What is JacketFlap

  • JacketFlap connects you to the work of more than 200,000 authors, illustrators, publishers and other creators of books for Children and Young Adults. The site is updated daily with information about every book, author, illustrator, and publisher in the children's / young adult book industry. Members include published authors and illustrators, librarians, agents, editors, publicists, booksellers, publishers and fans.
    Join now (it's free).

Sort Blog Posts

Sort Posts by:

  • in
    from   

Suggest a Blog

Enter a Blog's Feed URL below and click Submit:

Most Commented Posts

In the past 7 days

Recent Comments

Recently Viewed

MyJacketFlap Blogs

  • Login or Register for free to create your own customized page of blog posts from your favorite blogs. You can also add blogs by clicking the "Add to MyJacketFlap" links next to the blog name in each post.

Blog Posts by Tag

In the past 30 days

Blog Posts by Date

Click days in this calendar to see posts by day or month
<<June 2024>>
SuMoTuWeThFrSa
      01
02030405060708
09101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30      
new posts in all blogs
Viewing Blog: Neesha's Blog, Most Recent at Top
Results 1 - 25 of 382
Visit This Blog | Login to Add to MyJacketFlap
Neesha's Blog
Statistics for Neesha's Blog

Number of Readers that added this blog to their MyJacketFlap: 0
1. the rose hotel


most of you who visit here know that i'm kinda big on the power of stories. stories have tremendous power. every commercial you watch on television is a mini-story and it's meant to convince you to buy something. every film you watch is a story. every poster on the subway, every magazine article...everything. when you think about how many stories you ingest each day, it's mind-boggling. and when you think about the dominant cultural narrative running through most stories in our world, you get a sense of why many of the issues we have are so deeply embedded. they are reinforced each and every day, from the moment we step out of our homes.

that is why this particular book, the rose hotel, by rahimeh andalibian, affected me so deeply. not only did it resonate for me on a very fundamental level, but it did something that every book i've ever cherished and held close has done -- not to sound trite or anything, but it was healing.

the book is described by the author as a "true-life novel." it traces her family's journey from iran to britain to the u.s. it is a beautifully crafted account of how external events, politics, religion and power, and a raging revolution affect the very real lives of one family, and that family's subsequent exile from the only home they've ever known.

it's the kind of sensitive, aware account that only a trained psychotherapist could offer, which is exactly what dr. andalibian is. without preaching or falling into the trap of "telling not showing," andalibian explores how people heal from the unthinkable. how strength of spirit shines strong during the darkest moments of the soul. and it's absolutely beautiful.

i firmly believe there is power in sharing our own personal journeys of recovery from trauma and violence. it breaks silence and sends ripples into the atmosphere, changing the horribleness of abuse and oppression. sharing openly about things that hurt us is a powerful way to bridge distances and build connections. it shatters isolation and the divisions between us begin to crumble (which is actually what her next project is about, glass houses--watch the video on her website). what better way is there to slash through ignorance and fear? to end some of the shit we all know is fucked up out there?

this book is a gem. buy it. read it. give it to someone you love. then think about your own story and what you might do next to make some changes . . . maybe shatter some isolation.



Add a Comment
2. music

i posted this to my fb page with the intro, "god bless musicians," in a moment of being so grateful to music-makers for providing a soundtrack for my life. for providing inspiration, hope, joy, healing, soothing, comfort, motivation, courage, balm, and so much more.

but here's meesha shafi from pakistan. so much beauty and talent in one place...should be illegal, maybe. her voice gives me goose bumps. wish she had an album (sorry for the blaring coke advertisement). enjoy!


 

Add a Comment
3. Freedom Safety Now Action for Jyoti

here is a video from the sawcc action outside the indian consulate on jan. 26th of this year. the issue was the indian government's failure to adequately protect its women citizens from violence and rape. on dec. 16th, jyoti singh pandey was raped by five men on a moving bus in delhi. two weeks later, she died in hospital. citizens of delhi have, for years, been calling for stricter punishments for rape and better laws to protect women, with little to no response from the indian government.

the sawcc action this weekend was a movement piece choreographed by parijat desai to depict the resistance of women against acts of terror committed against us, on a global level, where our bodies are the sites upon which these acts are committed. there was drumming, dancing, chanting, and voices raised in unison... freedom. safety. now.


