tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35736755745963484922024-03-27T14:40:35.858-04:00Uzma Aslam KhanUzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-71159752463591338332023-11-01T13:54:00.005-04:002023-11-07T13:01:36.947-05:0023rd Annual Massachusetts Book Awards Ceremony<p>Honored to receive the<a href="https://www.massbook.org/mass-book-awards"> 2023 Mass Book Award in Fiction</a> for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Miraculous-True-History-Nomi-Ali/dp/1646051645/ref=sr_1_1?crid=9TOJ1FOAK7V5&keywords=uzma+aslam+khan&qid=1698855871&sprefix=uzma%2Caps%2C71&sr=8-1"> <i>The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</i></a> at the Massachusetts State House in Boston at the ceremony last week. Given by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/masscenterforbook/?img_index=1">Mass Center for the Book</a>, the award has this citation from the judges:</p><p>'<i>The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali </i>is a sweeping historical epic, set in the Andaman Islands. Centered on the experiences of Nomi and Zee, children born to a convict and his wife, the novel shows how their day-to-say existence is sharply altered with the advent of World War II and their homeland moving from British to Japanese control. Beautiful language and page-turning events combine to make this novel eminently readable, illuminating an under-represented part of the word during perhaps the highest impact event of the 20th century.' </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixToQjtZAvUlsACNXKLA2E4axom0tA7OSR6twf1wEUM32d0VVKxW85MqyNWSWaOrl-ZmbZfMve41XjsjSsDhSgMiR3qUxXrArjtAMUYMcmD0o51nagCfj1KjWToPbBIgt9z-tE0fWhMQa71X6x-hL0WioltzDgPrRwIHsBfIUhyphenhyphenzUC0gnlx13APb86G1c/s1538/Screenshot%202023-11-01%20at%201.06.50%20PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1538" data-original-width="1236" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixToQjtZAvUlsACNXKLA2E4axom0tA7OSR6twf1wEUM32d0VVKxW85MqyNWSWaOrl-ZmbZfMve41XjsjSsDhSgMiR3qUxXrArjtAMUYMcmD0o51nagCfj1KjWToPbBIgt9z-tE0fWhMQa71X6x-hL0WioltzDgPrRwIHsBfIUhyphenhyphenzUC0gnlx13APb86G1c/w321-h400/Screenshot%202023-11-01%20at%201.06.50%20PM.png" width="321" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>As returning visitors to my blog likely know, and as I shared in my acceptance remarks, the language took a long time to find. Language was failing me because the archives were failing me. Because of the colonial project itself, the selective erasure that it's built upon. Much of what I know is through sources that omit people like me--brown, Muslim women from the Global South, ourselves products of multiple displacements caused by colonialism and war. Once I understood that I couldn't trust the 'facts,' only then did a language for my characters begin to form, one of imagination, of enchantment. One that I could trust. It took 27 years (+ 3 for US publication). In all that time, though the geography has remained under-represented, tragically, the story has always been as much about the present as the past. </p><p>It touches me deeply that the award is from the state where the book found its completion, and where I still live. Truly, I didn't expect to win. There were v big names up this year that I was sure it would go to. Huge thanks to the judges and again to MCB for promoting books & writers, reading & libraries. Congratulations to all the winners, honorees & must-reads. Enjoy some pics.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQs1UjTfb0jyOuubfFlVvh3RTNoIrrXC4ngpmSSEpsmUYjER0eQehEa5f32jm612KD0IlowBh9K3cGTBSbpcATrcZ-TQTtOfTMgU3yMK2owcdK5Eg7xZfeMZkTpiGSXad5U6TW3lqIlssa1Vtcdzv7POyzfvizf27AzgWfBWcKcie4MPzb1uRAviyGEpk/s2559/In%20the%20beginning%20with%20Courtney.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1706" data-original-width="2559" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQs1UjTfb0jyOuubfFlVvh3RTNoIrrXC4ngpmSSEpsmUYjER0eQehEa5f32jm612KD0IlowBh9K3cGTBSbpcATrcZ-TQTtOfTMgU3yMK2owcdK5Eg7xZfeMZkTpiGSXad5U6TW3lqIlssa1Vtcdzv7POyzfvizf27AzgWfBWcKcie4MPzb1uRAviyGEpk/w400-h266/In%20the%20beginning%20with%20Courtney.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtney Andree, Executive Director of MCB, our wonderful emcee. Photo: <a href="https://www.merrillsheaphotography.com/Events/Mass-Center-for-the-Book-Awards-102423/">Merrill Shea</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_GFP51pI27c3NnJM0CvD28rXrJeTZMz1TknG7JjDyf2zqkPuQSFNcFjPsjeWUU-RGx7wsiHX0qb4kkRx6oC4Xc0k-uYowakN79sRqfatNiTAucbMi9pPZzasp7PFVGTjy8So00AeEpO-exhqnaKvmrYntyomE14lZ_O8qzch74OxC8TXhQerALzahohc/s902/Screenshot%202023-11-01%20at%201.24.58%20PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="902" data-original-width="676" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_GFP51pI27c3NnJM0CvD28rXrJeTZMz1TknG7JjDyf2zqkPuQSFNcFjPsjeWUU-RGx7wsiHX0qb4kkRx6oC4Xc0k-uYowakN79sRqfatNiTAucbMi9pPZzasp7PFVGTjy8So00AeEpO-exhqnaKvmrYntyomE14lZ_O8qzch74OxC8TXhQerALzahohc/w300-h400/Screenshot%202023-11-01%20at%201.24.58%20PM.png" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me + the story of the story. Photo: <a href="http://davidmaine.blogspot.com">David Maine</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmI-4bkYQMLG380SJI6EQrG2hG2uaW3rJK5ejZcz_21PcQuQQiAOlQLT5tHTLbdeROdqGpQ4vUaS-LYryukf7oLxptl-vRZ8BLYkOIb6hVlzcydA-iWX6SENAYe1rjIUAEhGzK3aBLgDjgoeQz66gXhGr36YRx93sTQ77dRLLWt5Gw1bSQtR2-ftw5XJA/s3500/Cute%20one%20with%20book.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2333" data-original-width="3500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmI-4bkYQMLG380SJI6EQrG2hG2uaW3rJK5ejZcz_21PcQuQQiAOlQLT5tHTLbdeROdqGpQ4vUaS-LYryukf7oLxptl-vRZ8BLYkOIb6hVlzcydA-iWX6SENAYe1rjIUAEhGzK3aBLgDjgoeQz66gXhGr36YRx93sTQ77dRLLWt5Gw1bSQtR2-ftw5XJA/w400-h266/Cute%20one%20with%20book.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me + the story. Photo Credit: Merrill Shea</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-22834176952696354232023-09-06T18:50:00.004-04:002023-11-05T16:44:55.603-05:002023 Mass Book Awards in Fiction: The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali wins!<p>The 2023 Massachusetts Book Awards were announced today and <i>The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali </i>is the winner in fiction. What an honor and a thrill! A blessing with a kiss.</p><p>Learn more, and buy a copy: <a href="https://bookshop.org/lists/2023-massachusetts-book-awards">https://bookshop.org/lists/2023-massachusetts-book-awards</a> </p><p>Congratulations to all the winners, honorees, must-reads in all the categories--all who dare to write a book and put it out there. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQ7rx9SLrpkcDu3SmTShWOUm7tXCwa3TMQsOpto8mn_Ughh69kGnkN2eMvizfnWHMzrrns3TStti-kkg8LGu3hxNEEV9R1PZeIuxntWXQD2kyDGd_Lz4kZmSPe2x11rf6gPHDfW2_5gnAIZ0kulnlu8wWKmfI1oaqb3XaXtDU9xqJsN1__34MBpkyixk/s2428/Screenshot%202023-09-06%20at%2011.28.44%20AM%20copy%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1364" data-original-width="2428" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQ7rx9SLrpkcDu3SmTShWOUm7tXCwa3TMQsOpto8mn_Ughh69kGnkN2eMvizfnWHMzrrns3TStti-kkg8LGu3hxNEEV9R1PZeIuxntWXQD2kyDGd_Lz4kZmSPe2x11rf6gPHDfW2_5gnAIZ0kulnlu8wWKmfI1oaqb3XaXtDU9xqJsN1__34MBpkyixk/w400-h225/Screenshot%202023-09-06%20at%2011.28.44%20AM%20copy%202.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Writers need privacy and quiet, but also community and reciprocity. Maybe especially those of us who've been at it for a long time. James Baldwin said it best, of course: "Talent is insignificant. I know a lot of talented ruins. Beyond talent is all the usual words: discipline, love, luck, but most of all, endurance." Endurance needs support. Today I feel the support. </p><p>Immense gratitude to <a href="https://www.massbook.org/mass-book-awards">Mass Center for the Book</a> and to Massachusetts librarians for reading and judging. Every librarian, every reader, every organization that supports literature and those who create it, is doing the work of keeping a dying culture of empathy and imagination alive. This is warrior work. Thank you, thank you. </p><p>Read the full list in all categories: <a href="https://www.massbook.org/mass-book-awards">https://www.massbook.org/mass-book-awards</a></p><div><br /></div>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-80237966929646673902023-08-14T16:38:00.000-04:002023-08-14T16:38:31.612-04:00Australian Book Review: 2023 Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize / Shortlist, Podcast, Ceremony<p><u>The shortlist</u>:</p><p>I wrote a story, "Our Own Fantastic," and it's one of three to be shortlisted for Australian Book Review's 2023 Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize. Congratulations to all. The stories can be read in full in the <a href="https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/prizes-programs/elizabeth-jolley-story-prize/2023-jolley-prize?idU=3&fbclid=IwAR0gBfLa4Zv1chuTtrWs0f3n6skEJlroGRRZ5D4W0h2-2TF0kedpBb06Ylc">August print issue</a>. </p><p><u>The podcast</u>:</p><p>If you'd like to hear me read the story, listen to the<a href="https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/podcast/760-the-abr-podcast/10679-2023-jolley-short-story-prize-shortlist-episode-three-our-own-fantastic-by-uzma-aslam-khan-the-abr-podcast-156?fbclid=IwAR2yXyWsDjEDkDBwwq5knszmnmMMjD6ePpNBGdE9Ab7_--VvFmYbhzS-Ksg"> podcast on ABR's website</a>. It's my first time reading a work from start to finish; an advantage of a short story over a novel.</p><p><u>The ceremony</u>:</p><p>There's a Zoom ceremony this Thursday, August 17 at 6:00 pm Australian time (Melbourne). If the timing works (it'll be 4:00 a.m. US EST, but better on most other time zones!), RSVP to: rsvp@australianbookreview.com.au They'll send the Zoom link via email on the morning of the event.