literature
Best corporate culture and workplace literature to better your workplace experience. Journal's favorite stories.
The Man Who Fixed the Clock
I didn’t notice the clock was broken until it stopped. It sat on the corner shelf of my grandparents’ living room for as long as I could remember—brass, ornate, with Roman numerals and a soft, steady tick that marked the rhythm of every visit. My grandfather wound it every Sunday without fail, even in his nineties, even when his hands shook.
By KAMRAN AHMADabout a month ago in Journal
The Boy Who Carried the Ball Home
I didn’t go to the game for the score. I went because my nephew asked me to. He’s twelve, wears his hair in a messy bun, and talks about basketball like it’s a secret language only he and the ball understand. “It’s not about winning,” he’d said, eyes bright. “It’s about who shows up when it matters.”
By KAMRAN AHMADabout a month ago in Journal
The Third World War is no longer a mere hypothesis; its signs are now far more visible than ever before.
Dark clouds of war are currently hovering over the blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, where the world’s greatest powers are moving toward a confrontation that has forced the entire globe to hold its breath. The thunder of American naval fleets near the shores of Venezuela and fighter jets circling the skies have marked the beginning of a silent war whose outcome remains unknown.
By Hafeez Alamabout a month ago in Journal
LinkedIn and Bangladesh’s Digital Workforce Transformation: Youth, Startups, and Future Skills
By Tuhin Sarwar | Dhaka। 02। December । 2025 । From her modest home in Sylhet, 24-year-old Rafia Hussain flips open a second-hand laptop, logs into the LinkedIn app and reviews an inbox of messages from clients in London, Singapore and Dubai. She adjusts a brand mock-up for a global startup, schedules a call with a US design director and uploads a revised style guide all before breakfast is done.
By Tuhin sarwarabout a month ago in Journal
Why We Watch the Fall
I’ve never worn gloves. But I’ve stood in my own ring. It was a rainy Tuesday in March. I sat across from a hiring panel, my résumé trembling in my hand, reciting answers I’d rehearsed for weeks. I’d been unemployed for eight months. My savings were gone. That job wasn’t just a paycheck—it was my lifeline. When they said, “We’ll be in touch,” I knew. The silence that followed wasn’t neutral. It was final.
By KAMRAN AHMADabout a month ago in Journal
The Boy Who Didn’t Look Away
I was seventeen the first time I saw someone truly lose—and not just lose, but lose in front of everyone. It was a school assembly. A poetry contest. My friend Mateo had spent weeks writing a piece about his mother’s hands—how they cracked from cleaning other people’s houses, how they still braided his little sister’s hair every morning before dawn. He stood at the mic, voice trembling at first, then rising like a song. For three minutes, the gym was silent. Then he finished. And no one clapped.
By KAMRAN AHMADabout a month ago in Journal
The Night Football Felt Like Church
I’d never been to Lambeau Field. I wasn’t a diehard fan. I didn’t own a jersey. I couldn’t name the starting quarterback. But when my brother called in late November—voice hoarse from crying—he didn’t ask for advice. He just said, “Come with me to the game. I can’t go alone.”
By KAMRAN AHMADabout a month ago in Journal
The Year I Watched the Light Fall
I didn’t plan to watch the countdown that year. 2025 had worn me thin—layoffs, loss, the kind of loneliness that makes even your own voice feel like a stranger. By December, I’d stopped believing in fresh starts. New Year’s Eve felt like a cruel joke: a world celebrating while I was just trying to survive the night.
By KAMRAN AHMADabout a month ago in Journal
The Night I Learned to Hope Again
I never believed in New Year’s Eve. For years, I called it a corporate fantasy—a glittery distraction sold to people who needed to believe time could be reset like a clock. I rolled my eyes at the countdowns, the fireworks, the forced resolutions. Hope, I thought, wasn’t something you found on a screen. It was something you earned in silence, alone.
By KAMRAN AHMADabout a month ago in Journal
New Year Countdown 2026
Introduction I’ve never been to Times Square on New Year’s Eve. I’ve never stood in the cold, shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers, breath visible in the winter air. But for as long as I can remember, I’ve been there in spirit—on my couch, wrapped in a blanket, eyes fixed on a glowing orb descending through the New York night.
By KAMRAN AHMADabout a month ago in Journal
2026 Reading Challenge, Anyone?
Well, here we are. Another year gone, another New Year's Eve, another New Year's resolution. I don't know about you, but for me, 2025 has been one hell of a year. Between the nasty political crap and - well, if you've read my poetry this year, you know. This isn't about that. This is about the good things that have taken place for me this year, and, hopefully, a small way that you and I can stay connected.
By Kenny Pennabout a month ago in Journal