Add a Comment
4. 12/12/12


happy last day of repeating calendar double digits!!

off to canada at the end of this week. will try to post my best wishes before the year is over, but i will be in rural parts, so you never know... in any case, WHAT A YEAR. glad it's almost over. here's to onward and upward and shooting shooting shooting for the heavens!



Add a Comment
5. the digital shift...this weekend!!

hi, all!

just an fyi that i will be on a panel this saturday, december 1st, at 12:00 noon, at the asian/pacific/american institute at nyu (8 washington mews at university place). the event is sawcc's annual lit fest, and this year, the theme is "creative commons: a transmedia literary festival." SUCH an exciting topic, no? i will be chatting with miral sattar and moderator sandhya nankani. come by and join the discussion!

here is a description of our panel:

12–1:15 pm | The Digital Shift: Technology and Storytelling

New media and technology have transformed notions of publishing and authorship. Neesha Meminger (author, Into the Wise Dark), Miral Sattar(founder, Bibliocrunch), and Sandhya Nankani (writer and editor) will explore how we use new technologies for storytelling and distribution, touching upon online and e-publishing platforms, successful self-publishing, creative commons and open source issues, and interactive content curation.
(Free)

Add a Comment
6. better late...?

i've been silent, not because i'm slacking off or losing interest in my blog, but because i've been experiencing the kinds of changes that have the ground shifting beneath your feet. the kinds of changes that come out of nowhere and turn your life upside down and send you hurtling in an entirely unexpected direction. these kinds of changes are horrible, painful, downright torturous at times... but they are also where extreme magic happens. in one of the darkest hours of my adult life (and by "dark" i mean unknown -- the kind of night that leaves you groping your way forward, hoping desperately that each time you set your foot down, it is in the right direction... and that nothing more detonates in your face), i am discovering some of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring truths. i am closer to my god and to the Life Force than i have ever been. the relationships in my life sparkle with genuine, fierce, unrelenting Love. who i am has never been clearer to me.

my next book is happening right now. what i am living through is literary gold and i cannot wait to share with my readers what i have learned -- through the most healing and most loving gift i can offer... my stories. so please stay tuned, dear ones. i have a LOT more to say. it is coming soon.

much love and peace to you all as we near the day of giving thanks here in the u.s.


Add a Comment
7. Conversation On Race and Feminism

Ibi Zoboi and i have a conversation about race, gender, sexuality, spirituality, class and everything else under the sun on tiger beatdown. go check it out when you can. here is an excerpt:

"This question brings me to WisCon, the annual feminist science-fiction and fantasy convention in Wisconsin. This year was my third year there and I truly love the hard-won space. I feel completely at home in feminist spaces and this is no different. Except that it is. It’s very different from the feminism that I came out in. While there have been great strides in the presence of people of color at the conference (through the tireless efforts of a handful of attendees who initially spoke up and organized and kept pushing for change), the percentage is still small, overall, and there is still great work to be done. At the same time, discussions about power imbalances and justice and equal rights can take place in feminist spaces. Feminism is about representation and the battle for control over bodies and psychologies, so it’s not such a huge stretch then (one would think) to inject the same awareness into issues of race and class and sexuality and other intersections where power and privilege play huge roles in the rights of marginalized peoples.
In a landscape where the mere mention of race puts people on edge, spaces where conversations about power and privilege can take place at all is where the hope is. In my daily life, the understanding of race is below a 101 level. Maybe that’s because I don’t surround myself with the right people, but I don’t think so. In this “post-racial” Obama world, the person who brings up race is still seen as the problem – the instigator, or trouble-maker."
read the rest of the interview and leave your thoughts in the comments!

Add a Comment
8. ITWD Review In Canadian Children's Book News

i've been quiet because of major life challenges lately, but briefly coming out of hiding to share this delightful quote from an upcoming review of INTO THE WISE DARK in Canadian Children's Book News...

"Neesha Meminger’s third novel, Into the Wise Dark, is rich in languid tones and emotional fragility, particularly when she’s describing Pammi’s connection to Zanum and her boyfriend  Dhan. Indeed, it is one of the best sex scenes I’ve read in a long time, describing the passion, fear, and all-encompassing joy of first love, without the clichés...

[T]he novel’s lyrical rhythms give the reader a sense of history, ancient Goddess spirituality and the emotional turmoil of Pammi’s experience.

Inspired by South Asian mysticism and history...this rich tapestry of experience [shows] the multicultural reality of our modern world."

it's moments like these that help me keep moving.