</p><p>There were 1200 entries from 38 countries. Many thanks to the judges and to Australian Book Review <span style="font-size: x-small;">💜</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIREeKvYr3NlbjLWm55DHiCnAoxr566fjlwMb-5JeTwyUXdZVNbJpl5XONfvJABySOguYQD28RMLc0DAF4_W-vSzQdnIuH_3YOUR1-Eamv3BS9K8IxmVBjv95cQMWW1vwiAqERnf7aGQ-8wR-6kJ3Yzy4gl3K6hAmqcYBWqqJDVcTHdvl9_HFpO1I3rl0/s808/Screenshot%202023-08-14%20at%2012.34.13%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="808" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIREeKvYr3NlbjLWm55DHiCnAoxr566fjlwMb-5JeTwyUXdZVNbJpl5XONfvJABySOguYQD28RMLc0DAF4_W-vSzQdnIuH_3YOUR1-Eamv3BS9K8IxmVBjv95cQMWW1vwiAqERnf7aGQ-8wR-6kJ3Yzy4gl3K6hAmqcYBWqqJDVcTHdvl9_HFpO1I3rl0/w400-h303/Screenshot%202023-08-14%20at%2012.34.13%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2ahzFuIp6EPTjEQtFUVxd7-q9Xm52aDrJdwxX6qPw5HAqvTWe9MArnBzCWIX7oWWNGlz21k6IwExXlSolvphkksX8zfdJ79yczmvDvt6um4OFDXmw0H7WxSl0xSeZE_Q6zUiYSAlaRnbg-gWNkA0Fp5-zgyu49RguFFNiHGMXk9wn_QMU2_sG_SpICU/s1898/Screenshot%202023-08-14%20at%2012.31.09%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="1898" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2ahzFuIp6EPTjEQtFUVxd7-q9Xm52aDrJdwxX6qPw5HAqvTWe9MArnBzCWIX7oWWNGlz21k6IwExXlSolvphkksX8zfdJ79yczmvDvt6um4OFDXmw0H7WxSl0xSeZE_Q6zUiYSAlaRnbg-gWNkA0Fp5-zgyu49RguFFNiHGMXk9wn_QMU2_sG_SpICU/w400-h199/Screenshot%202023-08-14%20at%2012.31.09%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><p></p>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-92066275706161701192023-07-04T13:16:00.005-04:002023-07-04T13:44:20.485-04:00TRESPASSING turns 20<p>This summer's the 20th birthday of <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Trespassing-Novel-Uzma-Aslam-Khan/dp/0312423551/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339183734&sr=8-1">Trespassing</a>, </i>first published in June 2003 and later translated into 14 languages in 18 countries. </p><p>The book began after I left Morocco for Arizona, carrying with me clippings of the media's Islamophobic coverage of the 1991 Gulf War. I also carried articles on silkworm rearing in Pakistan-- the revival of the natural silk production in the country fascinated me, as did the insects' wondrous life cycles. And so the book began to spin its own cocoon, the many story threads seeming to weave themselves, all unfolding during the 1979-89 Afghan War and 1991 Gulf War, and the aftermaths of both--the period when I grew up. The book was already in production when the next bombing of Iraq began in 2003.</p><p>Though my second novel,<i> Trespassing</i> was the first to be published internationally. I'd no experience of the hefty publicity expectations that writers (esp. from underrepresented backgrounds) carry. At <a href="https://www.englishpen.org/posts/events/international-writers-day-2003/">an English PEN event</a>, people came up to me to say I was 'so shy' and 'reclusive'; I was overall overwhelmed. But I enjoyed meeting Nicola Smyth for <i>The Independent</i>, in which she wrote:</p><p>'<i>Trespassing</i> was completed several months before the events of September 2001. Its focus on the first Gulf War, and on previous Afghan conflicts, leaves (Khan) unsettled by her own unwitting prescience.' </p><p>Read the full profile<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/uzma-aslam-khan-a-cocktail-of-influences-109127.html"> here</a>. Others have since cited the book as a kind of forerunner of post- 9/11 fiction from the region.</p><p>Among the scenes I enjoyed writing most are those on Dia's silkworm farm outside Karachi; I kept the cocoons to better understand these cycles. Parts that tug, still, involve Salaamat and his devotion to truck art, even as he gets embroiled in a war that he longs to escape, but can't. </p><p>For more on the book, please visit my website <a href="https://www.uzmaaslamkhan.com/trespassing">here</a> for reviews & <a href="https://www.uzmaaslamkhan.com/interviews">here</a> for interviews. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJADThqUbyXKU-uL-ad4PH9QJnFrrjoO0YSH6vI2BZnFibrv2L4PwxPdDlKybnuJ221UW1d6vRlvuEooxf2AddVJoMUX6gsHcg5eaAzl8UQbLYNf6gZQJRJIGb_BYAk9XL9MyMDyb-xna1T2sWsABtKdvZEngD1wGtSbbIwkCLYlpnDNOIHTOelsmQJHM/s1892/Trespassing%20info%20sheet--revised%20July%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1892" data-original-width="1462" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJADThqUbyXKU-uL-ad4PH9QJnFrrjoO0YSH6vI2BZnFibrv2L4PwxPdDlKybnuJ221UW1d6vRlvuEooxf2AddVJoMUX6gsHcg5eaAzl8UQbLYNf6gZQJRJIGb_BYAk9XL9MyMDyb-xna1T2sWsABtKdvZEngD1wGtSbbIwkCLYlpnDNOIHTOelsmQJHM/w494-h640/Trespassing%20info%20sheet--revised%20July%202023.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-42183143116624353702023-05-16T13:05:00.001-04:002023-05-16T14:21:47.652-04:00Nominations for Nomi: Mass Book Awards + Foreword INDIES <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Miraculous-True-History-Nomi-Ali/dp/1646051645/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1650896798&sr=8-3">The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</a></i> is a <i>Foreword Reviews</i>' <a href="https://www.forewordreviews.com/awards/books/the-miraculous-true-history-of-nomi-ali/?fbclid=IwAR3pjfKLnAsxOAwvRwwjgE5TTmRujCarGBlkAVio_Vk49JtbNGI42Uk4Nrg">2022 INDIES finalist in Historical Fiction</a>. Thank you <i>Foreword Reviews</i> for supporting writers published by independent presses. <div>For a list of Foreword nominees in all categories, click <a href="https://www.forewordreviews.com/awards/finalists/2022/">here</a>. <div><br /></div><div><i>The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</i> is also a <a href="https://myemail.constantcontact.com/23rd-Annual-Massachusetts-Book-Awards-Must-Reads.html?soid=1118683784419&aid=TUBAItygMsc&fbclid=IwAR22bdxkLWfTrsoNevwBzse7pS9Ssq_0mhfNdgQcBWx6ESUu04v0HcyM8GU">23rd Annual Massachusetts Book Award "Must-Read"</a> (longlist) in Fiction. Gratitude to Massachusetts Center for the Book, and to librarians for reading and judging. My book began with finding a quote by accident in a library; we need libraries, more than ever, in this scary time of book bans and censorship. </div><div>For a list of Mass Book Awards nominees in all categories, click <a href="https://myemail.constantcontact.com/23rd-Annual-Massachusetts-Book-Awards-Must-Reads.html?soid=1118683784419&aid=TUBAItygMsc&fbclid=IwAR22bdxkLWfTrsoNevwBzse7pS9Ssq_0mhfNdgQcBWx6ESUu04v0HcyM8GU">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thank you to all the hands that support writers in doing what we most love. <br />
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</div></div>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-6456713636220289172022-12-10T15:17:00.005-05:002022-12-13T21:23:47.981-05:00Best Historical Fiction 2022--The New York Times<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Miraculous-True-History-Nomi-Ali/dp/1646051645/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</a></i> is a<i> New York Times</i>' pick for Best Historical Fiction 2022!</p><p>
Alida Becker: "These sturdy times machines have two things in common: They're built to last and they're constructed by pros."
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There are ten books on the list, including three Nobel laureates, Abdul Razak Gurnah; Olga Tokarczuk; Orhan Pamuk. Read about all ten <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/04/books/review/the-best-historical-fiction-of-2022.html">here</a>. </p><p>
So grateful and honored 💜
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RZI81VxQkLBFN3BhkkY2XxEodhvzLKL7ITQemfgZjKx4L0GEPYfO0li0MCXuhY1XwLcq4xx4vfAaMdgaTVLSg9UZA-Doh-iZVN-um41FqemuEFR5McMcRrKxoWzBU9IyqcLp3m3JSVP_5sDRHWknXl3dRox7OiEt43cBoZcI7h89lB21b_vGWMQB/s1440/A12F1939-10F7-4371-A0E2-5A37C38EF57B.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8RZI81VxQkLBFN3BhkkY2XxEodhvzLKL7ITQemfgZjKx4L0GEPYfO0li0MCXuhY1XwLcq4xx4vfAaMdgaTVLSg9UZA-Doh-iZVN-um41FqemuEFR5McMcRrKxoWzBU9IyqcLp3m3JSVP_5sDRHWknXl3dRox7OiEt43cBoZcI7h89lB21b_vGWMQB/s320/A12F1939-10F7-4371-A0E2-5A37C38EF57B.jpg"/></a></div>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-84317604744982779432022-09-11T12:36:00.005-04:002022-09-11T14:36:42.266-04:00Rochester 9/24 at 4:00/*Reading & Book Signing Please join me in person for a reading, Q & A, and book signing of <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Miraculous-True-History-Nomi-Ali/dp/1646051645/ref=sr_1_1?crid=17WOMMB0E96Y2&keywords=the%20miraculous%20true%20history%20of%20nomi%20ali&qid=1642432143&s=books&sprefix=THE%20MIRACULOUS%20TRUE%20%2Cstripbooks%2C89&sr=1-1">The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</a></i> on Saturday, September 24 at 4:00 p.m. The event is hosted by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CiGc-Q4hs5-/">Akimbo Bookshop</a> in Rochester, NY.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUA3CwVlnDoIPGouveMZKXRWlF0cHl622k1SeWvtdId6yTze8dSzw4tP744nKTUjtn1JPCUwQRHAcgJijoR43cIIKpTIyMMCPN6bWRkU4KX-G3hM4EzECUITNMGyoApiIvNHx-_DTIXL4wVy_sJ1I9Ru3nzytmpPpv9JfRJzHpZtRZ1m85v-BnheJb/s1650/uzma%20aslam%20khan%20rochester%20.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="600" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="1275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUA3CwVlnDoIPGouveMZKXRWlF0cHl622k1SeWvtdId6yTze8dSzw4tP744nKTUjtn1JPCUwQRHAcgJijoR43cIIKpTIyMMCPN6bWRkU4KX-G3hM4EzECUITNMGyoApiIvNHx-_DTIXL4wVy_sJ1I9Ru3nzytmpPpv9JfRJzHpZtRZ1m85v-BnheJb/s600/uzma%20aslam%20khan%20rochester%20.jpg"/></a></div>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-24258851865208853432022-08-18T15:41:00.004-04:002022-08-19T12:13:28.824-04:00"88 Books to Bring Your Summer Alive"--The New York Times<p>Thrilled and honored that <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Miraculous-True-History-Nomi-Ali/dp/1646051645/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=s1NT8&content-id=amzn1.sym.e4bd6ac6-9035-4a04-92a6-fc4ad60e09ad&pf_rd_p=e4bd6ac6-9035-4a04-92a6-fc4ad60e09ad&pf_rd_r=TD9WG1EZ0A46XK2HZBM5&pd_rd_wg=lD7vw&pd_rd_r=d4ef6afa-ecd4-4e13-bb38-e082b8c824e8&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m">The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</a></i> is one of <i>The New York Times</i>' "Books for Summer 2022." And, yes: it's still summer! </p><p>
For the full list, click <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/books/summer-reading.html?fbclid=IwAR3QdSbnrGis5MWuT5H1q4HJUG7sramoMaCkkrWSZkUEwksbcGdo1KTNrVI">here</a>.
