from the literary world. From running his own literary magazine, publishing his novels, and working a full-time job, Michael is an inspiration to the busy writers out there. Make sure to check out his website and socials, which are linked below, so you don't miss out on any of his future work. I was very pleased with the opportunity to meet Michael. I know you will be too.
Hi Michael! Thanks so much for meeting with me today. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am an Iranian-Jewish writer. I was born in Hamburg Germany, and lived the first six years of my life in Tehran, Iran where my family lived. In December 1970 we all moved to Los Angeles and I grew up in LA, went to public schools there and attended UCLA. I began writing in earnest as a freshman at UCLA, where I got my degree in English Lit and creative writing. My parents were not pleased that I chose writing as a career and we had many conflicts as a result. After graduating from UCLA, I moved to San Francisco, where I worked and attended SFSU. I received my MA in creative writing at SFSU, then continued living in SF for years, working odd jobs and trying to succeed as a writer. At age 31, after receiving MANY rejections from many literary magazines and not having much success as a published writer, I applied to law school and attended Tulane Law School in New Orleans. After passing the California bar exam, I moved back to Los Angeles where I got a job as a lawyer, got married, started to raise a family and slowly went out of my mind. I had some serious talks with my wife and we decided I should get back to writing. After that I split time writing, running my solo law practice, and helping to raise our three young boys. In 2009 my short story “Asphalt Like Moderns” won first prize in American Literary Review’s 20th Anniversary fiction contest. In 2017, I started “the Thieving Magpie” [www.thievingmagpie.org] a digital literary quarterly that offered a platform for writers, poets, artists and photographers. It is a 501c3 nonprofit and I run it mostly by myself in my spare time. In 2025, the Thieving Magpie published my debut novel “American Playground” which is a literary fictionalized story about my own first 5 years in Los Angeles in the early 70s. I am now working on my next novel and still publishing the Thieving Magpie.
Tell us about your writing style.
I write literary fiction: short stories, novellas and novels, for adults. My mentors are/were John Fante, Charles Bukowski, Marguerite Duras, Flannery O’Connor, Celine, Henry Miller and Sherwood Anderson.
Tell us about a project you’re proud of and link it.
I am proud of my novel American Playground which is a hilarious and heartwarming retelling of my arrival in Los Angeles in January 1971 at the start of 2nd semester of 2nd grade. The main character is 7-yr old Mishel Manoucherian, who only knows 7 words of English and who spends the next four years learning the language, vernacular, unwritten rules and hierarchy of the playground en route to becoming American.
Spill the tea, what are you currently working on?
Not exactly a “follow up” to American Playground and I don’t want to spill too much, but it is about a rug merchant in 70’s Los Angeles who is in love with his boss’s wife.
What is your biggest/best piece of advice for other Indie Authors?
Don’t count on big agencies, publishers or government grants to bail you out – they will all disappoint you. Don’t quit your day job either. Work hard, commit to spending a dedicated amount of time each day on your writing and finish the job. Look for, and participate in the Indie Author/Publisher communities. Your work will find its way out in the world. As the song says “you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime you’ll find you get what you need.”
Who is your favorite Indie Author?
I read a lot of literary magazines and have found many great writers. Right now, because of the hundreds of submissions I read each season for the Thieving Magpie, I am not sure who my favorite is. I do enjoy Ottessa Moshfegh – though I’m not sure she’s “indie” anymore – and I used to enjoy reading the stories of Jesse Ball and Sam Lipsyte. Currently, I am reading (re-reading) Pride & Prejudice and the Complete Short Stories of Bernard Malamud.
Where can someone find your work, social presence, etc. drop some links.
I am also on instagram, bluesky, facebook and substack under both “the Thieving Magpie” and “Michael Isaac Shokrian”
If you want to know more about Michael Isaac Shokrian, check out his 2nd interview over on The Writer's Workout Substack - https://writersworkout.substack.com/p/michael-isaac-shokrian-second-interview
Interested in being interviewed for one of our Indie Author Spotlights? Click here to contact us!
Comments