How a friendly conversation ignited a long-standing impact journey that is influencing the world through literature—the story of Parisa Mirza-Khan

A TVOA INTERVIEW WITH PARISA MIRZA-KHAN, SILICON VALLEY CEO AND FOUNDER OF ENCHANT BY PARISA

Childhood

Parisa describes her childhood fondly as an interesting one. She enjoyed the privilege of being an only child and being the center of attention of her parents until 8 and 9 years after when her two brothers came along. Parisa and her brothers were born to immigrants who hail from Pakistan. They may have been living the way they knew how but in the process, they taught Parisa hard work, relentless pursuit, growing a loving family and going to lengths to secure a good life for themselves. She proudly describes her parents as ‘Selfmade.’

She said, “…their main focus was their family. And having a close-knit family with their kids near them, their family near them.”

She was raised in the Midwest, Illinois to be precise, from the age of two. And then in the late 90s, she moved to California and has been there ever since.

But amid the hustle and bustle, the love for literature was brewing. She loved reading comics.

The Conversation That Led to an Impact Cause

“It’s a very funny story. I want to say it fell in my lap, but it didn’t. I think it’s so important to surround yourself with friends who know you at times when you don’t even know yourself,” Parisa remarked describing the genesis of her life as an influencer.

It began three years ago with a friend at their kids’ squash lessons. Her friend suggested she got on Instagram and start posting pictures because she felt like she would do well at it. Parisa took what was joked about a little seriously and started her Instagram account. Initially, she was posting some pictures, engaging, and gaining a little bit of following. But she was yet to find what will be her style and really dip her toes into it.

Once again, she found inspiration from talking to more friends about it. She recalled speaking to one friend who said, “…why don’t you center around books because you love to read.” Voire la! She hit the nail right on the head. She has since then narrowed her focus to sharing her love for literature and a love-filled lifestyle.

Encounter With African Literature

“I can’t tell you how mesmerized and impressed I am with some African writers in my reading journey,” she described.

Parisa described seeing Africa through the lens of particularly these African writers: One of the lenses, Paradise, a book by Abdul Razak Gurnah, the first African writer to be awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature in 2021 “for his uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fates of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents”.

She also mentioned Americana by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She was described in The Times Literary Supplement as “the most prominent” of a “procession of critically acclaimed young anglophone authors [which] is succeeding in attracting a new generation of readers to African literature”. In 2008, she was awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant. She was the recipient of the PEN Pinter Prize in 2018.

She recalled some other books of Chimamanda she has enjoyed: We Should All Be Feminists, Hibiscus. Parisa finds a beautiful depiction of Nigeria in Chimamanda’s books but identifies that they also show the struggles of uprooting culture shock.

She mentioned other authors and books such as Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart and other well-known books. Parisa understands his books focus on colonization, the vulnerabilities, the struggles of masculinity and femininity.

In her opinion, all these books and themes affect the entire world.

The Ultimate Goal of the Literary Journey

In her own words, “I think social media is a great platform to share your calling and I really want to inspire. I want to empower people, not just women, but people all over the world and educate them because I know education and literacy are fundamental to changing people’s lives. And to do it in a way where it’s not just changing lives today but future generations as well.”

She believes that poverty, economic woes, hunger, unemployment, etc. stem from illiteracy and she hopes that her presence on social media would help to bridge the gaps for everyone and focus on education and literacy and provide that for everyone around the world.

Talking About Family, Lifestyle and Her Love for Traveling

Parisa shares on her platforms her love also for travel, fashion and staying healthy. Though the seriousness of a love for books may not so much align with a fun and easygoing lifestyle, she sees it as a nice amalgam of who she is and what she is trying to achieve. What she calls, “…a little taste of everything that represents me.”

Talking about family, Parisa has three (3) daughters, one is 22 years, another is 18 years and the last is 11 years. She and her husband are very close with all the girls. They equally share a love for travel. She believes the world has so much to give and we should all have the opportunity to experience it all. So through the platform, she hopes that others can somehow live vicariously through her on her journeys of sharing the world.

“Just the smallest bit of motivation or the smallest bit of positivity can really click with someone who is struggling with some type of mental illness or even health illness or is just dealing with some personal issues. So I’m trying to use all these different aspects of my life as tools to help uplift others,” Parisa remarks.

Read Also: Born and Bred to Serve: Rep. Oye Owolewa and the family of selfless men and women

Book Reviews with Parisa on YouTube

On the channel, Parisa shares interviews with authors from around the world, such as friend and author Khaled Hosseini, New York Times Best Selling Author who wrote The Kite Runner and 1000 Splendid Suns. He is also a philanthropic author who gives back to the country. She has also interviewed other wonderful people like Sal Khan from Khan Academy, authors who are coming out with debut books or are established New York Times bestsellers. Besides the interviews, she shares with her audience what books she’s read, still reading and her thoughts on them.

Advice To Literary Bloggers

As a piece of advice, Parisa admonished, “I think, to find a passion, that’s number one. I don’t think having a passion to be famous or an influencer is a way to go. First, know what is your message and what value you can provide people who are going to follow you or you’re going to follow—It has to be authentic. It has to be something you can do often and comes easy to you and it cannot be fake.”

She concluded by saying, “Start, work a little every day towards it and be easy on yourself. Have fun at the end of the day. Life is short, have fun, and see where it goes. And it takes time. It definitely takes time but believe in yourself for sure.”

You can follow and share in Parisa’s journey on these platforms:

Website: www.parisamk.com

Shop: www.enchant.store

Instagram: @bookswithparisa

LinkedIn: Parisa Mirza-Khan

YouTube: Book Reviews with Parisa

TikTok: @parisa.mk