For the <i>NYT </i>review of <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Miraculous-True-History-Nomi-Ali/dp/1646051645/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=j3QHq&content-id=amzn1.sym.e4bd6ac6-9035-4a04-92a6-fc4ad60e09ad&pf_rd_p=e4bd6ac6-9035-4a04-92a6-fc4ad60e09ad&pf_rd_r=BNZ7Q5W72A1GKAV5HX3F&pd_rd_wg=hclgb&pd_rd_r=b439dfff-91a1-4f0a-b860-3685a95d99d7&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m">The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</a></i>, see the section "Historical Fiction" in above link, or click <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/27/books/review/new-historical-fiction.html">here</a>.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpeJ7VQRmImIRDibSLLvDFdVe76FtNrrz7nW1po-VVOcMtbqA8J3fEgJOgdMTEh6Bl7KAh4d3WehYvvoAk-ey3uQIF_uuCpLT2I8QRhUvpnm2AkUeItMitKsNxxBfb4gISMySnGK1bMDIfFAV9wvE4fCh3HH8Inws8BUyBMlJajMV9RhQxrAbhaU9/s796/New%20York%20Times%20highlighted.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpeJ7VQRmImIRDibSLLvDFdVe76FtNrrz7nW1po-VVOcMtbqA8J3fEgJOgdMTEh6Bl7KAh4d3WehYvvoAk-ey3uQIF_uuCpLT2I8QRhUvpnm2AkUeItMitKsNxxBfb4gISMySnGK1bMDIfFAV9wvE4fCh3HH8Inws8BUyBMlJajMV9RhQxrAbhaU9/s400/New%20York%20Times%20highlighted.png"/></a></div>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-23182900146939615992022-07-28T16:53:00.007-04:002022-07-28T17:07:50.727-04:00Conversation with Claire Chambers in Full Stop magazineAn honor to be in conversation with <a href="https://www.intellectbooks.com/claire-chambers">Claire Chambers</a>, writer, professor, and Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, about <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Miraculous-True-History-Nomi-Ali/dp/1646051645/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=CQPXM&content-id=amzn1.sym.bbb6bbd8-d236-47cb-b42f-734cb0cacc1f&pf_rd_p=bbb6bbd8-d236-47cb-b42f-734cb0cacc1f&pf_rd_r=48S6Z5QZESWY7SY9XK83&pd_rd_wg=GUB3b&pd_rd_r=2189914f-8470-4dbd-aaea-92354b417ff9&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mi">The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</a></i> in <a href="https://www.full-stop.net/2022/07/26/interviews/clairechambers/uzma-aslam-khan/">Full Stop magazine</a>. Excerpt: </p><p><b>Claire Chambers</b>: In the novel you've created many diverse strands within a complex structure ... How do you hold together all those strands? You briefly write about kintsugi: "the art of repair [...] visibly featuring the repair, instead of concealing it [...] The result is more precious than the original." </p><p>Might kintsugi as the beautiful piecing together of history's fragments work as a metaphor for your own techniques in this novel? I'm thinking here of David Walcott's Nobel Prize acceptance speech from 1992, The Antilles: Fragments of Epic Memory, in which he writes: "Break a vase, and the love that reassembles the fragments is stronger than that love which took its symmetry for granted when it was whole [...] It is such a love that reassembles our African and Asiatic fragments."</p><p>This quote seems to me very suggestive for your own historical and aesthetic project: do you agree?</p><p><b>Uzma Aslam Khan</b>: Claire, thank you for drawing my attention to Walcott's wondrous speech. I hadn't read it before. Yes, absolutely, it speaks to my own making of the many strands (of my novel) and their piecing together. I didn't choose to write it this way, though. The book decides. I was working with a wide cast of characters from different geographies, so the structure took awhile to reveal itself. Nor was I aware of the multiplicity till I was done. It was my Indian publisher who first pointed out that there were characters from what was to become Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, as well as from Burma, and from across languages and faiths. Maybe because of all the geographies that I carry within me, and all the fragmented languages and histories as well, lateral imagining and thinking seem to be where I go. </p><p>I don't have a clear understanding of how I tap into the different voices. Each character appears first in an image--visual or spoken. So the prisoner's story began with letters from her family. Nomi with the chicken being chased by the Japanese. These seeds--or fragments--took shape from early scribbles that were more like sketches. It is a visual process, and I agree so deeply with Walcott's celebration of the love that goes into this assembling and reassembling, and agree too that it is "stronger than that love which took its symmetry for granted when whole." </p><p><span> <span> </span></span>** Many thanks to Claire and Full Stop. Read the rest of our conversation <a href="https://www.full-stop.net/2022/07/26/interviews/clairechambers/uzma-aslam-khan/">here</a>. </p><p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMl4xF3_Sy8iW9_10kwLY7jhpmeELg4kDS-sTYu6Lplpt9tCnYgjqg_FtRlD-jsD6IEvmTr9xVH_1hoh9kGM21K-_qsqHP8cRIebeetSS2tOuP5ki6OtPbNjMH-DYgHqhWT5bg0ro3gPf002HhuLs_wG66AGIIq1JHR797bxi1ByZtq8FCdkUXSIJp/s1169/fullsizeoutput_94a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1169" data-original-width="793" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMl4xF3_Sy8iW9_10kwLY7jhpmeELg4kDS-sTYu6Lplpt9tCnYgjqg_FtRlD-jsD6IEvmTr9xVH_1hoh9kGM21K-_qsqHP8cRIebeetSS2tOuP5ki6OtPbNjMH-DYgHqhWT5bg0ro3gPf002HhuLs_wG66AGIIq1JHR797bxi1ByZtq8FCdkUXSIJp/w434-h640/fullsizeoutput_94a.jpeg" width="434" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo credit <a href="http://davidmaine.blogspot.com">David Maine</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-44704085334471853282022-07-06T12:11:00.003-04:002022-07-08T10:28:56.045-04:00The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali--now available in the UK<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqU5AWOT1ko3wOvEfIFwIDdLfkb5L3L_LtaNhIR7Jmr1arZoE_-lJNNC-_lcS05m0NYB8pRlSsnLxk1B3Nw732ddhnDvI6Jxt8TlMVa3FwEpK-LAuHsMgg30RjAwzVJx2bkithTgxTNt97MY-j0HMdBMYVl3M3vT4Ln1xf3UbOXlnoUkcCycuMsgX-/s4032/IMG_5029.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqU5AWOT1ko3wOvEfIFwIDdLfkb5L3L_LtaNhIR7Jmr1arZoE_-lJNNC-_lcS05m0NYB8pRlSsnLxk1B3Nw732ddhnDvI6Jxt8TlMVa3FwEpK-LAuHsMgg30RjAwzVJx2bkithTgxTNt97MY-j0HMdBMYVl3M3vT4Ln1xf3UbOXlnoUkcCycuMsgX-/w400-h300/IMG_5029.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><i><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Miraculous-True-History-Nomi-Ali/dp/1646051645/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1WJUFMLY81KYY&keywords=uzma+aslam+khan&qid=1657122206&sprefix=%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-1">The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</a></i> is now available in the UK. If you live there, or know folks who do, please find it, order from your favorite bookstore, click the highlighted book title, or<a href="https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Miraculous-True-History-of-Nomi-Ali-by-Uzma-Aslam-Khan/9781646051649?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIra3j_Mvk-AIV7sqUCR0i-Ar8EAMYASAAEgIWtPD_BwE"> here</a>. Send kisses on strong winds--books don't find wings on their own. Particularly those exposing the horrors of empire, and with a lot of tenderness and love, "a kind of intervention of knowing to the colonial one," to quote Aracelis Girmay from my conversation with her last month in <i><a href="https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/there-is-freedom-in-not-having-a-script-a-conversation-with-uzma-aslam-khan/">Los Angeles Review of Books</a>. </i></p><p>Also pictured: Stokesia laevis, or Stokes' Aster. It's been budding and blooming since our return from NYC and the fab evening at <a href="https://www.mcnallyjackson.com/product/miraculous-true-history-nomi-ali-rsvp-book">McNally</a>, where Mara Ahmed (left in the pic) asked me beautiful, thought-provoking questions on the book, and the audience engaged with so much heart. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vOeTumBOQYaHpEJWv4T-TQIhElTncmEdxZ_aUKCs981WJjzvk3HmtJwTfCJdA87txWEMD_ynrJJUZhQhHkpTqx3pspkFPoFQiRQaT7Bt5GNPZAgCzuy5NnnxzCbIqc-ID2YqzUm_TQwHSgCbuRaHKjQXijrERiVoMdnUgegPXvHLN7jk0rxHhq-A/s4032/IMG_5991.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vOeTumBOQYaHpEJWv4T-TQIhElTncmEdxZ_aUKCs981WJjzvk3HmtJwTfCJdA87txWEMD_ynrJJUZhQhHkpTqx3pspkFPoFQiRQaT7Bt5GNPZAgCzuy5NnnxzCbIqc-ID2YqzUm_TQwHSgCbuRaHKjQXijrERiVoMdnUgegPXvHLN7jk0rxHhq-A/w188-h232/IMG_5991.JPG" width="188" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mlyaN8H8t6YBqwHrX1u1ytBjItbJbFK2uFdckgnYAXHRrQpPdkQRIqaHVT_mpEqR_6OK2A12XP9Txr1b-_iDkqUS15Mv0kaakogCbJxFW0Xel8YuI3V3iOloQMz4ABTEO0JeEPfQc6az6njjlPCSTCO1yZA8C3M9-_OK9gZujprPvpnex_SLhac7/s4032/IMG_5986.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mlyaN8H8t6YBqwHrX1u1ytBjItbJbFK2uFdckgnYAXHRrQpPdkQRIqaHVT_mpEqR_6OK2A12XP9Txr1b-_iDkqUS15Mv0kaakogCbJxFW0Xel8YuI3V3iOloQMz4ABTEO0JeEPfQc6az6njjlPCSTCO1yZA8C3M9-_OK9gZujprPvpnex_SLhac7/s320/IMG_5986.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZE5vGEZNuP-MHGfrWOR2Md04F0bR5ptg5Cu4xSz9NgC3jTvFsPZWt-i3-HkJyCNF470Uez8sWw6cadsDD_zOg5ICTrPEvRrEpUEzW1WqicsKRrNHQlj8mndi8DKYA8qjqDbaqYja2QlGcw9T3KO2AyLA7H1xoolwS2-IFsxMzakWuBJWTYaX0iIH/s2560/Attachment.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2560" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOZE5vGEZNuP-MHGfrWOR2Md04F0bR5ptg5Cu4xSz9NgC3jTvFsPZWt-i3-HkJyCNF470Uez8sWw6cadsDD_zOg5ICTrPEvRrEpUEzW1WqicsKRrNHQlj8mndi8DKYA8qjqDbaqYja2QlGcw9T3KO2AyLA7H1xoolwS2-IFsxMzakWuBJWTYaX0iIH/w400-h180/Attachment.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reading and convo on my book at <a href="https://www.mcnallyjackson.com/book/9781646051649">McNally Jackson Bookseller</a>, June 28. