steeped by samia no.42 | 11.21.25 “This skyscraper’s causing vertigo” — Lover Girl by Laufey (2025) I’m on the first leg of a 3 hour Amtrak ride to see Ferheen in Sacramento, and I told myself, “Samia, you better write! Steeped is calling!” It’s 3:30PM, and it literally feels like 5:30PM. The world is golden.Continue reading “Snapshots from a train ride, in the midst of age 27”
Author Archives: samiaabbasi
I am a reader, writer, and tea-enthusiast based in the Bay Area, CA.
What is going on with ‘content’ lately?
steeped by samia no.41 // contented vol.1 | 07.25.25 “F*ck the algorithm” —RM in All Day (with Tablo), Indigo (2022) Growing up, summers were for the library, sprawled in the children’s section, starting one book right after the next. My siblings and I would get a stack of I Spy books and stare at themContinue reading “What is going on with ‘content’ lately?”
Read this when you feel like: Time isn’t on your side
steeped by samia no.40 | 07.10.25 Oh, to be 27 and reflect on the complexities of time—while acknowledging that you’re only scraping the surface of it all. When I was younger, we had two circle clocks on the walls with birds in place of numbers. If analog clocks were hard for you to decipher asContinue reading “Read this when you feel like: Time isn’t on your side”
To try and try, and do it all over again
steeped by samia no.39 | 06.16.25 There’s nowhere to go but simultaneously forward and upside-down. My day doesn’t start until I’ve taken Zayn outside. With summer heat creeping in by mid-morning, we’ve formed a new routine of sitting in a patch of shade, nestled between the backyard gate and the frontyard hedge. It feels severalContinue reading “To try and try, and do it all over again”
March came in like a lion
steeped by samia no.38 | 03.24.25 an examination of anxiety, spring, and the lions in our heads. In December 2021, my best friend-cousin Safa and I took a drive to spend the night at our relative’s house about 45 minutes away. We were doing a girls night and sleepover with our cousins. The drive wasContinue reading “March came in like a lion”
Those whimsical gardens are not just in real life & literature
steeped by samia no.37 | 02.26.25 there are places of wonder so close by us, yet so far away. but I’m sure some version of you is experiencing them. When Alice finds the tiny gold key in the dark hallway of doors, her hope flickers. But it’s short lived. The locks and doors are ofContinue reading “Those whimsical gardens are not just in real life & literature”
Read this when you feel like: Adventure is out of your reach
STEEPED BY SAMIA #36 | 01.12.25 Is my word of the year “Adventure” or is it actually “Freedom”? December 30th, 2024 — The day before New Year’s Eve, I went on a long neighborhood walk in hopes of connecting some dots to write this post. My walk took me through the park next to myContinue reading “Read this when you feel like: Adventure is out of your reach”
A season of cats, construction, and clarity
STEEPED BY SAMIA #35 | Fall 2024 Recap There are other C words I can add to this title, but this is good enough. Much like last year, I ended up taking a haitus from writing and posting Steeped in the fall. Only this time, I started a new freelance anchor project with a delightfulContinue reading “A season of cats, construction, and clarity”
Logged on far too long: You’ve really changed, haven’t you?
STEEPED BY SAMIA #34 | 09.22.24 On Facebook Memories and being a teen on social media in the 2010s. I love back to school season. Not as a student or as someone who works in schools, but as someone who enjoyed going to school and often gets asked, “Didn’t you want to be a teacher?!”Continue reading “Logged on far too long: You’ve really changed, haven’t you?”