Add a Comment
9. back from wiscon 36

l-r: n.k. jemisin, daniel jose older, neesha meminger, ibi zoboi, 
saladin ahmed
slowly settling back into life. it's a kind of culture shock to come back to "regular" life after spending several days sequestered among like-minded, brilliant souls, discussing and debating issues of race, gender, class, sexuality, politics, current world events and, of course, writing and reading. but it's also necessary rejuvenation. i feel a renewed energy and motivation to imbue what i've learned into daily life and push forward. got a healthy dose of This Is Why Speaking Up Matters.

this year, i wanted to infuse wiscon with poc energy. not by-accident, default kind of poc energy, but consciously created spaces that were meant to celebrate the work and lives of poc. so i took it upon myself to coordinate a reading, and a launch party featuring authors of color who were releasing new work this year.

the reading went beautifully. since ibi zoboi had curated one last year, i asked her to come on board and help curate as well as read. it was a no-brainer to also solicit the brilliant designing skills of her husband, joseph zoboi, who created the gorgeous poster i put up in my last post.

there was such a lovely, supportive energy in the room during the reading, and i had to take a moment to note that here we were, five poc authors telling our own stories, whether we were traditionally published by a large, mainstream press, or a small press, or independently. we were telling our own stories. in a consciously created space, with a receptive and welcoming audience. what a revolutionary concept.

i had been worried we wouldn't have a good turnout because we didn't get to spread the word as much as i would have liked. but i needn't have. the room was full, even at 10 a.m. on a saturday morning.

the dance party was a resounding success, as well. again, i was worried about everything - would we have enough samosas? was there enough wine? non-alcoholic beverages? would people have a good time?

again, i needn't have worried. turns out that sometimes all you have to do is be the one to say, "let's do it," and others are quick to help take turns at the reins. k. tempest bradford took over the dj station and rocked the tunes all night (after some technical difficulties that kept me just shy of hitting PANIC mode), nora jemisin floated around in her corset dress and then took over clean up detail at the end of the night. mary anne mohanraj, kiini ibura salaam, and saladin ahmed picked up the samosas. alaya dawn johnson, nora, and ibi picked up the beverages and paper goods. *everyone* pitched in. there was a lot of love and support and joy and gratitude for community.

the party went on 'til the wee hours of the morning and even those who had early morning panels (like me) stayed as long as w

Add a Comment
10. riots of bloom


if you're coming to wiscon, join us for a celebration of authors of color and our work! we will have world beats, samosas, beverages and books to give away!!

the flyer was designed by joseph zoboi and features mini-images of the famous rioter throwing a bouquet of flowers - by the british graffiti artist, banksy.

i love this poster so much.


Add a Comment
11.

this thursday, may 10th, i will join fellow authors bil wright, patricia mccormick, and paul griffin for a behind the book reading at the kgb bar in manhattan. come see us and say hello!

then, on tuesday, june 19th, i will read from Into The Wise Dark at nova bar in brooklyn. more on that soon.

oh, also? WISCON. that is in two weeks. !!!!

in the meantime, it seems we are getting all our rain quota for the year in this merry month of may. i feel like any minute now i will find mold growing on my limbs or between my fingers and toes.

Add a Comment
12.

it's may! we are bringing the month in with a dreary, rainy few days here in nyc, but i hear it's about to get a lot better soon. we have a super moon rising on thursday, so there's that right off the bat.

lately, i've been reading books that i want to, quite literally, HUG. i love them so much that i put them against my chest and wrap my arms around them that is how grateful i am that they have decided to enter my life now - at exactly the right moment. when i needed them the most. like, for instance, check this out:
If Holly shops the better boutiques, she's bound to notice that they sell size zero clothing, for the female of really ideal proportions. Yes, Holly will know her diet-and-exercise plan has finally worked when her body ceases to exist.
how can you not love that??? that is from martha beck's Finding Your Own North Star, which i highly recommend. i've had it for like a year, but never opened it up until now. when i first got it, something inside me must've known i needed it, but i was scared to make changes in my life. until it was obvious i needed to make changes in my life and i couldn't avoid it any more. and now that i have begun the process, this book is EXACTLY what i need. who knew? actually, i did. the part of me that's a lot smarter than i give it credit for.

also! i am writing a memoir. why? because i have a lot of shit to say that is relevant to a lot of people. just trust me on that one. more soon!

Add a Comment
13. When They Come For the Libraries

Amazing video from Toronto-based performer, David Hudson. When They Come for the Libraries is about the fight to keep libraries open in Toronto...


