David Shams

Domů
česko
Prague
David Shams

I am an Iranian-American writer, born and raised in KY, fmr DC resident, currently living in Beijing.

05/06/2026

Between "fibermaxxing," dodging unpredictable spring weather, and approving final book layouts, it's been a busy month.

The latest dispatch is live, featuring a free download of two short stories from Beijing for my subscribers.

Drop in and grab yours:

Embracing the mundane, avoiding Metamucil, and a free creative bundle from the Beijing archives.

03/06/2026

Red smoke drifting over the pitch in North Dublin, and a golden-hour pitch invasion in the midlands.

Two distinct communities, one shared passion.

The new photo essay is officially live on the newsletter today.

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Capturing the pyrotechnics of Dalymount Park and the community magic of a midlands matchday.

01/06/2026

We are entering a historic home World Cup with a manager who has potentially poisoned his own well.

Mauricio Pochettino's modern, detached European management style—firing automated roster cuts into the digital ether—isn't "efficient." It’s cold, and it’s a culture-killer.

Why bother managing relationships with players like Diego Luna when you’ve already got a contract waiting for you at San Siro in July?

My latest column breaks down the USMNT’s three-headed crisis:

USMNT faces turmoil with manager Pochettino's controversial roster decisions and lack of player communication before the 2026 World Cup.

29/05/2026

My cheeky request for you to fill out this damn survey and tell me what you want more or less of, or just tell me how much you love what I’m doing. And yes, that’s a pic of me next to a pic of me on an ad board at a Beijing brewery. And yes, my beard is in fact filled with flecks of gray.

No fluff, no marketing jargon. Just an honest check-in to make this the best part of your Friday routine.

27/05/2026

No stadium security, no segregated fan zones, and opposing supporters sharing pre-match pints on the same barstools.

My latest travel essay takes a deep dive into the unique, beautiful culture of Irish Gaelic games.

If you've ever wanted to experience the "real" Ireland outside of the usual tourist hotspots, this dispatch from the Irish Midlands is for you.

Decades after stumbling upon a bizarre, beautiful sport on ESPN, I finally stood on an Irish terrace to witness it live.

23/05/2026

If your mental image of Dublin is frozen in a postcard of 19th-century pubs and old stereotypes, it’s time for an update. I spent last week on the ground in Ireland, and my first major observation was just how beautifully diverse it has become. Walking down O’Connell Street felt like watching a kaleidoscope of global faces and languages navigating the city with total ease.

But the most beautiful part? Rather than losing their heritage in a globalized world, modern Dubliners are using their past to forge an incredibly inclusive future.

Read my latest travel essay on what it actually looks like to walk the streets of modern Ireland today:

Unlike the US, where we often treat change as a violation of history, Ireland is using its past to push its future forward.

22/05/2026

I recently spent five days in Dublin expecting to find a nostalgic postcard—all old pubs, historic architecture, and the exact Ireland I’d imagined for nearly forty years.

What I found instead was a total surprise.

Dublin isn’t a museum. It’s a beautifully diverse, fast-moving city where immigration officials speak with global accents, and school kids from all over the world are leading a massive resurgence in fluency of the Irish language. It forced me to look closely at how we handle history back home in the US—and it gave me a beautiful, unexpected jolt of connection to my own Persian heritage.

My latest essay is a deep reflection on how a society can grow up, change, and embrace the future without losing its ancient soul. Read it here:

Unlike the US, where we often treat change as a violation of history, Ireland is using its past to push its future forward.

21/05/2026

I went to Dublin and found the perfect antidote to the sterile, modern MLS-style marketing I had to endure in the US.

If you’ve ever worried that modern football is losing its soul to corporate sponsorship, this one is for you.

Check out the new dispatch from Around the World in Matches!

Inside Bohemian FC: How Dublin’s fan-owned club balances progressive politics, historic terraces, and the fight against sterile, corporate-washed soccer.

20/05/2026

“A game with too much corporatist bu****it is an empty shell of itself, soulless in the best of light and nearing putrefaction in the worst.”

My latest piece for Around the World in Matches takes us to Dalymount Park for a Bohemians match, exploring why this fan-owned club has captured a cult following.

If you love historic grounds, political murals, and raw football culture, join me on the terraces:

Inside Bohemian FC: How Dublin’s fan-owned club balances progressive politics, historic terraces, and the fight against sterile, corporate-washed soccer.

16/05/2026

“As his trusty pellet gun rested beside him, he scoured his hand-made spreadsheet, ticking off the birds he’d seen each day and following the trends.

Of course, from time to time, an enterprising squirrel would take a punt. Attempting to scamper across the many taut lines he had criss-crossing his yard that hung the various bird feeders.”

On birdwatching and passing traits on yo future generations.

A family history told through bird calls and the stubborn refusal to be wrong.

Adresa

Karlův Most
Prague

Internetová stránka

http://davidshamswriter.com/

Upozornění

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