Steep On This: South Asian women-owned chai businesses to sip & support
STEEPED BY SAMIA #33 | 08.27.24 South Asian women make the coolest, yummiest, and most innovative chai. Stovetop chai is how my dad and I start every morning. The smell of chai wafting from the kitchen is a welcoming scent. Its milky sweet, lulling, yet invigorating embrace eases me into the day. In the pastContinue reading “Steep On This: South Asian women-owned chai businesses to sip & support”
My life-long relationship with Liminal Spaces
STEEPED BY SAMIA #32 // IN THE LIMINAL Vol. 0 | 07.26.24 Down, down, down, The Liminal rabbit hole. Where will it take us? 🌀 I love the interview format, whether it’s a podcast, magazine, or YouTube series. There’s magic that happens when two people share stories with each other and explore questions filled withContinue reading “My life-long relationship with Liminal Spaces”
When things come back around again
STEEPED BY SAMIA #31 | 06.30.24 Musings on the unexpected & intriguing ways that things come back around. Note: This was sitting in my drafts since March and I just wanted to post it! It’s a mix of finished & unfinished thoughts on the cyclical nature of life. I. What does a year look likeContinue reading “When things come back around again”
April showers and such
STEEPED BY SAMIA #30 | 04.30.24 Scooping water into the ocean with a plastic shovel and pail. Feeling a ~ 11:59PM before the assignment is due ~ kind of vibe with this Steeped post I’m starting at 7PM on the last day of April, lol. But here we are; I hope you’re lounging somewhere cozyContinue reading “April showers and such”
Steep On This: What to read & watch in the transition to Spring
STEEPED BY SAMIA #29 | 03.28.24 Finding themes of Spring — recollection, re-imagination, and more. I love the transition to Spring season. More daylight, sunny days, and new flowers popping up. Trees half bare and half laden with green leaves. Ramadan, New Years in many cultures, the March Equinox. I am a Spring baby, andContinue reading “Steep On This: What to read & watch in the transition to Spring”
My mid-20’s renaissance with Shoujo manga
STEEPED BY SAMIA #28 | 02.20.24 Lovesick Alley, the joy of escapism, & falling in love (with life). During Christmas weekend, I spent many hours at the Stanford infusion center while my dad was getting a medicinal IV infusion. The lobby was usually filled with people but because of the holidays, it was pretty empty.Continue reading “My mid-20’s renaissance with Shoujo manga”
Steep On This: Creative media to read & watch for inspiration
STEEPED BY SAMIA #27 | 01.17.24 Zines, creative hubs, substacks, youtube series, & more. I’m a consumer of creative media, more than I’m a creator of creative media. Whether it’s zines, substacks, books, or youtube series, I’m always absorbing and looking for creative inspiration, especially during liminal moments these past 2-3 years and virtually dueContinue reading “Steep On This: Creative media to read & watch for inspiration”
Read this when you feel like: Life is happening around you, but not to you
STEEPED BY SAMIA #26 | 01.04.24 Will 2024 be my year of ‘Yes’?! Who knows, but that’d be cool. I’m sitting here at my desk, sipping ginger chai. The cats are sleeping cuddled against each other on my bed. I’m thinking about my New Year’s journaling practices throughout the years: some elaborate and promising andContinue reading “Read this when you feel like: Life is happening around you, but not to you”
On getting my driver’s license at age 25
STEEPED BY SAMIA #25 | 12.02.23 … And other thoughts & happenings from the past few months. It’s been a while since my last post. I took an unintentional hiatus from Steeped by Samia. I had writer’s block these past few months, but not the kind of writer’s block that made me frustrated or disappointed,Continue reading “On getting my driver’s license at age 25”
All in a midsummer’s evening
STEEPED BY SAMIA #24 | 08.31.23 Shakespeare in the Park, what Anne learns, & getting sh*t done. One Saturday in August at a local park, I awaited a midsummer night’s dream. Okay, not really, but it was still nice! My brother and I were watching Shakespeare in the Park: a performance of Cymbeline. I hadn’tContinue reading “All in a midsummer’s evening”
But what if it doesn’t go wrong?
FENNEL SEED CO. #1 | 08.04.23 in our rebirth era: samia on disbelief, pruning leaves, & reframing My lovely friends Renuka, Farial, and I started a creative collective Fennel Seed Co. and a storytelling platform Fennel Seed River on Substack!! I hope to cross-post my Fennel Seed Substacks onto my blog, so you can getContinue reading “But what if it doesn’t go wrong?”
Steeped by Samia 