Add a Comment
14. Leaving Legitimacy

So, yesterday's release day was fun and exciting and exhausting. And now I have a cold, ha! Not a lay-me-out cold, so thank goodness for that.

This morning, I was driving home from dropping the kids off at school and heard that song by Lee Ann Womack - I Hope You Dance. You know that one? It brings me to tears every single time I hear it. And I got to thinking. About my books and the trajectory of my career, and how things haven't worked out exactly as I'd thought they would.

Listening to that song and ruminating about my books made me realize that I once thought I wanted Legitimacy. I thought I wanted a spot in society that was approved of, acknowledged as solid and respectable, because I thought that's what would bring me happiness and satisfaction. And, you know, from the outside looking in, it does seem that way. It seems that those who get the stamp of Legitimacy have everything - happiness, money, fulfilling lives, excitement.

And then I got in. I was in that circle of Legitimacy. At first it was exhilarating. I was where everyone wanted to be. People envied where I was, wished they had gotten the contract/deal/call in my place. I felt like I should be thrilled, ecstatic... or at least content and satisfied. But I wasn't. I looked around and realized that Legitimacy was not all it was made out to be. There were so many cracks and tears in the veneer, and what was behind that facade was often disillusioning.

So I stepped out. I won't say it was an easy decision - it's always hard to be a walking stigma, even though that's exactly what I've been most of my life. To walk away from what everyone wants, and what everyone thinks YOU should want is very painful. But when I listened to the faint little voice inside, the one that told me what was True, I knew this was not what I wanted. That this world (and I'm not just talking about publishing here. I'm also talking about all the rules and regulations of patriarchy, racism, homophobia, classism, ableism and everything else that makes being human, and beautifully flawed, unacceptable) did not make room for people like me, and that I couldn't live by the rules set out for me.

I had to define my own happiness. I had to find success on my own terms, and it had to look like what success meant to me. Not what someone else told me it should look like.

I'm proud to say that that is exactly what I've done. With all the bumps and bruises and scars that come with taking one's own path. I plan to keep walking that path, working hard to keep my focus on what's important, and I hope to share lots more stories with folks who enjoy reading them.

Thank you, all my dear readers, for your support, warmth, and encouragement! It's not just a reading loop we have, where I write, you read and offer feedback, and I write again. It's a growth loop--an evolution loop. We share ideas, we broaden our scope of what is possible, we co-create our environment... together. I feel blessed to be able to wake up every morning (most mornings?) and do this :).

Add a Comment
15. INTO THE WISE DARK Release Day!!!


SOOOO excited!!!! I feel like I've been waiting for this day for EVER!

Today is the official release day for Into The Wise Dark, heretofore known as ITWD (I like how close that acronym is to IWD - the acronym for International Women's Day :D).

You can now order copies at Amazon and Barnes and Noble!! I'm still watching Amazon.ca and Chapters/Indigo's in Canada for it to show up there, and Indiebound and Powell's Bookstore for their listings. Those should be up and live within the next week or so, but you could always place an order for a copy.

If you see ITWD showing up at your local indie, do let me know! And please ask your local indie bookstore to order a copy or several!! :)

Add a Comment
16. Happy IWD!


Happy International Women's Day, everyone!!

This year, IWD seems even more relevant with all the attacks on women's reproductive rights - here in the US, and abroad. Here's to women working together, in fierce unity and celebration of all our differences, toward equality and economic justice. It's the only way forward.

Add a Comment
17. Love

Happy Valentine's Day, all. This has never been high on the list of days I celebrate, but I do try to celebrate Love every chance I get. Below are two short audio clips from Storycorps to honor what today is about...

David Wilson talks about being black in an all-white neighborhood and coming home to find his former lover dying. David was not allowed to see his partner in the hospital, the police wanted to arrest David (because they thought he was breaking in and had assaulted his partner), and the love of his life was Dead on Arrival at the hospital. In this clip, David talks about what the legalization of same-sex marriage meant to him, and how his 80-something-year-old father saw it as a victory not just for his son, but for justice everywhere...



And here's one from Lillie Love, who says, "Love really is all there is--as trite as that sounds... When you take your last breath, you remember the people you love, how much love you inspired and how much love you gave."

Go celebrate the love in your lives!