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-11193244701141611812022-06-20T12:30:00.004-04:002022-06-20T16:06:07.366-04:00Conversation with Aracelis Girmay in The Los Angeles Review of Books<p>A gift of a conversation with the amazing poet<a href="https://poets.org/poet/aracelis-girmay"> Aracelis Girmay</a> on my book, <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Miraculous-True-History-Nomi-Ali/dp/1646051645/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3STOCVAE6UGS3&keywords=the+miraculous+true+history+of+nomi+ali&qid=1653073824&s=books&sprefix=%2Cstripbooks%2C137&sr=1-1">The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</a></i>, for <a href="https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/there-is-freedom-in-not-having-a-script-a-conversation-with-uzma-aslam-khan/">Los Angeles Review of Books</a>. </p><p>This excerpt is from her introduction, one of her many brilliant questions (<b>AG</b>), and my answer <b>(UAK)</b>:</p><p>"UZMA ASLAM KHAN's latest novel, <i>The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</i> (now available in the US by <a href="https://store.deepvellum.org/products/the-miraculous-true-history-of-nomi-ali?_pos=1&_sid=c79c18d81&_ss=r">Deep Vellum</a>), is a fictional account of the Andaman Islands under British and Japanese occupation, before and during World War II. With piercingly lucid attention, Uzma has drawn an intricate spider's web that is both a record and a refuge. (Nestled in the book is the story of the spider who saved the lives of Muhammad and his loyal companion by spinning a web over the mouth of the cave in which they hid.) Uzma's novel is an attempt to record the catastrophic consequences of imperial regimes while also honoring collaboratively made moments of safety and sanctuary among the colonized, including banished and incarcerated people, children, and the more-than-human world. Perhaps such possibilities are refuges unto themselves--simultaneously invisible and glinting in plain sight."</p><p><b>AG</b>: To me, the tenderness with which you write is a kind of intervention of knowing that is in opposition to the colonial one. For instance, the roles that record-keeping and surveillance play in the brutalities in the imperial project, versus the "knowing" of the Mayakangne, Kwalagangne, and Dare winds. There is the intimate knowing between Priya, the chicken, and Nomi, the human. The third-person omniscient narration suggests, again, a different kind of knowing. How do you think about the memories and interiors of others within this much larger context of layered surveillance? </p><p><b>UAK</b>: I love what you say about "interventions of knowing." It reminds me of Edward Said on knowledge: "Facts get their importance from interpretation [which] depend[s] on who the interpreter is, who he or she is addressing, what his or her purpose is, at what historical moment." When historical data privileges its own systems of knowledge, it's hard to trust the archives. It wasn't till about 15 years into the book that I began finding alternative sources, inspiring my own "interventions." A way perhaps to make fiction and an alternative record that I could trust. </p><p>I'll give examples. The titular character, Nomi, is made up. Her brother, Zee, is based on a historical figure. The first shot fired on South Andaman Island during the war was by a boy trying to save a chicken from Japanese soldiers. This actual event frames the opening chapter. Zee is based on the boy, Priya on the chicken. I took the liberty of giving Zee and Priya a loving sister. </p><p>The jailer, Cillian, is also based on a historical figure. I found reference to him in male prisoner testimonials. He is particularly feared by Prisoner 218 D. After the surrender of the Japanese, when the British reoccupied the islands, part of their strategy involved enlisting the help of former jailers. Cillian returns, with all the horrors that he took part in buried, along with my prisoner's name, beneath an official narrative of "white savior." </p><p>Too, the knowledge that you speak of between human and non-human. It's essential in all my books. For me, the physical world tells the emotional truth. One that's displaced when human and nonhuman reciprocity is displaced. So, for instance, the cost of war on indigenous fishermen because of underwater mines that removed them from their oldest food source and ally, the sea. </p><p>I can't say how I accessed these interiors. Love. Listening. A willingness to stay a long time, for instance, with the "knowing" of the winds that you mention. Interventions of knowing require immersion, empathy--these are acts of faith. There's a scene in the book in which an old man bemoans that the British never took their shoes off before entering a temple. I took my shoes off many times, yet I wasn't given permission to truly enter till I found Nomi.</p><p>** Read our full conversation <a href="https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/there-is-freedom-in-not-having-a-script-a-conversation-with-uzma-aslam-khan/">here</a>. So much gratitude to Aracelis, and to <i>LARB</i> for hosting us.**</p><p> </p><p>Also, don't forget! (See previous post!) I'll be in conversation with another wonderful artist, <a href="https://maraahmed.com/wp/">Mara Ahmed</a>, at <a href="https://www.mcnallyjackson.com/event/uzma-aslam-khan-presents-miraculous-true-history-nomi-ali?fbclid=IwAR1Z7X7DGXQu7Gt-oMfuIIF_Chkua_zscbcmIqUK3RjR0traiuRfIpR7hno">McNally Jackson Booksellers</a> in NYC--Seaport location, 4 Fulton Street--on <b>June 28 at 7:00 p.m</b>. Registration is required; please click <b><a href="https://www.mcnallyjackson.com/event/uzma-aslam-khan-presents-miraculous-true-history-nomi-ali?fbclid=IwAR1Z7X7DGXQu7Gt-oMfuIIF_Chkua_zscbcmIqUK3RjR0traiuRfIpR7hno">here</a>.</b></p><p>So honored to make language with dazzlingly large-hearted, deep-thinking women.</p>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-12714612210271643832022-06-16T12:19:00.009-04:002022-08-19T12:04:05.994-04:00McNally Jackson | Seaport, NYC | June 28 @ 7:00 <p>Friends, an exciting in-person event. I'll be reading from and in conversation about <a href="https://store.deepvellum.org/products/the-miraculous-true-history-of-nomi-ali"><i>The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</i> </a>, one of the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/27/books/review/new-historical-fiction.html"><i>New York Times</i>' 88 Books for Summer 2022</a>, on Tuesday, June 28 at 7:00 p.m. at <a href="https://www.mcnallyjackson.com/event/uzma-aslam-khan-presents-miraculous-true-history-nomi-ali">McNally Jackson Booksellers</a>, Seaport location (4 Fulton Street). There are many McNally locations, so please note this one. </p><p>My conversation partner is the lovely filmmaker and artist <a href="https://maraahmed.com/wp/">Mara Ahmed</a>. There'll also be a Q &A followed by a book signing at the bar--fitting, for this former bartender. </p><p>RSVP is required; please click <a href="https://www.mcnallyjackson.com/event/uzma-aslam-khan-presents-miraculous-true-history-nomi-ali">here</a>.</p><p>Hope to see you there, and please share widely. <span style="font-size: x-small;">💛</span></p>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-42108157832432158022022-05-30T12:58:00.002-04:002022-06-01T10:41:37.164-04:00Review of The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali in The New York Times<p>Thrilled to wake up to this over the long weekend! A review of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Miraculous-True-History-Nomi-Ali/dp/1646051645/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1653882651&sr=1-1"><i>The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</i> </a>headlines the <i><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/27/books/review/new-historical-fiction.html">New York Times </a></i>section "New Historical Fiction To Read This Summer" by Alida Becker. </p><p>Excerpt: </p><p>"Uzma Aslam Khan's THE MIRACULOUS TRUE HISTORY OF NOMI ALI (Deep Vellum) is indeed a miraculous performance, although the young girl called Nomi Ali is only one of the many characters whose histories are entangled here. Set in the Andaman Islands, a British penal colony in the Bay of Bengal, just before and during World War II, Khan's suspenseful, thought-provoking narrative is a challenge to simple assumptions about enemies and friends, loyalty and betrayal. </p><p>"What was the 'terrible mistake' that sent Nomi's father from India to this brutal labor camp along with his innocent wife and children? Did the lone female political prisoner really manage to escape, as rumor has it? Will the invading Japanese Army, with its 'Asia for Asians' propaganda, yield an occupation that's any less vicious for the people of the archipelago than that of the Raj? </p><p>"Clandestine spies abound, as well as some obvious villains. But most of the compromised yet deeply sympathetic inhabitants of South Andaman Island have a single aim: to live for one more day ... (and) must maneuver 'between so many worlds.'"</p><p>Read the full review<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/27/books/review/new-historical-fiction.html"> here</a>.</p><p>Read an excerpt of the book in <a href="https://lithub.com/the-miraculous-true-history-of-nomi-ali/">Lithub</a>.</p><p>Buy the book from your favorite local bookstore, or <a href="https://www.odysseybks.com/book/9781646051649?fbclid=IwAR1_u8YjR2PI5nAN_-xRXV8Vt8quahgfhuQQRc9YHETitFjBD9G0S67_v9E">here</a>. </p><p>And don't forget, if you're in or around western Massachusetts, join me in person on Thursday, June 2nd at 7:00 p.m., at <a href="https://www.odysseybks.com/event/uzma-aslam-khan-person">Odyssey Bookshop </a>in South Hadley, for a book reading & signing. To register, click <a href="https://www.odysseybks.com/event/uzma-aslam-khan-person">here</a>. Thank you! