Comic Celebrates Life Of A Badass Desi Feminist Hero
A comic by Shebani Rao highlights a tremendously inspiring feminist whose life and work embodied intersectionality more than half a century before it became a word. Rao’s Kamaladevi: The Hero[...] The...
View ArticleOn Curry and South Asian Diasporic Identity
Just as curry doesn’t actually exist, neither does the diasporic South Asian. — Naben Ruthnum Currybooks, Naben Ruthnum calls them. You know the ones: titles containing the words “monsoon”...
View ArticleThe Home That Was Our Country, A Personal & Political Memoir of Syria
There was nothing new for me about leaving Syria; separation has always been the defining condition of my relationship to the country. The Home That Was Our Country, releasing in paperback[...] The...
View ArticleJaipur Literature Festival 2018: A Roundup Bursting With Flavor, Quotes, &...
I’ve read two roundups (here and here) of the spectacle that was the 2018 Jaipur Literature Festival (Jan. 24-28), plus avidly followed the hilarious Twitter handle, JLFInsider, and there was[...] The...
View ArticleQ&A With Maya Makker, Founder Of Nala — A Retreat For Young South Asian Women
Museum educator Maya Makker is launching Nala this summer, a free three-day retreat exploring what it means to grow up as a South Asian woman in America today. Nala is[...] The post Q&A With Maya...
View ArticleSouth Asian Authors Nominated For Science-Fiction & Fantasy Writing Awards
This year’s Locus Awards ballot features the literary work of South Asian nominees across multiple award categories. The awards, inaugurated in 1971 by the monthly California Bay Area-based magazine...
View ArticleScientific Possibility Brushes Up Against Human Narrative In Vandana Singh’s...
Reading Ambiguity Machines and Other Stories (February 2018), the new collection from Small Beer Press by writer and physicist Vandana Singh, I couldn’t help but think of the controversy at[...] The...
View Article“astronomy” (based on ‘Jungle Peace’ by William Beebe)
astronomy (based on Jungle Peace* by William Beebe) so, astronomer-like, I took notebook and pencil and calculated how long it would take for her to drag herself, hands as[...] The post “astronomy”...
View ArticlePrivate Lives In Public: 6 Short Stories By Indian Women (1932-2014)
Reading about the early decades of Indian contemporary literature revealed to me that the short story form of creative writing gained traction among women writers in India because of its[...] The post...
View ArticleReview: Cycling Across Small-town India In Nautanki Diaries
Nautanki Diaries By Dominic Franks Rupa Publications (Feb. 2018) 272 Pages *** When 30-year-old Dominic Franks decided to do a cross-country bicycle ride from Bengaluru to Delhi, just in time[...] The...
View ArticlePoetry & Beats Collide in Eat More Mango’s Nocturne
What happens when two talented Desis from two different cities come together on the west coast to kick it? The poetry and beats project Eat More Mango represents an artistic[...] The post Poetry &...
View ArticleQ&A: Louisiana Catch Author Sweta Vikram Raises Awareness Of Marital Rape
My name is Dr. Shruti Kapoor and I am the founder of Sayfty, a global organization focused on educating and empowering young women and girls against gender-based violence. As a[...] The post Q&A:...
View ArticleSwear to Allah, I Luv Ya Babe!
I attend an all-girls conservative high school in Saudi Arabia. Our uniform is gray, grazes the ankles, and resembles something Queen Victoria would wear at bedtime. All we do is[...] The post Swear to...
View ArticleSearching For Nuance In Today’s Landscape Of South Asian Children’s Stories
In March, Equality Labs — a South Asian community technology organization — released the first survey of caste in the United States. The facts are stark: One in four Dalit[...] The post Searching For...
View ArticleRead Original Poetry: “Shiva’s Head”
Shiva’s Head Quivering hands clutched the banister as my ten year old senses tested the waters of that L-shaped battlefield — that stairway of doom, haunted by that three-eyed God.[...] The post Read...
View ArticleSouth Asian Narratives In KidLit: Q&A With KitaabWorld’s Cofounders
If you’re a parent seeking South Asian books for your kids, or keep your eye on the ever-growing scene of South Asian American literature, you may have heard about KitaabWorld,[...] The post South...
View ArticleFasting, Feasting
I used to live in Saudi Arabia, where Ramadan is a big deal. You’re expected to fast and if you can’t, the rule is you’ll respect everyone else by not[...] The post Fasting, Feasting appeared first on...
View ArticleKids Novels ‘Ahimsa’&‘Night Diary’ Share Nuanced Histories of Freedom &...
My 10-year-old son finally wanted to read about the Indian subcontinent’s independence movement, but had a condition set in stone — it had to be a compelling story. No fact-heavy,[...] The post Kids...
View ArticleHarleen Singh’s ‘Drawn Together’ Highlights Comic Artists Fighting Racism
This year’s CAAMFest in San Francisco and Oakland — the Center for Asian American Media’s celebration of film, music and food — boasts an incredible lineup of Asian American and[...] The post Harleen...
View ArticleRead Original Poetry: “Kali”
It was my mother’s fault that she birthed Me on the banks of Kaveri For try as they did they could not wash the black alluvial soil off my skin.[...] The post Read Original Poetry: “Kali” appeared...
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