Alumni
Entrepreneurship
The Power of Literacy
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“Literacy is the path to inspire and be inspired, to open minds and hearts, uniting us to imagine and build a better future together,” says Jossy Lee, MBA ’12, author of the children’s book Mommy Goes to Work.
Lee is one of several Sloanies who are professional authors working in various genres. In celebration of International Literacy Day on September 8, four of these Sloanies in the literary community discussed the role that literacy plays in their personal and professional lives.
Literacy is the path to inspire and be inspired, to open minds and hearts, uniting us to imagine and build a better future together.
Foundations in literacy
The Sloanie authors mentioned that literacy played a profound role in forming pivotal childhood experiences, ones that influenced them well into adulthood.
“Engaging and heartfelt storytelling was a big part of my family and early life,” says Jane Muschenetz, MBA ’06. “My parents and big sister spent many hours reading to me and that early love of reading eventually turned into a love of writing.”
This love of writing has fueled Muschenetz’s success in the literary community. She is the author of two poetry chapbooks, All the Bad Girls Wear Russian Accents and Power Point. All the Bad Girls Wear Russian Accents recently won first place in the Creative Verse, Chapbook category for California in the California Press Women (CPW) Professional Communications Awards, which is part of the National Federation of Press Women (NFPW) National Communications Contest. Muschenetz also won third place overall in the NFPW national contest.
Engaging and heartfelt storytelling was a big part of my family and early life. My parents and big sister spent many hours reading to me and that early love of reading eventually turned into a love of writing.
Ali Almossawi, SDM ’12, also shares the experience of having an early love of reading. A self-described “quiet kid at school,” Almossawi found reading to be an escape for him. His parents were academics, so he grew up surrounded by books.
“We had a room downstairs right behind the kitchen called The Library that was chock-full of books from floor to ceiling,” says Almossawi.
Almossawi went onto to become a prolific writer himself, authoring four nonfiction books: An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments, An Illustrated Book of Loaded Language, Bad Choices: How Algorithms Can Help You Think Smarter and Live Happier, and The Point of Pointless Work. While the first three books address different ways of thinking and learning, The Point of Pointless Work discusses Almossawi’s journey in publishing.
For Lee, her early access to literature helped her gain perspective on others’ ways of life, shaping her worldview. Lee was a 10-year-old growing up in Taipei, Taiwan when she read The Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Lee was struck by Ingalls Wilder’s vivid storytelling about the events in her life and the relationships in her family.
“It was my first exposure to someone with a completely different lifestyle than mine, a city girl growing up in in the heart of Taipei,” says Lee.
As an author, Lee herself has contributed to helping young children expand their perspectives. Her book, Mommy Goes to Work, helps children draw parallels between their own activities and what their mothers do during the workday.
Literacy, to me, is not only about the ability to read and write, but also about the awareness needed for true comprehension, and realizing that different people have different ways of understanding.
Engaging with the written word
Although they had strong backgrounds in reading and writing, some Sloanies have definitions of literacy that expand beyond these activities.
Afarin Bellisario, ScD ’80, SM ’90, is the author of Silenced Whispers, which tells the story of an Iranian Muslim woman in the early twentieth century. Her book is partly influenced by her own experiences growing up in Iran. Her experiences growing up also shaped her view of literacy.
Belllisario explained that she grew up with many people who could not read and write. However, some were still literate in that they were able to memorize important stories and glean life lessons from them.
“Being able to read and write, of course, opens the door to all possibilities,” says Bellisario. “But it is just the beginning. Literacy must include the ability to think critically about what was read.”
When asked about his definition of literacy, Almossawi speaks of his personal experience with reading comprehension and ways of learning. He explained that he typically needs to reread and sketch out a passage before understanding it. When he got older, he found that he was not alone in this learning style.
“Literacy, to me, is not only about the ability to read and write, but also about the awareness needed for true comprehension, and realizing that different people have different ways of understanding,” says Almossawi.
A book is a communication between me and my reader. I should make it enjoyable and informative. I should leave them something to think about when I am done.
The writer as an entrepreneur
All four Sloanies agreed that approaching writing from a business angle has been key to their work as authors. Their MIT Sloan education proved invaluable in helping them share their work with a larger audience. Muschenetz explained that in addition to writing, writers spend much of their time on tasks such as submitting work, research, managing editorial relationships, public relations, networking, and brand building.
“A writer is very much an entrepreneur, so I don’t know why it’s surprised me that my time at MIT Sloan has been incredibly useful in this career path,” says Muschenetz.
Similarly, Bellisario’s time at MIT Sloan taught her the value of treating her book like an entrepreneurial venture. In addition, she learned the importance of focusing on customers. When she writes, she thinks about the value that her writing can bring to her readers.
“A book is a communication between me and my reader,” explains Bellisario. “I should make it enjoyable and informative. I should leave them something to think about when I am done.”