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVRvqOdnA15vTWb0kGjeVNC24WF07gz9yElJmTr5llR2_MpMX1Y5JOkuQuyCOIiVFDkTl42EG5vwYdCh1GQf8RxMGXvypAhbzzQJzkkm2fjSKlp2sbUpKL9X1EJTuwVR3wa4BSsjqNkmQ__BKlxS5xP8VSMPDczxQlv_r_8aLv1AW1BM0EJT80x16/s1192/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-28%20at%2011.56.17%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1192" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuVRvqOdnA15vTWb0kGjeVNC24WF07gz9yElJmTr5llR2_MpMX1Y5JOkuQuyCOIiVFDkTl42EG5vwYdCh1GQf8RxMGXvypAhbzzQJzkkm2fjSKlp2sbUpKL9X1EJTuwVR3wa4BSsjqNkmQ__BKlxS5xP8VSMPDczxQlv_r_8aLv1AW1BM0EJT80x16/w400-h261/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-28%20at%2011.56.17%20AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/27/books/review/new-historical-fiction.html">The New York Times, "New Historical Fiction to Read This Summer," May 27, 2022</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-38989361259864748862022-05-20T14:13:00.003-04:002022-05-20T19:10:24.808-04:00The Odyssey Bookshop--In Person, June 2nd<p>Please join me on June 2nd at <a href="https://www.odysseybks.com/event/uzma-aslam-khan-person">The Odyssey Bookshop</a> in South Hadley, Massachusetts, for a reading, discussion, and signing of <i><a href="https://www.uzmaaslamkhan.com">The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</a></i>. To register, click <a href="https://www.odysseybks.com/event/uzma-aslam-khan-person">here</a>.</p><p>The book is now officially out in the US! Find it on bookshelves across the country, or order from <a href="https://www.odysseybks.com/book/9781646051649">Odyssey</a>.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3gEBdQ2AAlvGFrHZb_GAHD1f1CXVgpC1APvAwgTvvwOtJN2BZxmBb-vQ_oOgNhub1nZjkc4Q4WTyS3t0oi3rm00alcH0xM6vGzlbfPFRSSpRoAjG3XoEGL_kivO4Y4zCWqnSJDMYGZyRnX8bTaQnbr0TkGGmI3axDRkYHDteBmLkXNPhGiDnZOBa/s3584/Pet!!!%20(6).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3584" data-original-width="2368" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG3gEBdQ2AAlvGFrHZb_GAHD1f1CXVgpC1APvAwgTvvwOtJN2BZxmBb-vQ_oOgNhub1nZjkc4Q4WTyS3t0oi3rm00alcH0xM6vGzlbfPFRSSpRoAjG3XoEGL_kivO4Y4zCWqnSJDMYGZyRnX8bTaQnbr0TkGGmI3axDRkYHDteBmLkXNPhGiDnZOBa/w264-h400/Pet!!!%20(6).jpg" width="264" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by sweet Dave, from one of the 27 years it took me to write the book</td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-75652876757043060872022-05-12T01:03:00.002-04:002022-05-12T01:03:33.881-04:00PORTER SQUARE BOOKS--May 17 at 7:00 p.m. <p>Join me on Tuesday, May 17th at 7:00 pm US EST in conversation with writer Pam Thompson about my novel <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Miraculous-True-History-Nomi-Ali/dp/1646051645/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1652331296&sr=8-1">The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</a></i>. It's free and virtual, so anyone can join. If you missed the virtual event last month hosted by City Lights Bookstore, here's another chance. </p><p>To join the crowd cast, register ahead using this link: <a href="https://www.crowdcast.io/e/nomiali/register">https://www.crowdcast.io/e/nomiali/register</a></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCcVNZVMPw8XIDvdDvNSqy5Q_-i-2tOs_D58H3vFtxlqhnjkD5zFl94G8FUWLAusF9dnndy7QpUUmDoqNNVs9Fno9SPu94sIonKHaV4jjMRz9SgVhFHpkA_vZlVF8yvObf1G3Nmz1uqHP-iSSOT4ndq6dnWYJ-I411Gn7fE4-vqjlnjpAO_ie6S2Tc/s1162/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-11%20at%209.59.54%20PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="1162" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCcVNZVMPw8XIDvdDvNSqy5Q_-i-2tOs_D58H3vFtxlqhnjkD5zFl94G8FUWLAusF9dnndy7QpUUmDoqNNVs9Fno9SPu94sIonKHaV4jjMRz9SgVhFHpkA_vZlVF8yvObf1G3Nmz1uqHP-iSSOT4ndq6dnWYJ-I411Gn7fE4-vqjlnjpAO_ie6S2Tc/w400-h293/Screen%20Shot%202022-05-11%20at%209.59.54%20PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.crowdcast.io/e/nomiali/register">https://www.crowdcast.io/e/nomiali/register</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhseBt9pOvf4V5_GLNtWRIKY4ngKspgUWnPlbz9AlmHFf7KiKLFQazUi5HTIbL_A_uMRiPA3WOMwBrWpugMUQBcZrJZP4K1rGBo_gOQdgpYubdPi0hlkGYXcGUjwUcpZ5NS_5NKOyflyMq5wXoWJnga9hDukUK-pRb_H6ZNM-t_AYNpK0rKax8rtX65/s4032/IMG_5034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhseBt9pOvf4V5_GLNtWRIKY4ngKspgUWnPlbz9AlmHFf7KiKLFQazUi5HTIbL_A_uMRiPA3WOMwBrWpugMUQBcZrJZP4K1rGBo_gOQdgpYubdPi0hlkGYXcGUjwUcpZ5NS_5NKOyflyMq5wXoWJnga9hDukUK-pRb_H6ZNM-t_AYNpK0rKax8rtX65/w480-h640/IMG_5034.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-76959318981566794652022-04-24T06:30:00.007-04:002022-04-30T10:41:13.810-04:00Bay Area Book Festival on May 7<p>Excited to be at the <a href="https://www.baybookfest.org/speaker/uzma-aslam-khan/">Bay Area Book Festival</a> on the panel "Revolution and Resilience: Global Politics in Fiction." </p><p><b>When</b>: Saturday May 7th 12:30-1:30 </p><p><b>Where</b>: The Marsh Berkeley Theater</p><p><b>What</b>: I'll discuss <i><a href="https://store.deepvellum.org/products/the-miraculous-true-history-of-nomi-ali">The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</a></i>, which can be pre-ordered at a discount <a href="https://store.deepvellum.org/products/the-miraculous-true-history-of-nomi-ali">here</a>. Or at<a href="https://citylights.com/miraculous-true-hist-of-nomi-ali/"> City Lights Bookstore</a>, where copies have already reached! </p><p><b>Book signing:</b> Yes! This is an in-person event and there'll be a signing after the panel. </p><p>For more details: <a href="https://www.baybookfest.org/session/revolution-and-resilience/">https://www.baybookfest.org/session/revolution-and-resilience/</a> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6idAGFxe8wisOJsMJdQhg5zd2tydfTI8y1TehhdC2NEEnPSJ-YvTk3VgIGnSr2x1f8dNm4tEX120UnjIQvoiSGvkbkuKzY_F07AUCjUk2V8GJQNhAvbRDyaA0H2fheyPyKVVpCuQ_tP4CLbkW0Vhd2yjj_Mao5EGD4FgGxc5CeL8vd_Va8T1HR-x/s2612/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-24%20at%206.27.21%20AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1230" data-original-width="2612" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6idAGFxe8wisOJsMJdQhg5zd2tydfTI8y1TehhdC2NEEnPSJ-YvTk3VgIGnSr2x1f8dNm4tEX120UnjIQvoiSGvkbkuKzY_F07AUCjUk2V8GJQNhAvbRDyaA0H2fheyPyKVVpCuQ_tP4CLbkW0Vhd2yjj_Mao5EGD4FgGxc5CeL8vd_Va8T1HR-x/w447-h237/Screen%20Shot%202022-04-24%20at%206.27.21%20AM.png" width="447" /></a></div><br />Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-34620092069791754982022-03-20T19:06:00.002-04:002022-04-04T09:23:32.340-04:00CITY LIGHTS BOOKSTORE/*Virtual Book Launch<p>Come celebrate the US launch of my fifth novel <i><a href="https://store.deepvellum.org/products/the-miraculous-true-history-of-nomi-ali">The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</a> </i>at the wonderful <a href="https://citylights.com/events/uzma-aslam-khan/">City Lights Bookstore.</a></p><p><u><b>When</b></u>:</p><p>Monday, April 18th at 6:00 p.m PST/9:00 p.m. EDT</p><p><u><b>Where</b></u>:</p><p>Zoom. It's free, but you'll need to register ahead <a href="https://citylights.com/events/uzma-aslam-khan/">here</a></p><p><u><b>The book:</b></u></p><p>Pre-order <a href="https://store.deepvellum.org/products/the-miraculous-true-history-of-nomi-ali">here</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Gratitude for helping to spread the word. As regular visitors to my blog will know, it's been a very long road--the writing, and subsequent steering of Nomi & friends across tumultuous seas. This book is the mother plant of all my others: finished last, begun first. </p><p>Enjoy a pic of my mother's champa mother plant, so tremendously knotted & alive, taken when I was in Karachi on New Year's 2022. See you on Zoom 💞</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNwa07Jn-cK8HYs7ZymbgM5qyQsWG_m-5JEwL7im2yeEmX6zePSQVWXXneU0BSDWWXnNPjhyqVFxxptOgRIPPHqDnwk2Y3c2yopzPCM0SWwYyC1JdegI24VAU9EoEEftlLKyYYy00KbCPjNf7i4ibQJCzVPubm2fQAAC7BY_XGEcI_XmibWK7DdkX/s4032/IMG_4341.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNwa07Jn-cK8HYs7ZymbgM5qyQsWG_m-5JEwL7im2yeEmX6zePSQVWXXneU0BSDWWXnNPjhyqVFxxptOgRIPPHqDnwk2Y3c2yopzPCM0SWwYyC1JdegI24VAU9EoEEftlLKyYYy00KbCPjNf7i4ibQJCzVPubm2fQAAC7BY_XGEcI_XmibWK7DdkX/w480-h640/IMG_4341.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-29252955809563496422022-03-03T14:07:00.006-05:002022-04-04T09:22:01.972-04:00Two Pre-Pub Reviews for THE MIRACULOUS TRUE HISTORY OF NOMI ALI!<p>The Reviews Are Coming In!</p><p>From <i><a href="https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-64605-164-9">Publishers Weekly</a></i>: "(A) carefully plotted examination of power and oppression ... Khan engages readers with a confident style and seamless storytelling." </p><p>From <i><a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/uzma-aslam-khan/the-miraculous-true-history-of-nomi-ali/#">Kirkus Reviews</a></i>: "A historical novel that is both deeply researched and beautifully written ... Khan perfectly captures global history in all of its ironic and disorienting glory." </p><p><br /></p><p>US RELEASE DATE: MAY 17, 2022</p><p>UK RELEASE DATE: JUNE 30, 2022 </p><p>TO PRE-ORDER, CLICK <a href="https://store.deepvellum.org/products/the-miraculous-true-history-of-nomi-ali?_pos=1&_sid=7f1174534&_ss=r">HERE</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Also, nothing beats physical copies of proofs--pdfs just aren't real enough! </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLeWUPQaPZ_FfJS9P94cBkCsNpDaqax_XTKkQFSU6F50mWSmRNej5EzaqSG6lJLTV0ZRaUUtbqjU9RvM3FSl6X5NEmlJKWWXnlXxtbV1FkXOE-7cgBdZefT-ZutOKQEtO8n1GIJVEbISwgSrHgtV5VtedvvKhGwK5SfAx5LEMWfjJzzsgK-msb8G4m=s4032" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLeWUPQaPZ_FfJS9P94cBkCsNpDaqax_XTKkQFSU6F50mWSmRNej5EzaqSG6lJLTV0ZRaUUtbqjU9RvM3FSl6X5NEmlJKWWXnlXxtbV1FkXOE-7cgBdZefT-ZutOKQEtO8n1GIJVEbISwgSrHgtV5VtedvvKhGwK5SfAx5LEMWfjJzzsgK-msb8G4m=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-1623677700930771212022-02-11T13:13:00.006-05:002022-04-04T09:22:41.425-04:00The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali--FULL COVER SPREAD!