Add a Comment
18. Either Way It's Political

Polish poet and nobel prize winner, Wislawa Szymborska, died yesterday at 88. I am putting up one of her poems here to commemorate her unflinchingly honest work. It reminds me a bit of my Politics of Story post for Hunger Mountain.

I don't know much about Ms. Szymborska, but some of the work I've read by her is a stellar example of how writing heartily objects. May she RIP...

Children of Our Era  
by Wislawa Szymborska
translated by Joanna Trzeciak

We are children of our era; 
our era is political.

All affairs, day and night,
yours, ours, theirs,
are political affairs.

Like it or not,
your genes have a political past,
your skin a political cast,
your eyes a political aspect.

What you say has a resonance;
what you are silent about is telling.
Either way, it's political.

Even when you head for the hills
you're taking political steps
on political ground.

Even apolitical poems are political,
and above us shines the moon,
by now no longer lunar.
To be or not to be, that is the question.
Question? What question? Dear, here's a suggestion:
a political question.

You don't even have to be a human being
to gain political significance.
Crude oil will do,
or concentrated feed, or any raw material.

Or even a conference table whose shape
was disputed for months:
should we negotiate life and death
at a round table or a square one?

Meanwhile people were dying,
animals perishing,
houses burning,
and fields growing wild,
just as in times most remote
and less political.

Add a Comment
19. Art & Activism Interview: Sarah Diemer

I am delighted to begin this new series of interviews and guest posts on art and activism. For those of you who don't know, I am doing a series of interviews and guest posts on the subject of art and activism--two topics very near and dear to my heart.

This first interview is with Sarah Diemer, who (whom?) I "met" online through a series of serendipitous connections. Actually, it was me clicking on links that led to links that led to her beautiful writing, then me clicking on "buy" and getting her book, The Dark Wife.

But before I go on and on (and on) as I am wont to do, here is Sarah in her own words!

NM: I was struck with how beautiful the language is in The Dark Wife. You have some gorgeous use of imagery and emotional layering. Can you give us a sense of what have you done to hone your craft? What would you say has been the most helpful method of improving your writing?

SD: Thank you so much, that is so kind of you to say. :) I was home-schooled my entire life, and wrote about five hours a day, every day, growing up. I read voraciously and was just so completely obsessed with the craft of writing from a very young age--I wasn't normal in that regard! *laughing* I was also co-leader of the writer's group in our city for...I think five years, six years? Working so closely with my peers and on so many different projects during that time really pushed me to be able to put out the best work I'm capable of, and to always reach for that level.

NM: Wow, that's a lot of writing! :) When did you first realize you wanted to write stories and have them published?

SD: I was six. I'd written a story about a unicorn--and illustrated it! I sat down with my little sister, who--at that time--was two, and I told her very, very seriously: I am going to be an author. *laughing* I still remember that ridiculous moment, this little girl I was, being so serious. I had that same moment again, a little more seriously, when I was twelve. I'd just written this TERRIBLE BOOK, a fictional account of WWII involving magic, and I told my mother, very seriously, "this is the first. I'm going to be a published author someday," and she knew I meant it.

NM: The Dark Wife is a retelling of the Demeter/Persephone myth. Can you tell us what led you to rewrite the story, and why you picked *this* story, in particular?

SD: As a Pagan woman, Persephone is my matron Goddess. I've been obsessed with her story since I was very small, but it upset me. She's kidnapped and raped and held against her will--hardly empowering stuff. As a lesbian woman, I began to reclaim the myth to something feminist, something that I could relate to. I tru

Add a Comment
20. Blackout

I can't seem to black out this blog, so I will put a post up with links to information about the SOPA bill. Read these articles. If SOPA goes through, it will affect ALL of us. Clearly, some of the moneyed folk are getting antsy about the democratization of art and creativity. And they are scrambling to keep profits completely and strictly under their control. Do what you can to make sure the internet stays open and available, and UNCENSORED. Stop SOPA and IPA and any other act they concoct to take away freedom on the internet.

Colorlines

Google.com

Watch this great video when it comes back online

It's here, too, though - on Kelley Eskridge's blog

http://sopastrike.com/

http://americancensorship.org/

Add a Comment
21. Feminisms

I just watched the Bhutto documentary on Netflix. Holy wow, was it fascinating. Benazir Bhutto was elected Prime Minister of one of the largest Islamic republics in the world (Pakistan), during some of the highest political tension in the middle east, after her father had been executed by the military regime that ousted him. And still she moved forward into the role she felt compelled to take - for the country and people she loved, in the name of a set of values and beliefs she held dear - even after her own imprisonment and her husband's, and the murder of both her brothers. She showed courage and grace, poise and a steadfast commitment to the people of her nation right to the end.

