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Moolaadé

"What is a tradition in your culture that has been challenged in your lifetime?" I taught this film for my "African Film and Global Justice" seminar last summer and it has been one of my most meaningful teaching experiences. Talking about FGM with high school students is tricky but Sembène so beautifully makes us think about tradition— its limits and its redemptive potential. I love women.

Nur Nokshi Kantha Store

Okay so if you ever find yourself in rural Bangladesh you must visit my dad's childhood friend's Nokshi Kantha store. It is an award winning embroidery shop and allegedly one of the first places to start the tradition of nokshi kantha in Bangladesh which are these incredibly elaborate storytelling embroideries that can be found across the Bengal delta. I recently purchased two incredibly tapestries that tell the story of the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war embroidered by local women in my father's village of Chapai Nawabganj

it's pulling me apart, this time (2023) Qualaesha Wood

It’s Pulling Me Apart, This Time (2023), Qualaesha Wood, woven jacquard and glass seed beads, 147.3 cm x 208.3 cm. Wrote about Quaelaesha Wood extensively for my undergrad thesis alongside Faith Ringgold. I so admire how she is taking up the Black feminist tradition of quilting for the 21st century and she's also just hilarious. Hope to keep writing and thinking about her in grad school!

Interpreter of Maladies (Jhumpa Lahiri)

Maybe not that niche but this book is my genesis so it must be included on the list. Reading it in 11th grade solidified that my creative practice must include family histories told through the point of view of women. Especially in South Asian families where family narratives are so often dictated by men and their legacies. Every single story in this collection makes me consistently tear up.

Moolaadé

"What is a tradition in your culture that has been challenged in your lifetime?" I taught this film for my "African Film and Global Justice" seminar last summer and it has been one of my most meaningful teaching experiences. Talking about FGM with high school students is tricky but Sembène so beautifully makes us think about tradition— its limits and its redemptive potential. I love women.

Nur Nokshi Kantha Store

Okay so if you ever find yourself in rural Bangladesh you must visit my dad's childhood friend's Nokshi Kantha store. It is an award winning embroidery shop and allegedly one of the first places to start the tradition of nokshi kantha in Bangladesh which are these incredibly elaborate storytelling embroideries that can be found across the Bengal delta. I recently purchased two incredibly tapestries that tell the story of the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war embroidered by local women in my father's village of Chapai Nawabganj

it's pulling me apart, this time (2023) Qualaesha Wood

It’s Pulling Me Apart, This Time (2023), Qualaesha Wood, woven jacquard and glass seed beads, 147.3 cm x 208.3 cm. Wrote about Quaelaesha Wood extensively for my undergrad thesis alongside Faith Ringgold. I so admire how she is taking up the Black feminist tradition of quilting for the 21st century and she's also just hilarious. Hope to keep writing and thinking about her in grad school!

Interpreter of Maladies (Jhumpa Lahiri)

Maybe not that niche but this book is my genesis so it must be included on the list. Reading it in 11th grade solidified that my creative practice must include family histories told through the point of view of women. Especially in South Asian families where family narratives are so often dictated by men and their legacies. Every single story in this collection makes me consistently tear up.