<p>Here it is, folks, the gorgeous full cover spread of forthcoming US/UK editions:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRaEkGXXSzL6gfI0nLotpeeaQCGQHEeOnz2uR7OKHZXyaI0sYGNqV5nDkY4hAAPyY0Pm84COZv-74FcECrEBYmgbe6WZETDBjC843u8p39t-CwRIJyjDzEc0FNHu9RduKyDKjAhA-NuNxQc5CV1OzdkKdolzE4c4ymvuLbfcx_YRT3wFWh13eLa4S0=s3153" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1437" data-original-width="3153" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRaEkGXXSzL6gfI0nLotpeeaQCGQHEeOnz2uR7OKHZXyaI0sYGNqV5nDkY4hAAPyY0Pm84COZv-74FcECrEBYmgbe6WZETDBjC843u8p39t-CwRIJyjDzEc0FNHu9RduKyDKjAhA-NuNxQc5CV1OzdkKdolzE4c4ymvuLbfcx_YRT3wFWh13eLa4S0=w400-h183" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://store.deepvellum.org/products/the-miraculous-true-history-of-nomi-ali">The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: large;"> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Out May 2022, <a href="https://store.deepvellum.org/products/the-miraculous-true-history-of-nomi-ali">Deep Vellum Publishing </a></p><p>To pre-order in the US: click on the caption, publisher link, or <a href="https://store.deepvellum.org/products/the-miraculous-true-history-of-nomi-ali"> here</a></p><p>Book cover design by <a href="http://www.bhavimehta.com/about">Bhavi Mehta</a>, who also designed the <a href="https://www.amazon.in/Miraculous-True-History-Nomi-Ali/dp/9388689461/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2TIELTMEENB8S&keywords=uzma+aslam+khan&qid=1644603413&s=books&sprefix=Uzma+asla%2Cstripbooks%2C153&sr=1-1">South Asian edition</a>.</p><p>For further information, visit my website and read the <a href="https://www.uzmaaslamkhan.com/novels-1">reviews</a> and<a href="https://www.uzmaaslamkhan.com/interviews"> interviews</a> already out in India, Pakistan, and Sweden.</p><p>And/or enjoy scrolling through more of my blog posts, inc.<a href="http://uzmaaslamkhan.blogspot.com/2020/07/interview-highlightsthe-miraculous-true.html"> Interview Highlights</a> and a <a href="http://uzmaaslamkhan.blogspot.com/2020/04/tell-me-how-do-you-spend-your-time-in.html">Book Excerpt</a>.</p><p><span style="font-size: large;"></span></p>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-43999163032459362682021-11-26T13:31:00.006-05:002021-11-27T13:32:07.310-05:00THINNER THAN SKIN: UK Paperback Out Today!<p>"Uzma Aslam Khan's powerful <i><a href="https://www.jacarandabooksartmusic.co.uk/collections/new-releases/products/thinner-than-skin-2">Thinner Than Skin</a> </i>is now available in paperback! This weekend only, order via the <a href="https://www.jacarandabooksartmusic.co.uk/collections/new-releases/products/thinner-than-skin-2">Jacaranda</a> website and get 20% off."</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtirizeDB0Nv2T6FI8f3aIJ2cMDuaxVFaIJLtdj4GqPBiheypyrWT2e-vbj0fOvmXsZm5Ry_hqUyIypWDus4hLq-YVF1daWvT1J3w9RrCtTnWshVbdy9V8IPqLrv3alRHIq2ftLjU0Msw/s1446/Screen+Shot+2021-11-26+at+12.55.06+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1446" data-original-width="1404" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtirizeDB0Nv2T6FI8f3aIJ2cMDuaxVFaIJLtdj4GqPBiheypyrWT2e-vbj0fOvmXsZm5Ry_hqUyIypWDus4hLq-YVF1daWvT1J3w9RrCtTnWshVbdy9V8IPqLrv3alRHIq2ftLjU0Msw/w389-h400/Screen+Shot+2021-11-26+at+12.55.06+PM.png" width="389" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTuHXLadXAPirSgABsqA0_FLVDAvmFy9-xD0afR6f69U30lBO35BJKCZwGXfpzLRqlRQVT627Czr8GSIr9PEQQofUBc7JYGwI8GvdENbyfaL2bN3F6CEo5YmbAafsUJD7o36CMpckslg4/s1500/Screen+Shot+2021-11-26+at+11.13.46+AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1484" data-original-width="1500" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTuHXLadXAPirSgABsqA0_FLVDAvmFy9-xD0afR6f69U30lBO35BJKCZwGXfpzLRqlRQVT627Czr8GSIr9PEQQofUBc7JYGwI8GvdENbyfaL2bN3F6CEo5YmbAafsUJD7o36CMpckslg4/w400-h396/Screen+Shot+2021-11-26+at+11.13.46+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><p><u><b><a href="https://www.uzmaaslamkhan.com/short-fiction">Praise from around the globe:</a></b></u></p><p>"In (a) magnificent landscape--where anthropomorphic glaciers are born of mating ice--a chance meeting with a young nomad will change lives forever. Thinner Than Skin is a work of piercing beauty and intelligence, and an urgent novel for our times."--<b>Man Asian Jury Prize</b></p><p>"The subtle right-of-passage novel has the virtue of being focussed on the natural wilderness, glaciers and 'everything alive' ... There is power, serenity and grace in the writing of this literary daughter of the great Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz."--<b><i>Le Monde</i>, France</b></p><p>"Pakistan may not be the easiest place to be these days but this bracing narrative manages to forge a connection with the land's inimitable spirit with a few precision strokes. While it may not be easy to comprehend the land's many moods--a fusion of proud traditions and fickle desires--it takes a really good listener to bring its inherent contradictions to life. Thinner Than Skin acts as a beacon to these inhospitable shores."-<i>-<b>Pakistan Daily News</b> </i></p><p><i>"Thinner Than Skin, </i>about love and borderless states, crystallizes moments on which the world might spin and maps belonging so astutely that it suspends you somewhere between floating and falling. <i>Skin</i> is tinged with a bit of Dostoevsky; guilt, longing, loss and beauty fused with alpine air ... <i>Skin</i> is mesmeric." --<b><i>The Hindu, </i>India</b></p><p><i>"</i>There are a few novels that sadden one when they end--not because of the ending itself but because of not wanting to let go of characters whose life one has shared. One example was Gabriel Garcia Marquez's <i>Love in the Time of Cholera</i>. The most recent was <i>Thinner Than Skin</i>. In taut, understated prose filled with promise and foreboding, Khan transports the reader to Northern Pakistan near the Chinese border ... She displays the natural beauty and stark, sometimes threatening conditions in this area from the perspective of those who live there and those who are just visiting. <i>Thinner Than Skin</i> is a fascinating introduction to the real life and culture of people in areas usually described only in stereotypical jargon."--<i><b>Jordan Times</b></i></p><p><i>"Thinner Than Skin </i>has elements of quest, thriller, love story and legend, with unconventional characters."--<b><i>The Star</i>, Toronto</b></p><p><i>"</i>The event that defines the (characters) springs from an accident born of centuries worth of traditional hospitality. Khan stresses hospitality as a kind of intersection where East meets West but they are ill met in an unequal exchange. Hospitality has many colors, however, and does not fit into a box in <i>Thinner Than Skin; </i>it is a force of destruction, it is shrouded in mystical value and it is also redemptive ... Khan's writing carries urgency and her characteristic brevity keeps the rub close at hand ... it leaves you raw and chapped but also revived in the way that only those books that get under your skin can."--<i><b>Biblio </b></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF-AchqGRH6jiy_jknKvIJtHp1gd2gRjh6dU1uZO9yd08UB5Ae7-UGRKzBTufp5XDS8rTBBAUWw2e_2R9C4PsbGS7yaYQDJcibxDdC-hBM4CfZraHSZ5sr03srEwcKJRWJYfgQtRxr3d0/s1480/Screen+Shot+2021-11-26+at+11.14.25+AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1476" data-original-width="1480" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF-AchqGRH6jiy_jknKvIJtHp1gd2gRjh6dU1uZO9yd08UB5Ae7-UGRKzBTufp5XDS8rTBBAUWw2e_2R9C4PsbGS7yaYQDJcibxDdC-hBM4CfZraHSZ5sr03srEwcKJRWJYfgQtRxr3d0/w400-h422/Screen+Shot+2021-11-26+at+11.14.25+AM.png" title="https://www.instagram.com/p/CWu8neKrIuo/" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Images reposted from Jacaranda on Instagram </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-21570668633408984992021-09-10T14:33:00.003-04:002022-04-04T09:24:23.886-04:00Forthcoming US & UK editions of The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali--the Cover!<p>Delighted to share the US & UK cover of <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Miraculous-True-History-Nomi-Ali/dp/1646051645/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2NUDQ5H4R6B8N&dchild=1&keywords=the+miraculous+true+history+of+nomi+ali&qid=1632062539&sprefix=the+miraculous+true+hi%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-1">The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</a>.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhatozN-j4bNx2zQSzsxkDwjEIKeuM7j_ZHnKRNcF0svRj-POFabsPxoikhedCPtYiru5Q-H7ZV1JuykZ9G2POHf48VTzXqmbBaIEisi79fi1Evi8yzxS8tA1ukeV8SedJF2ViOqTqe4/s2048/The+Miraculous+True+History+of+Nomi+Ali%253AUS%2526+UK+cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhatozN-j4bNx2zQSzsxkDwjEIKeuM7j_ZHnKRNcF0svRj-POFabsPxoikhedCPtYiru5Q-H7ZV1JuykZ9G2POHf48VTzXqmbBaIEisi79fi1Evi8yzxS8tA1ukeV8SedJF2ViOqTqe4/w426-h640/The+Miraculous+True+History+of+Nomi+Ali%253AUS%2526+UK+cover.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />Forthcoming May 2022--stay tuned!<p></p>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-48295224790215453812021-08-18T13:08:00.008-04:002021-11-14T15:42:30.976-05:00Full-page Review on Independence Day<p>Thrilled to receive this full-page review of <i><a href="https://ordfrontforlag.se/ordfront_bok/den-fantastiska-sanna-historien-om-nomi-ali/">The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</a></i> in the Swedish paper <i><a href="https://esvd.svd.se/1001/svenska-dagbladet/438585/2021-08-14/22336477/aslam-khans-berattelse-om-fangkolonin-ar-storslagen">Svenska Dagbladet</a></i>. Aptly, it appeared on India and Pakistan's Independence Day this past weekend. Plus, it's a "pearl of the month" in <a href="https://www.adlibris.com/se/bok/den-fantastiska-sanna-historien-om-nomi-ali-9789177751281?campaignId=d798634f-2262-448b-9607-a16e93623321">Adlibris</a> bookshop. