This week on “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with Michael Issac Shokrian, author of the acclaimed novel "American Playground" and editor of "The Thieving Magpie." In this engaging and deeply personal conversation, Michael shares his remarkable journey from immigrating to Los Angeles in the 1970s to discovering a lifelong love of literature, eventually pursuing law school in his 30s while balancing the responsibilities of family life and then a full-time legal career.
Michael discusses how he carved out “four billable hours a day” (with agreement from his wife) to pursue his passion for writing, and how those efforts evolved into American Playground—a powerful literary exploration of identity, belonging and the immigrant ex-perience in America. He reveals how the novel began as three interconnected short stories—“Recess,” “Beaner Boy,” and “Bike”—each tied together through recurring narrators, themes and characters before eventually becoming a fully realized novel.
The conversation explores the meaning behind the book’s title and the “playground” metaphor as a reflection of learning how to navigate American culture while remaining true to yourself. Michael also discusses the influence of his Persian and Persian Jewish heritage, the use of Farsi throughout the novel, and the importance of crafting what he calls an “earned ending.”
In addition, Michael shares the fascinating story behind launching "The Thieving Magpie," originally intended as a platform for his own writing before it quickly became a home for submissions from writers around the world. He also reflects on the best rejection letter he ever received—and how rejection can sometimes become motivation.
This episode is a thoughtful conversation about storytelling, perseverance, cultural identity, reinvention and the creative process behind building meaningful fiction.
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