As we drive to school, Minal, who will be 11 in just a few weeks, says to me: “Children are more honest and peaceful than grown-ups.” “What do you...
Read more31 Aug, 2015
04 Aug, 2015
cadillac ranch…
04 Aug, 2015
On our drive from Santa Fe to Houston, we take a short detour to experience Cadillac Ranch. The cars remind me of Pakistani truck art and Houston’s Orange Show’s...
Read more03 Jul, 2015
from sydney…
03 Jul, 2015
Dr. Ruqaiya Hasan, Hong Kong, Feb 2015; photo by Lexie Don When our flight lands in Auckland, I turn on my phone to find messages from my sister, who...
Read more11 Jun, 2015
billboards…
11 Jun, 2015
photo by Minal The month of ramzaan (the way the month of fasting is referred to in South Asia) started today. In response, this billboard asking “Gave more this Ramadan?”...
Read more11 May, 2015
afterwards…
11 May, 2015
audience members at the Baker Ripley Community Center; photo by Paul Hester A month has floated away, and I’m still processing my What Is Home? production, one that took...
Read more08 May, 2015
one more day…
08 May, 2015
laying out final excerpts from my memoir before documents are sent to Oskar to layout The last few weeks have been filled with meals as I spend time with...
Read more07 May, 2015
essay in gray matters…
07 May, 2015
photograph of my 2009 “Listening from Within” installation dedicated to my father, Dr. Mohammad Sarwar; photo by Eric Hester An excerpt from my longer essay “That Long Monday Afternoon”...
Read more30 Apr, 2015
people don’t talk about the necessity of crossing…
30 Apr, 2015
Karen Martinez, a filmmaker and a recent college graduate, talks about “home” and crossing borders: Houston is my home. I was born in Tula, Hidalgo – Mexico – and...
Read more26 Apr, 2015
an earthquake and student voices…
26 Apr, 2015
Sagar’s apartment ceiling After a sleepless night, I wake up to read a text message by Hemangi, a Westbury High School student who participated in my storytelling workshop: Did...
Read more25 Apr, 2015
another assassination…
25 Apr, 2015
photo by Reuters My mobile phone ringer goes off while I’m at a lunch meeting. I glance at the phone and see that Beena is on the other side....
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