If you get a chance to watch, I highly recommend it. The archival footage is amazing and there are interviews with Condoleezza Rice, Pervez Musharraf, NY Times columnists and journalists. It makes me want to know more - and I'm embarrassed to admit I knew almost nothing before.

There was one comment a little over half way through the film by a young woman - "[Bhutto] was not a feminist." I'll admit I had to restrain myself from hurling something at the screen in that moment. Imagine being the first woman elected to office and trying to run a country, when the military officers don't want to salute a woman? She was elected twice in landslide victories by the people of the nation, and twice she was removed from her post by the military. And still she came back, despite threats, imprisonment, and the execution and public maligning of her family members. I'm sorry - I don't care how you define feminist. This lady was badass.

I won't say any more at this point, but here's the trailer for the documentary. Let me know if you watch it!:


Add a Comment
22. New Look for A New Year!

Happy new year, readers!! It is Armageddon Year, if the whispers I hear all about are true. If so, how exciting! If not . . . still exciting! So far, I've lived through several historical moments - 9/11, the election of President Obama (who I am currently mad at, but that's for another conversation), and now the end of the Mayan calendar. And, perhaps, the end of the very world as we know it.

But, honestly? The world as we know it really does need to end. So many things are so very, very wrong. And sometimes I wonder if the only way to address them is to wipe the slate clean and start all over. I don't mean Hollywood-disaster type annihilation. I mean a massive spiritual cleanse. Maybe we need to go on a global liver cleanse. You know - just get all that toxicity and guck out of our system and then start living right.

I am a believer in working within a structure and helping shape it into something new. Like your body - you have to work with what you've got. You can't just walk away and get a new one. I've done a lot of cut-and-running in my life and, to tell you the godz-honest truth, I always found myself exactly where I left off. I learned somewhere along the line that, eventually, you have to stop, roll up your sleeves, get elbow-deep in crap, and clean house. There's no avoiding it. You always end up right back where you started. With new insights, maybe, and new hair . . . some grays, a few more lines around the eyes . . . but always back. Because that's your journey. It's your task while you're here - you hammer away at your specific work, diligently, trying to make things right and make things fit the way they're supposed to. Sometimes you get tired and wander away for a bit - take a break. But then you come back and the work is exactly the way you left it, waiting. And you have to pick up that hammer again and start shaping your imperfect self into the perfect building block you know you can be.

But I digress! This post is about newness and new things!! Like this blog! How do you like the new look? The new title is a nod to Jeanette Winterson's book, Art Objects, a collection of essays that I loved - and taught every chance I got, and will teach again. I wanted something that spoke more to the person I have become in the years since I began blogging, began this writing/publishing journey. I wanted to incorporate some of the new things I've learned and the insights I've picked up along the way. I thought a lot about Winterson's book, and how it helped shape my thoughts around art and dissent and effecting change in the world, and I decided on Writing Objects.

Because it should. Writing, and all art, should object. It should rebel and revolt and buck and grow teeth and claws. It should gnash and growl and tear the jugular out of stagnation, out of complacency and status quo. It should shriek through the night in the name of love, justice, and the eternal life force.

I read a quote recently that I am about to mangle here, but it went something like this: Art says, "If we all agree, then I am not needed." That ra

Add a Comment
23. My Real Life Time-Travel Story

If you get a chance, check out my guest post for The Book Smugglers' Smugglivus Festival. I reveal my real life time-travel story and share my favourite films/TV shows/books of 2011, in addition to offering a quick glimpse at what I'm looking forward to in 2012... aaaaand, you can win an advance reading copy of INTO THE WISE DARK :).

Happy first day of increasing sunlight hours! And happy holidays to those of you celebrating something this month!!

Add a Comment
24. It's A Great Time to Speak Up

Sometimes, I look at my timeline on Twitter, and see authors, myself included, squeeing about new book covers, pleading with readers to buy/help promote books, discussing ways to hone one's skills and increase chances of getting published, etc. Usually, this is in the midst of tweets from other parts of the world where people are tweeting about the very real climate crisis, the very real revolutions going on in different parts of the planet, and the very real movements for social justice during one of the most critical times our collective human brain has witnessed to date. In case you missed it, we're teetering on a cusp right now. The decisions we make as a collective can really affect whether we survive. Seriously.

