Home About Services Contact Newsletters Essays Fiction Reviews Rabbits ART CV

Writer, Editor, and Rabbit Enthusiast

Essays

Newsletters

Reviews

Freelance Services

Contact

Rabbits

Hello and welcome to my website! My name is Michael Z. Zaki.

I have been writing for the Internet for over a decade. I write about culture, mental health, philosophy, media, and of course, rabbits.
Helping people feel less alone or to understand new perspectives is one of the most rewarding parts of my writing.

The greatest compliments I have received have been to the effect of: "You articulated something I couldn't find words for," or "Your writing helped me understand something important".

I believe that storytelling is a cornerstone of culture. The stories we tell about ourselves, our culture, and other cultures have such a deep impact on how people live their lives. We all tell stories, and to me, it is an honor to tell stories for others to read.

I hope you enjoy exploring my work here, and I would love to hear from you!

Say hello at: michael@michaelzzaki.com

Recent Posts

Michael’s Substack •

Reading I Who Have Never Known Men

I recently read I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (1995, for context). I’m going to describe the plot overall and in some detail, so I’ll say don’t read this if you don’t want spoilers. I do recommend the book—it was interesting and a very fast read, due to being both short and written in a way that made the pages fly by. I think that’s impressive, because there is a lot of interiority which often makes a book slower paced. It has a really sad premise, though, so check out content...
Michael’s Substack •

When I lived by the lake

For three years, I lived in a house with friends a few blocks from a huge lake. I could see the lake from huge living room windows, and it was beautiful. Because the lake was at the bottom of a hill, and my house was at the top, I did not go down to the water very often. It was often painful to hike back up, and I am an anxious person who often tries to over-conserve energy on top of what I actually need to conserve.The whole time, I kept thinking I would regret not taking more advantage of how...
Michael’s Substack •

Communicating better about housekeeping

As a person who enjoys clutter, hates dirt, was barely raised, enjoys cleaning, and has sometimes severe fatigue and pain that limit my ability to do any of the things I want to be doing, I have had a hard time communicating with housemates about cleaning and tidiness. I have also seen friends go through the same thing—not able to communicate effectively with the people they live with, feeling frustrated, misunderstood, and unhappy at home.I think part of why this happens is that there is usuall...
Load More