Daastan
Asylum of Lovers
Six stories of love, madness, art and regret, including The Last Madman, Our Inauspicious Stars and The Musical Apocalypse.
On Goodreads ↗Get a copy →Writer · Speaker · Teacher
Shoaib Rashdi
The Paracosmic Polymath
A curiosity-fuelled fella striving to be a polymath in an era of rampant specialisation. I write books, compose poetry, speak, and teach a trove of disciplines.
- Top 20South Asia’s AuthorsLiterati 2018
- ★ 5.00Goodreads AuthorReader rating
- Winner#WeToo Short StoryDaastan × Stories To Action
- 6,500+Lessons TaughtOne-to-one
“Inaction is the most despicable action.
Asylum of Lovers · The Last Madman
01
About
Hi, I’m Shoaib Rashdi.
My interests include, but are not limited to, philosophy, theology, history, mathematics, literature, science, psychology, art and storytelling.
I am a Muslim by religion, Pakistani by nationality and Sindhi by ethnicity.
Pronunciation of my name: Show Abe (as in Abe Lincoln).
- Philosophy
- Theology
- History
- Mathematics
- Literature
- Science
- Psychology
- Art
- Storytelling
02
Achievements
0lessons taught
0hours of teaching
0books published
0pieces online
Finalist, National Mathematics Olympiad
Named one of South Asia’s Top 20 Authors: Literati 2018
Finalist in the South Asian Award for Micro-Fiction for Birth to a Dancing Star, chosen from around 100 submissions across South Asia by Daastan (Pakistan), White Falcon Publishing (India) and Outcast Magazine (Sri Lanka), and published in print. Watch the announcement ↗
Winner, #WeToo Short Story Writing Competition
For the short story Talb-e-Mamta ke Sadqe, one of six winning stories in the Daastan × Stories To Action competition (English translation by Reshail Naeem). See the announcement ↗ Read the winning story ↗
Three books published with WriterTalks
Asylum of Lovers, Chaotic Ruminations and Oblivion’s Yelp.
Interviewed by Karvan
“Reading for the mere pleasure of reading is the best habit.” Read the interview ↗
TESOL/TEFL certified
World TESOL Academy · issued February 2022 · Credential ID WTA22240911
Goodreads Author
Author page on Goodreads with a 5.00 average reader rating.
6,500+ one-to-one lessons taught
IB, AQA and IGCSE English, SAT/PSAT, writing, and more.
03
Public Speaking
Ideas, delivered with conviction.
I speak on literature, philosophy, learning and the writing life: talks, keynotes, panels, workshops and compering for schools, universities and organisations.
- Reading as a way of life
- The examined life: thinking for yourself
- Storytelling and the craft of writing
- Learning how to learn
- Art, ambition and mediocrity
04
Books
Chaotic Ruminations
Maxims on art, greatness, mediocrity, freedom and the self. “Paradox is the essence of all wisdom.”
On Goodreads ↗Get a copy →
Oblivion’s Yelp
“Is the oblivion’s yelp so terrible? Is the ticking clock so merry?”
On Goodreads ↗Get a copy →On the desk
- Mildi: A Tale of Friendship Gone Mad. A novel, serialised below.
- Qaysus & Maya: A Song of Syzygy.
- Birth to a Dancing Star
05
Goodreads Author
Dreams & DelusionsAnthology · my short story06
Quotes
07
Posters
Quotes from my books, set as posters. Click one to view it full size.
08
Writing
Published elsewhere
- My ReemiWriterTalks
- The Redemptive Potential of Single National Curriculum: Eradicating the Hegemony of the English LanguageMedium ↗
- Photography: PetsMacro Magazine
- Modern Pleasure IslandMedium ↗
- Caulfield Versus CapitalismMedium ↗
- Superseding the Sanctified LanguageMedium ↗
- Shattered HeartsLiterary Spark
More essays on Medium ↗
09
Learn with me
The Academy
TESOL/TEFL-certified teacher · World TESOL Academy
Over 6,500 one-to-one lessons have shaped a method: build the analytical sentence, prove every reading four ways, and practise one skill at a time until it holds. The Academy puts that method in one place for my students.
IB English Lang & Lit (HL/SL)AQA GCSE EnglishIGCSE EnglishSAT / PSATWriting & GrammarAP LanguagePPL(A) TheoryCSS / PMS
- WatchOne micro-step at a time on a finished example.
- TogetherThe same chain, with a gap to fill.
- AloneYour turn: timed, and marked on a checklist.
- ImproveV1 → V2 → final, with every change named.
10
Support my work
If my writing, talks or lessons have given you something, help me keep making them.
11
Contact & booking
Book a talk, ask about lessons, or just say hello.