visiting new and old corners of houston…

Sections of murals by Genzo; (L) Tu Lucha; (R) Every Beautiful Poem “Women’s rights are human rights,” said Dr. Sima Samar when talking about the future of Afghan women...

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week 11: honoring legacy…

Yesterday, more than 50 invited family members and friends from around the world signed in on Zoom to celebrate my father and share stories about him. The baithak was...

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selling fast…

Top left: Gwendolyn Zepeda and some Houston Noir contributors at Murder by the Book, Houston, Texas; Top right: My reading at Skylight Books, Los Angeles, California; Bottom right and left:...

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my tortoise is trans…

November 2015: Oskar and René’s wedding “My tortoise is trans,” comments Tina. “She’s female actually,” explains Tina’s brother John. “But even though we’ve had the tortoise for more than...

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31 Aug, 2017

torrential rain on a global level…

Sehbar Sarwar
31 Aug, 2017

2008: Destruction after Hurricane Ike in our old Houston neighborhood In 2005, when Hurricane Rita hit the Gulf Coast, I wasn’t maintaining a blog. But the day we drove...

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22 Jun, 2017

reconnecting circles in a backyard…

Sehba Sarwar
22 Jun, 2017

November 2009: Audience members in my Houston backyard at a production I created, Honoring Dissent/Descent, to honor my father Dr. Mohammad Sarwar, and living activist Daniel Bustamante; photo by...

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07 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...

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15 Jan, 2017

a saturday night virtual playdate…

Sehbar Sarwar
15 Jan, 2017

“I’m at 10:21 seconds,” calls out Minal. “I need to catch up—I’m at 10:24 seconds!” Minal’s friend’s voice ricochets from Minal’s video phone that’s propped up in front of...

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16 Nov, 2016

revisiting “home”…

Sehba Sarwar
16 Nov, 2016

Minal and I spend five days in Houston, where she couch-surfs at her friends’ homes, while I find refuge at my friend Jacsun’s house as I prepare for VBB’s...

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26 Oct, 2016

memory: a hatchback transformed…

Sehbar Sarwar
26 Oct, 2016

I step out to our street today and freeze at the sidewalk. In front of me rests a red Honda Civic Hatchback, identical to the first new car I...

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