As I've written before, many, many voices and expressions are routinely muted while others are lifted in this society of ours. That's what the Occupy movement is all about. A handful of people make decisions about who gets to sit in the spotlight and how many thousands hold audience in the dark. A limited few perspectives get held up to the light, receive financial support, or are aggressively marketed and amplified. But you know what? We're not living in times where we can afford to wait for someone to give us the nod before we express our thoughts and opinions. One voice can and does make a difference. We've seen it time and again throughout history.

Things are changing--fast. There is access to new technology. Anyone can record and broadcast human rights violations and police brutality as they are happening. Thousands tweeted the eviction of the Occupy Wall Street protesters, despite Mayor Bloomberg's "media blackout." In fact, Occupy Wall Street has morphed into Occupy Our Homes -- taking back hundreds of thousands of empty, foreclosed homes in one of the highest periods of homelessness in this country, ever. Ebooks are widely accepted and read, and are available globally to anyone who has access to a reader, computer, or cell phone. Thoughts, ideas, and information are exchanged with lightning speed over the internet. The balance of power is totally shifting.

If ever there was a time it was more important for people to speak up, to not wait for someone else to provide validation, to throw their contribution into the ring to help shape the future of this little planet under siege, now is it.

Some of my friends have said to me, "Come on. It's not that bad. There are some really great publishers/filmmakers/singers, etc., doing great stuff, no?"

Yes, there are. But they're not the most visible or as widely publicized. And there are not enough of us to compensate for the tremendous imbalance in access and representation. I tell my friends, "If you think things are not 'really that bad,' you haven't been paying attention. Or you've been paying attention to the loudest, not necessarily the truest. Turn off mainstream media for a week and seek out other sources of news and information, then let's talk." Because guess what? We're not supposed to know how bad things are. If we did, we'd all be dropping everything to make it right. We'd unplug from the buying machine, and demand something different -- create something different.

Things are that bad. But the good news is that there is time for change. The U.N. Summit for Climate Change just took place in Durban, South Africa. There are scientists pleading with nations to take responsibility, to impl

Add a Comment
25. Still On Representation


From BBC.co.uk
This past weekend, I saw Stick Fly, a play produced by Alicia Keys, featuring Dule Hill, Mekhi Phifer, and Tracie Thoms. I can't say that I loved it, or that I even thought it was *good*, but I am absolutely glad I got to see it. Out of the literally hundreds of shows on Broadway, there are about *three* featuring (or written by) PoC.

As I mentioned, I wasn't crazy about some of the things in this play (for a show about family, I would have included mothers on the stage, and I would not have silenced a woman for speaking truth, but that's just me), but I truly appreciated this writer's humor, characterization, psychological depth, and frank dialogue on race dynamics, class, and colorism among the African-American elite. It's her perspective, her contribution, and I can respect that.

As I thought about it later, I wondered again, what it would be like to see more representations of PoC, in all our myriad expressions, on center screen, on the main stage, in the spotlight. How differently would we navigate life? What new possibilities would we conjure up? What new opportunities would we see that now elude us?

Even after multiple shining reviews in other cities, Stick Fly took almost six years to make it to Broadway for lack of funding and support. I thought about how many wonderful, brilliant stories there are out there that will never see the light of day because there is no financial backing for them. This story was not how I would have written a story about family, but it was a good story that deserved to be on stage -- on Broadway -- nonetheless. How many others are out there just like it, waiting for a producer's approval, an editor's nod, a bookstore's/reviewer's stamp? And how many will never get that nod because the person reading/viewing the story doesn't relate to it, or simply can't see themselves in it?

And then, this morning, I read this post on Zoetrope, about the "dead girl" look on some YA book covers, and I was reminded, once again, that the struggle for representation continues on all fronts.

But I was heartened by this BBC article about Indian youth wanting to see their own faces on stage. Whereas before, the preference was for white faces on the stage, young Indians now want to see their own images and valuesreflected back to them, in all their unique beauty and complexity. And the result is a uniquely Indian sound, exploding onto the Indie music scene.

History has shown us that independent thinkers/musicians/artists have paved the way for sweeping social and cultural change. I think we're in the midst of some of that same sweeping change here, too, with the balance of power shifting. It's exciting...like we're on the cusp of something very significant, very important. It's slow going, yes, but I'm in it for the long haul.


View Next 25 Posts