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFDGAAveyYxqvDI-VbsUWpKqLFIKPJzMR8ZL8xyZTGdXC6CTvG5dS0YGeLxj8jIRHr7lnUNGoeepvLIYdVp1WfYToj7_LEG6Y6HvxplAabAe37CyvP0hNCGUhYOB2yAoTmCJNQG2-s90/s960/237223086_4826271397401718_207147765437535894_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidFDGAAveyYxqvDI-VbsUWpKqLFIKPJzMR8ZL8xyZTGdXC6CTvG5dS0YGeLxj8jIRHr7lnUNGoeepvLIYdVp1WfYToj7_LEG6Y6HvxplAabAe37CyvP0hNCGUhYOB2yAoTmCJNQG2-s90/w304-h640/237223086_4826271397401718_207147765437535894_n.jpg" width="304" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Aslam Khan's story of the prison colony is magnificent"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Translated excerpts of the review: </p><p>"Pakistani Uzma Aslam Khan's breakthrough came with the novel <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Trespassing-Novel-Uzma-Aslam-Khan/dp/0312423551/ref=rvi_5/131-8223654-4894927?pd_rd_w=5AWl9&pf_rd_p=c0296674-5a83-4ad6-b035-0702d2b359df&pf_rd_r=D11EHWKD82ZX87R0YC17&pd_rd_r=3bc6092a-d0f3-4cf0-82cf-3c0f4a794c00&pd_rd_wg=BKE7V&pd_rd_i=0312423551&psc=1">Trespassing</a></i> in 2003 (<i><a href="https://varldslitteratur.se/bok/trådarna-i-väven">Tradarna I Vaven </a></i>in Swedish). Her new novel <i>The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</i> (<a href="https://varldslitteratur.se/bok/den-fantastiska-sanna-historien-om-nomi-ali"><i>Den Fantastiska Sanna Historien Om Nomi Ali</i> </a>in Swedish) is a magnificent, rebellious, and moving story. </p><p>"It takes place in the Andamans at the eastern end of the Bay of Bengal, an archipelago few have heard of, whose dark and bloody history is even less well known. Time oscillates between 1942 and 1947, with some flashbacks to the 1930s. The islands function during this time as a prisoner colony, first under British sovereignty, then Japanese, then British again, before Independence is proclaimed in 1947. </p><p>"The author carried around this story for 26 years, ever since reading about a British politician describing an island to which Indian prisoners were deported as a 'paradise' ... The novel is thus based on historical events, but the characters are fictional. </p><p>"We get to meet a diverse gallery of characters. At the center is 15-year-old Nomi Ali and her brother Zee. Their father was deported to the island, and, after serving his sentence, is a 'free' man, a so-called 'trusted.' He gets to build a meager house, grow some crops, and above all cultivate land for the British. He gets to have a hen, loved by the family as a pet. Something that will have fatal consequences ...</p><p>"Some (characters) stand out in particular. Aye, a close friend of Nomi and Zee, is a boy with a big heart who risks his life for them. Shakuntala came to the islands as the wife of a British officer, and now lives an uncertain life. And then Prisoner F ('D' in the original, for 'dangerous'; 'farlig' in Swedish, hence 'F'), mythical on the island for being the only one who managed to escape from the terrible prison up the hill ... </p><p>"Khan's story is striking on several levels: as a historical novel, as testimony ... as a story of hope, friendship and love that can survive even in the most terrible circumstances."</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxb-TIvw1GVa2LGMlcDZFohbtlyqMKP7lMD0ZJpeHT7Db1WmA2mNrK39K1z6DweODIApfELTooPVorPSxJOAwzPTgGyQe9OJC_EDOn7K1tn_CbvAusnhUosNkFRw8aPM9TxzxyOvWPMA/s2838/Screen+Shot+2021-08-15+at+11.32.08+AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="870" data-original-width="2838" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxb-TIvw1GVa2LGMlcDZFohbtlyqMKP7lMD0ZJpeHT7Db1WmA2mNrK39K1z6DweODIApfELTooPVorPSxJOAwzPTgGyQe9OJC_EDOn7K1tn_CbvAusnhUosNkFRw8aPM9TxzxyOvWPMA/w400-h122/Screen+Shot+2021-08-15+at+11.32.08+AM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pearls of August, <a href="https://www.adlibris.com/se/bok/den-fantastiska-sanna-historien-om-nomi-ali-9789177751281?campaignId=d798634f-2262-448b-9607-a16e93623321">Adlibris Bookseller</a><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-54192505326733631992021-08-09T13:29:00.008-04:002021-08-17T18:12:24.892-04:00THE MIRACULOUS TRUE HISTORY OF NOMI ALI is out in Sweden!<p>New edition--and it's fantastiska! Meet <i>The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali</i> in Swedish, <i><a href="https://ordfrontforlag.se/?post_type=ordfront_bok&p=19163">Den fantastiska sanna historien om Nomi Ali</a>.</i> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVVdq3KrAKbCxZQlaWyvuItb15PMIJGSH3jgP4sQ7gns8K_U3nHDx10B8dbNX1sDi_vE7PTaH86asVURNI01a9Pyl-waS4Bkh1GA1fsybmrrX6Pnlk11TKo7xRGghxIA50BiD3d5hfCw/s2048/IMG_3796.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNVVdq3KrAKbCxZQlaWyvuItb15PMIJGSH3jgP4sQ7gns8K_U3nHDx10B8dbNX1sDi_vE7PTaH86asVURNI01a9Pyl-waS4Bkh1GA1fsybmrrX6Pnlk11TKo7xRGghxIA50BiD3d5hfCw/w300-h400/IMG_3796.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love how the flower pattern continues inside, between book sections, each a delicate variation</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1g1Tm1bN0TguB-LFCw0T1ZR95dOi4YbJXelx_YnH5zx7eHJhXGF3WmDVCnMFvQmnYx4Ebcu-BubUvIV7HPOPgkJ5-TrtCyUxhX7-9NoKrOQHZMA4p6RiIrfTI_OBlJoUdkvvzAsU0SQ/s2048/IMG_3790.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu1g1Tm1bN0TguB-LFCw0T1ZR95dOi4YbJXelx_YnH5zx7eHJhXGF3WmDVCnMFvQmnYx4Ebcu-BubUvIV7HPOPgkJ5-TrtCyUxhX7-9NoKrOQHZMA4p6RiIrfTI_OBlJoUdkvvzAsU0SQ/s320/IMG_3790.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxY6u8i6FDJMwO_k7Fr-T_WQmb188qyZwd81HOiynzCrJlf5nUMbFDewVtCTM4dO29m0huU1k7zeYz-6FBxj434Lt7fK6ufogAMKyoD5MSYFNsQNk_Jc0qnwrUTfl3N_WqpN7DhCU1g1M/s2048/IMG_3782.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxY6u8i6FDJMwO_k7Fr-T_WQmb188qyZwd81HOiynzCrJlf5nUMbFDewVtCTM4dO29m0huU1k7zeYz-6FBxj434Lt7fK6ufogAMKyoD5MSYFNsQNk_Jc0qnwrUTfl3N_WqpN7DhCU1g1M/s320/IMG_3782.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaYbV_5TgiTTG5kmoWcXFjN29iypfZtg281sqLpc1LXyXV9CLRyXGa6Vra0mCTOX81F4Lj55GYy75eyl3pljOqClfnkoSCnlWZ9ImYJA-0e87z4yd_E7VGOkZD0ueKdr_LiBwlvpl7dg/s2048/fullsizeoutput_bd0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaYbV_5TgiTTG5kmoWcXFjN29iypfZtg281sqLpc1LXyXV9CLRyXGa6Vra0mCTOX81F4Lj55GYy75eyl3pljOqClfnkoSCnlWZ9ImYJA-0e87z4yd_E7VGOkZD0ueKdr_LiBwlvpl7dg/s320/fullsizeoutput_bd0.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKO7UACGRzme78T5fc19e19dUkCkIrRNGuNP43dRoJ4Z2weX146X_297CW9yqZOuSO3IY042H6ahd4jQOZwl0iLvWLRibOBZE7iTJY2eaDmDnwddFs0bNaED6Uiw-axwAXdogcFtxPJyM/s2048/IMG_3786.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKO7UACGRzme78T5fc19e19dUkCkIrRNGuNP43dRoJ4Z2weX146X_297CW9yqZOuSO3IY042H6ahd4jQOZwl0iLvWLRibOBZE7iTJY2eaDmDnwddFs0bNaED6Uiw-axwAXdogcFtxPJyM/s320/IMG_3786.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The wonderful Ordfront Forlag also published my second novel<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Trespassing-Novel-Uzma-Aslam-Khan/dp/0312423551/ref=rvi_4/131-8223654-4894927?pd_rd_w=KJFKj&pf_rd_p=c0296674-5a83-4ad6-b035-0702d2b359df&pf_rd_r=M3VJEY23NZDEMB2FH3H1&pd_rd_r=4decbfcc-6f86-4e58-94ad-33edd7f5366f&pd_rd_wg=IRkkl&pd_rd_i=0312423551&psc=1"> Trespassing</a>.</i> I'm so grateful for their continued faith and support--how I love seeing my fifth now headlining their website's banner. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qgMviWcIiGxZ1iQ12_2-tq7cykLYUOHxxsw7U3ZuKgqdaDzQQgjCn3MuBdDuloBHrLtPQFAENOY7170rWSNKdqYkKGtnyUpHMuZ0XL4VT4FV345x049Q_GGEa4bs4rJJj19u7vfjBbw/s2152/Screen+Shot+2021-08-09+at+2.44.29+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1006" data-original-width="2152" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3qgMviWcIiGxZ1iQ12_2-tq7cykLYUOHxxsw7U3ZuKgqdaDzQQgjCn3MuBdDuloBHrLtPQFAENOY7170rWSNKdqYkKGtnyUpHMuZ0XL4VT4FV345x049Q_GGEa4bs4rJJj19u7vfjBbw/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-08-09+at+2.44.29+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>Swedish readers (or their friends/family), click <a href="https://ordfrontforlag.se/?post_type=ordfront_bok&p=19163">here</a> to purchase. TACK!Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-81752693759990020062021-07-03T17:18:00.028-04:002021-07-05T10:45:18.509-04:00Langston Hughes and James Baldwin Place: Harlem, A Walk To Remember <p>I miss June. My sweet and I were in NYC for 10 days. We like to be there every summer, though normally aren't able to stay that long. But last month was our first time traveling in 16 months--as I'm immunocompromised, my lockdown's been total--and both of us are fully vaccinated, so we left, and lingered. </p><p>A highlight was a walk in Harlem. I'd been wanting to visit "properly"--as in, to know what I'm looking at. Manhattan is after all where I landed, when I arrived in the US. Though I'd been to Harlem a few times before, and read some of its history, I hadn't attached the history in a deeper way to the area. Though I usually avoid tours, after some online browsing, I contacted <a href="https://www.harlemheritage.com">Harlem Heritage Tours</a>.</p><p>We were lucky to have the owner, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HarlemTours">Neal Shoemaker</a>, to ourselves. I love that he began by pausing at the poster on the office's window, in which Malcolm X addresses a huge crowd at the intersection where we stood, between Malcolm X Boulevard & Lexington Avenue. Across the street lay the Masjid Malcolm Shabazz, where Malcolm X once preached. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimj5uTtYcoxXtDtJfJ8a5SsL0Jc5yQ0bH-3yLpLA5ShVOVs7uzu-FQofDF1sJlpdW7Hucuu35UcPWEyJGVjSI_TAjRuT3u5fP_wMI_4oSmHdNL3nK2kA35_PWIsi9izVvXjjGfSGjFWCg/s320/part0-11.