This week, our spring break, René, Minal, and I boarded a flight to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, which is just two hours away from Los Angeles. When we landed in...
Read more23 Mar, 2018
17 Jul, 2017
how to pray openly…
17 Jul, 2017
While spending time with my sister in Boston, we visited Castle Island, a beach near downtown. Because the beach is so close to the city, the small coast and...
Read more07 May, 2017
assumptions…
07 May, 2017
I stand in the security line at Houston’s Hobby Airport behind a desi man, who is shorter than I am and wears glasses. As always, people are trying to...
Read more27 Mar, 2017
no borders, no walls….
27 Mar, 2017
a fence dividing two nations To celebrate spring break, the family and I drive down the coastline to visit San Diego. On our last morning, we dip down to...
Read more07 Feb, 2017
vacant airplane…
07 Feb, 2017
Empty airplane seats on my 16-hour journey from LAX to KHI, where I’m heading for just six days to participate in the annual Karachi Literature Festival, which will attract...
Read more28 Dec, 2016
learning more every day…
28 Dec, 2016
This week, poet, performance artist and educator Christa Forster, who I met in Houston more than two decades ago and have remained friends with ever since, visited her hometown...
Read more21 Nov, 2016
reminders and a respite…
21 Nov, 2016
After spending five days in Houston, Minal flies with me to Washington DC where I’m invited to attend a National Endowment for the Arts convening. With a free day...
Read more08 Aug, 2016
dismantling helmut’s designer coffee table…
08 Aug, 2016
Packing and dismantling objects that we have collected for decades is more exhausting than I envisioned. In the past, I have either packed a suitcase and flown, or thrown...
Read more30 Dec, 2015
exploring los angeles…
30 Dec, 2015
Watts Towers; photo by Minal René, Minal and I make a trek to Watts, one of LA’s oldest neighborhoods, where we manage to catch sunset at Watts Towers (Simon...
Read more29 Dec, 2015
braving the lines…
29 Dec, 2015
On our second day in Los Angeles, René, Minal and I wake up early, so we can get to Disneyland before a crowd builds up. However, the battle to...
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