By: Lubna Abdallah
In December 2024, I interviewed Saeed Teebi, Western’s current Writer-in-Residence, to learn more about his writing career and mentorship role at Western.
“If you are haunted by something that you are afraid to talk about, just know that that’s the thing that you should be talking about,” said Saeed Teebi, author of the celebrated collection of short stories Her First Palestinian, which debuted in 2022. Teebi’s book explores themes of identity, belonging and cultural heritage—topics that demand vulnerability and honesty, which Teebi urges students to embrace in their own creative writing.
This year, Teebi serves as Western University’s Writer-in-Residence (WIR), continuing a tradition established in 1972 by the Department of English and Writing Studies. In the WIR program, the department invites an accomplished creative writer to mentor Western students throughout the year, offering weekly office hours for students to gain insights and feedback on their creative writing, be it poetry or prose.
I asked Teebi about his journey toward a creative writing career. He admitted that, while growing up, creative writing never seemed like a realistic option. As the first son of a Palestinian immigrant family, he faced immense pressure to pursue what was traditionally considered to be a successful career—becoming a doctor. Following these familial and cultural expectations, Teebi enrolled in university in Canada to study physiology, intending to enter the medical field, however, he eventually pivoted to law school, leaving behind the medical sciences.
Yet, through the whole journey of university and working in the field of law, Teebi never abandoned the idea of becoming a writer.
“I returned to writing at a time when I felt I had fulfilled all the expectations a family like mine would have for their child,” Teebi shared, reflecting on how meeting those obligations allowed him the freedom to finally pursue his passion.
When asked about the challenges he faced crafting the stories for Her First Palestinian, which depicts characters grappling with the Palestinian diasporic experience in Canada, Teebi reflected on a unique obstacle: “There are not a lot of models for Palestinian writing in English,” he explained, “For me, finding the language where I could describe authentically what my characters are going through and how they’re going through it was a challenge.”
Teebi further explained that, given the heightened global focus on Palestine following the events of October 7, 2023 and the ongoing genocide in Gaza, his book has fortunately been used as, what Teebi described as an “entry point into understanding Palestinian culture, particularly for those with little prior familiarity or context.” While he admitted it may be somewhat unusual that people tend to turn to literature rather than history or political science books for such insights, he acknowledged the unique power of storytelling. “It actually makes a lot of sense,” he said, “that you might want to understand lived experiences somehow and have a much more emotional narrative,” which is exactly what literature provides.
Teebi shared that his greatest satisfaction comes from hearing how his work has inspired others to learn about Palestine and Palestinian culture, stating, “I’ve always felt happiest when someone tells me, ‘I picked up your book, and it made me want to find out so much more.’”
In his debut short story collection, Her First Palestinian, Teebi captures the complexities of identity, diaspora and belonging through richly layered characters. “When it comes to Palestinians, there is very much a dominant narrative in the West about who and what Palestinians are,” he explained. His work aims to subvert those reductive portrayals, but without falling into the trap of counter-propaganda. Teebi notes that, in that way you’re “not telling your authentic story; you’re telling some kind of propagandist type of story, and that’s not what [he] wanted to do at all.”
Instead, Teebi strives for authenticity, crafting stories that reflect Palestinians as nuanced, multidimensional people. He stated that he wanted to liberate himself from the “colonized context” emphasizing the importance of representing Palestinians in their full humanity rather than through the lens of conflict or victimhood.
Regarding his role as Writer-in-Residence at Western, Teebi expressed gratitude for the opportunity to mentor and encourage students who might not realize that a writing career is within their reach. Reflecting on his own journey, he shared that he didn’t have anyone to guide him when he was starting out and that he is thankful to now be in a position to provide that support for others.
Teebi believes that writing is a skill nurtured through discipline and consistency. When asked how to overcome writer’s block, he stressed the importance of carving out uninterrupted time for creative work. “If you have three hours to write, give it the whole three hours because eventually, you will have a breakthrough,” he said. Teebi further explained that “inspiration doesn’t just happen, you have to create the conditions for inspiration. And the conditions are that you are actively thinking about what you want to write, you’re squeezing every last ounce in your brain.”
When asked how students can balance schoolwork with creative writing, Teebi emphasized the importance of prioritizing academics, while also carving out dedicated time for writing. “You should be ruthless with yourself,” he advised, encouraging students to “create a time every day where you’re going to write,” even if it’s just for an hour. For Teebi, early mornings work best, as he finds he’s more focused during that time, but he noted that the ideal writing window varies from person to person. The key, he explained, is maintaining consistency—when writing becomes “just a feature of your day, like going to the gym,” it feels less like a chore and more like a natural part of life.
Teebi stressed that a regular writing routine helps sustain creativity, ensuring ideas stay fresh in your mind. “Your writing will be much more inspired because of the sustained thought,” he shared. To make room for creative pursuits, Teebi suggested cutting down on distractions, particularly social media. “Our day is filled with so much filler anyway,” he noted, pointing to time lost on platforms like TikTok. By setting app timers or other limits, writers can reclaim valuable hours to invest in their craft.
Teebi also discussed the vulnerability inherent in writing, particularly when exploring deeply personal topics. “Writing in its best form is a true expression of yourself,” he said. This, however, doesn’t mean writers need to confide their entire lives on the page directly. Fiction, he suggested, offers a unique avenue to explore the issues that matter most to a writer without requiring full self-disclosure. “It’s not about you; it’s about your characters,” he said, encouraging writers to channel their thoughts, preoccupations and emotions into storytelling and characterization. In fact, Teebi affirmed “the areas that feel most vulnerable to you are often the ones that are the most rewarding when you write about them.”
Finally, when it comes to finding inspiration, Teebi believes in the transformative power of reading, stating “if you’re interested in being a writer, you have to be a reader first.” He recommended works like Return to Haifa, Men in the Sun and The Autobiography of Red—books that have inspired him. But Teebi also acknowledged that reading is a personal journey. “What enriches some people doesn’t enrich others,” he said, “Read what you like, and read it a lot.”
Saeed Teebi will continue holding office hours for students on campus and at the London Public Library Central Branch in Winter 2025. Find more information here.
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