Trayle Kulshan

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About Trayle Kulshan
"R E V O L U T I O N S" is Trayle Kulshan's first book. Her work received an honorable mention in the Pachas flash fiction contest at Foundling Review, was published in Proximity and Sukoon magazines, and she is a regular contributor at Dubai Poetics. She attended the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts for Creative Writing and has a Master's degree that has nothing to do with writing.
Trayle is from an island in the Pacific Northwest, USA and currently lives in Dubai, UAE where she ponders sustainability in the desert and gives dubious advice to Generation Z. She spent ten years as a humanitarian aid worker in Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Kenya, and Haiti. She also draws from her experiences in Russia, Egypt, and Syria.
Visit her and see a bit more of the book at www.trayle.org.
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Author Updates
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Blog postOne of the stories that I did not include in my book was when I went bungy jumping at the head of the Nile in Uganda. I felt like I was dying. I wondered if my feet would slip out of the contraption that was lined with simple, ragged towels. But then I jumped and I couldn't un-jump.
Doing this book thing is kinda like that.
I am very honored to have a guest blog post over at Missing in the Mission, a very cool aid work (and more) blog. Please check out my piece, but also4 years ago Read more -
Blog postI am flabberghasted by the fact that I just published a book. I did it. I made this.
Ready & Go on the Amazon and Barnes & Noble fronts. Now, you go, read, and review. (Technical note: Apple's iBook process is not working for me, so I'll keep trying, but I'm not waiting for them.)
I have a colleague who has cultivated a charming manner of being egotistical... just enough to give him the courage to send his writing out to any numbe4 years ago Read more -
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Blog postRadio silence.
Been workin' you fool.
So now I'm done. Please rejoice with me.4 years ago Read more -
Blog postDern. Submit. Reject.
(this is actually 99 words)
M E R C Y
Even if that fault was never mine, I still hold black rage against me. I pound my temples, I want to jump, my throat still burns from screaming.
It takes hard work to NOT kill you.
It takes hard work to NOT feel shame.
It takes hard work to write this story, and I aim only to inform you that I am burning, rabid, and awake. I am every child that you re-birthed. I am every bi5 years ago Read more -
Blog postI had an interesting revelation today, that's probably obvious to most seasoned writers:
When people know you, face to face, when they look into your eyes, when they are closer to you than your species or your pride, they read your writing differently. Of course. They're kinder in some ways. Might not tell you when you suck.
But, they also don't want to know too much.
They already know you. They might not need to know the rest.
What was left unsa5 years ago Read more -
Blog postMy intro when I performed this poem live went like this: "I wrote this as a children's story, but it's not appropriate for children. It's a gangster story called Crown and Cheek."Never the less, I had my son read it for you too. Enjoy. function setupElement306101959692535460() { var requireFunc = window.platformElementRequire || window.require; // Relies on a global require, specific to platform elements requireFunc([ 'w-global', 'underscore', 'jquery', 'bac [...]5 years ago Read more
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Blog postI'm getting to know this poetry community in Dubai, and it feels good. I go to a workshop or an event and I see familiar faces. I know their voices.
Dubai Poetics is building this community through their publication:
Edition XVII is out, and has my poem "Stinging intimacy" (read as you scroll down).
They also recently hosted a poetry workshop more focused on writing than performance, which was cool.5 years ago Read more -
Blog postI'm a big fan of Dubai Poetics. They do more than just the magazine. They have readings, events, promote arts here in Dubai. Hats off.
I'm also a big fan of Farah Chamma, a poet and spoken word artist. I've linked to her stuff before (see below). She's pretty well known in these parts. She's beautiful and awesome.
Well, recently Dubai Poetics organized a 2-day workshop on with Farah about performing poetry. Of course I had to go. And it was super fun!
5 years ago Read more
Titles By Trayle Kulshan
Flashes of Trayle’s childhood reveal a picturesque schoolhouse, a teepee, and a farm overshadowed by a predatory stepfather. Fast-forward to her travels, where a Siberian skeleton sets her free, only to be trapped by a smooth rapper. She transports you from a tragic marriage in Guinea marred by death and tradition to her own nuptials scheduled between meetings in Kenya to her Syrian sister-in-law’s wedding full of smoke machines.
Revolving through nine foreign countries, Trayle draws lessons from each one as she witnesses goats and water and war. Her stories link the past to the present, the common to the bizarre, and the imagined to reality. In piercing (and sometimes uncomfortable) detail, she offers surprising ways of experiencing the world while exposing her own shame and renewal.
Trayle Kulshan spent ten years as a humanitarian aid worker in Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Kenya, and Haiti. She also draws from her experiences in Russia, Egypt, and Syria. Trayle currently resides in Dubai, where she ponders sustainability in the desert and gives dubious advice to Generation Z.
If you like the #1 Bestseller and multiple prizewinning "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson, you'll enjoy Revolutions.