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimj5uTtYcoxXtDtJfJ8a5SsL0Jc5yQ0bH-3yLpLA5ShVOVs7uzu-FQofDF1sJlpdW7Hucuu35UcPWEyJGVjSI_TAjRuT3u5fP_wMI_4oSmHdNL3nK2kA35_PWIsi9izVvXjjGfSGjFWCg/s0/part0-11.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masjid Malcolm Shabazz</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Soon after we began walking, who do we meet? The incredible <a href="https://www.instagram.com/koreykingwise/">Korey Wise</a>. That is something I never thought I'd say. What an honor and privilege. Those who've seen <i><a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80200549">When They See Us</a></i> will know that Korey was one of the so-called "Central Park Five" convicted and imprisoned as teens for a crime they did not commit. It is a devastating story, so if you don't know, please watch the Netflix series. Korey happened to be riding along on his motorbike on, yes, Malcolm X Boulevard--how the past and present collide--when he and Neal called out to each other. Korey opened his arms to us. That is what he does. He puts out love. I don't know how, but he does. My heart is full. I can't believe we met. Thank you, Korey Wise. May you finally and forever have all the love and light. <div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfpK1ll5wTc1lAhO_HhhF98p7AyzTgpZCjRmeT9k7QePnxz8XTh9KQ2mgx_cl2EoAJ5wAEswNDM13syj4z5mPNg9_GVD8UWzrKtgvfwTNztMHzkwsIMVD4LRrVaHsfX5YzhNzFduu82M/s2048/IMG_3410.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfpK1ll5wTc1lAhO_HhhF98p7AyzTgpZCjRmeT9k7QePnxz8XTh9KQ2mgx_cl2EoAJ5wAEswNDM13syj4z5mPNg9_GVD8UWzrKtgvfwTNztMHzkwsIMVD4LRrVaHsfX5YzhNzFduu82M/s320/IMG_3410.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave and myself with Korey Wise 💕 (photo by Neal Shoemaker)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div>Well, what a beginning. After Korey left, we continued walking, and the pacing was perfect: we paused, we conversed. A good guide is knowledgable, passionate--and engages. A script may be needed, but so is improv. As Neal shared stories of Civil Rights legends, key events, buildings, and jazz bars, he also asked what we do. I told him we are writers, and that I love <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/langston-hughes">Langston Hughes</a>, a major figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Neal improvised. It wasn't on the script, yet he took us to Hughes' house on 127th Street. What a joy to stand where Hughes once lived, to pause and absorb the spirit of this beautiful writer whose plants once covered that building. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6ZGd8ZbnCm72ZyZeFZYwTYpW9wVBfiTYL9CDu71ODYKCYX56ybwLBsulBXGW42AikvyIeVLxHZoyRTHXGL_KW0ZtcxA9L0rsBLYyAERa5uABRe5j5OVSy0t4j9Ix9uC5c_sZBOH_WKg/s2048/IMG_3415.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_6ZGd8ZbnCm72ZyZeFZYwTYpW9wVBfiTYL9CDu71ODYKCYX56ybwLBsulBXGW42AikvyIeVLxHZoyRTHXGL_KW0ZtcxA9L0rsBLYyAERa5uABRe5j5OVSy0t4j9Ix9uC5c_sZBOH_WKg/s320/IMG_3415.JPG" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6Dc9JHy5YvAfHnjTDHXOh_pvJmBO81r_ynvvpswQceI57HdHZsHgFGzc_bwITNwxoEKncDrNuBruiTSGSGVtn5bQz5rCtgTe2GjOI0yBO3qxJq2C_gANEMdWy1-2BnGoup48joJvL5Y/s2048/fullsizeoutput_bcc.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1712" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6Dc9JHy5YvAfHnjTDHXOh_pvJmBO81r_ynvvpswQceI57HdHZsHgFGzc_bwITNwxoEKncDrNuBruiTSGSGVtn5bQz5rCtgTe2GjOI0yBO3qxJq2C_gANEMdWy1-2BnGoup48joJvL5Y/s320/fullsizeoutput_bcc.jpeg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvKEWxJGRm5UgqBd9sVXD5RK3hNTdbMMbZ-901KlNj_-rTR3Py7EHE58dsBFpGdvxtNywEmbr5p6uBijM7KwWMlZi-HTDBQbGLJSl1nVMge2lU1e_lytDSkqmTxGU9CIhII-SxXyWpf8/s2048/IMG_3417.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvKEWxJGRm5UgqBd9sVXD5RK3hNTdbMMbZ-901KlNj_-rTR3Py7EHE58dsBFpGdvxtNywEmbr5p6uBijM7KwWMlZi-HTDBQbGLJSl1nVMge2lU1e_lytDSkqmTxGU9CIhII-SxXyWpf8/s320/IMG_3417.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Langston Hughes lived here at 20 East 127th Street for the last two decades of his life. <br />(The middle photo shows remnants of the vines that climbed up the building--he loved plants.)<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Neal then led us to 128th Street, where another literary giant once lived:</span><a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/james-baldwin" style="font-family: inherit;"> James Baldwin</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Long before I came to the US, my father, who didn't care for American literature, made two exceptions: John Steinbeck and James Baldwin. He told me to read both. I did. As we now walked to Baldwin's school and home--Baldwin was born in Harlem and lived in many NYC locations till he left for France--I was overwhelmed and humbled. What distances we the living, and those who nest within us, traverse and elide. </span></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDys3W8ykOeosV5EjksBJKhBLdmyoKO9NPR7b0yugMGh5DwtDMjUxcHVTQIoC5N-O48jS_BGzn-fFUZiZ8o3BK878URUM2bcyZnGHdZMngHDQcnafhVCu055DeEQJ1tIpCNM6sXaCDKTk/s2048/IMG_3419.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDys3W8ykOeosV5EjksBJKhBLdmyoKO9NPR7b0yugMGh5DwtDMjUxcHVTQIoC5N-O48jS_BGzn-fFUZiZ8o3BK878URUM2bcyZnGHdZMngHDQcnafhVCu055DeEQJ1tIpCNM6sXaCDKTk/s320/IMG_3419.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6nhRhiBHjBfBCXNicFodGf-wjFPr4hYRe_yFaJDaNmpZfDNjphSpUGoebHjhzYNGuXPaLPYCP9hUw__JNW_rYuWBAO0Yaf3RWH3OxSKVAEPx0aVxYDb_bgZXEt_P0u12L0SPn9tSHJo/s2048/IMG_3422.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn6nhRhiBHjBfBCXNicFodGf-wjFPr4hYRe_yFaJDaNmpZfDNjphSpUGoebHjhzYNGuXPaLPYCP9hUw__JNW_rYuWBAO0Yaf3RWH3OxSKVAEPx0aVxYDb_bgZXEt_P0u12L0SPn9tSHJo/s320/IMG_3422.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Baldwin lived in many Harlem homes till the late 1940s, including this one</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPn_gRzRC3BGCXz27-sNZTquRAlEEf92KpI04TOsKlJ7jZpH_Z_qLedPLGNjSuN0RapICP9kw26HiAn7cCJz_boI_RgEWl9pd74Bij_tddjQQO50QRBPAZPRPdAa9EbdtcM2ruZH_c1Q/s2048/IMG_3421.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsPn_gRzRC3BGCXz27-sNZTquRAlEEf92KpI04TOsKlJ7jZpH_Z_qLedPLGNjSuN0RapICP9kw26HiAn7cCJz_boI_RgEWl9pd74Bij_tddjQQO50QRBPAZPRPdAa9EbdtcM2ruZH_c1Q/s320/IMG_3421.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">P.S. 24, Baldwin's elementary school, now the Harlem Renaissance School <br />(you can just about spot "Public 24" etched above the lion's head)</td></tr></tbody></table> <br />While walking, we talked: about different works by Hughes and Baldwin, the African diaspora, newer Islamic centers in Harlem, housing justice, racial justice movements today, and, of course, music. </div><div><br /></div><div>This was a walk I'll never forget--thanks to Neal Shoemaker and Harlem Heritage Tours. <br /><br /></div>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3573675574596348492.post-44172474515192815372021-06-04T14:49:00.004-04:002021-06-05T13:27:03.812-04:00I HAVE A WEBSITE--finally, finally<p>At long last, I have an author website. Please check it out: <a href="https://www.uzmaaslamkhan.com">UzmaAslamKhan</a> </p><p>I started 16 months ago but abandoned it as 1. I hate how stupid technology makes me feel 2. Looking back on a 20-year career of five novels and several other works demanded things of me that I wasn't expecting. </p><p>For starters, it required me to acknowledge myself. I looked through new and old reviews and interviews, book launches and photographs. All that I've done. Not easy. I always think I haven't done much. There's a sloughing off of self, inevitable for any artist, but since I write slowly, that self-obliteration in the service of rebirth can be very prolonged, and go very, very deep. </p><p>Yet, I'm still the same person, too--the one for whom writing is an act of faith, often blind and fully immersive. The one who, long before my first book's release in March 2001, had to come out of that trance-like state to contend with the racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and misogyny of the book industry. It took 4 years to find that first one a home, and one rejection was explained thus: I didn't have a Jemima Khan-like character, aka white woman bridge character, and my novels would never find an audience till I did that. Well, you all know I never did. Never occurred to me to listen, or care. I'm the one who's always centered brown bodies not meant to exist, lovingly. So there!</p><p>In putting together this site, mostly I've been amazed by all the folks who took the time to read my books and amplify them. Some have come and gone. Others have stayed. I am full with gratitude for your labor of love. Thank you. </p><p>It allows me to give me love. I click on each tab--for each novel, for short fiction and non-fiction, interview and events--as though scrolling through the pages of someone else's life. It's not a bad one. </p><p>I hope you visit. And let me know what you think. No doubt there are glitches and ways to improve. Also, I'm told it looks better on a computer (not phone). </p><p>Thank you. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxO0Aa-B4yhgCh0m5UNPzz-ccrl3UX-m2usXCvFnYP7HwABx17DyCkJrAmDpOkEcLd_j8sj9YkKN8g6NlK5AR9iU-SV0dOjt2N0MAuK_BMhqHc46VlWy1Ly2WiBxh8wCZfj2D2BRDu6LI/s2048/fullsizeoutput_92b.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxO0Aa-B4yhgCh0m5UNPzz-ccrl3UX-m2usXCvFnYP7HwABx17DyCkJrAmDpOkEcLd_j8sj9YkKN8g6NlK5AR9iU-SV0dOjt2N0MAuK_BMhqHc46VlWy1Ly2WiBxh8wCZfj2D2BRDu6LI/w400-h225/fullsizeoutput_92b.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.uzmaaslamkhan.com">UzmaAslamKhan</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Uzma Aslam Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782413042308519167noreply@blogger.com0