The Task of a Writer

The task of a writer is to allow a voice to be heard, not just on the page, but in the world. My hope is that Ronit and Jamil will resonate in the world, and have a huge international readership since political schisms, unfortunately, exist in every part of the world.

A Cry-Out to Justice

I run the NYC Poetry Festival and just recently completed my introduction to the book. I am going to share the first few paragraphs with you, since they seem so relevant to RONIT AND JAMIL, the ideal of justice. The older I get, the more important social and political relevance has become in my life and my writing.

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view….until

you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

Atticus Finch, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

May 13^th, 2016, was the 44^th NYC Poetry Festival, and what stood out that day was the abundance of poems that understood the meaning of the word “empathy,” the ability to put oneself in another’s position, to understand what he or she might be feeling.  This is particularly relevant today, in June, when a lone gunman entered a club in Orlando, Florida, killing forty-nine people. Pulse is a gay night-club, so this was evidently an enraged response to our freedom  and our culture.

Yet there is another response that has emerged since this time: a cry-out to justice. Across our nation, people of all ages, genders and sexualities suddenly perceive themselves as citizens of the world. Being a citizen of the world necessitates a level of cooperation, caring and morality, and no one understands this better than our student poets.

Rohingya

My second novel, WHY NO BHINE addresses the injustice of the Rohingya population in Myanmar, so I am very interested in all information coming out of Fortify Rights.

On June 17th, Fortified Rights released a press statement that expresses the need to release four prisoners who have been serving a 12 month sentence. Their only "crime" was printing the word "Rohingya" in a 2016 calendar. 

To see the full press release, please click on the link below:

http://www.fortifyrights.org/publication-20160617.html

The spirit of "Ronit and Jamil" is alive and well!

On May 15th, 2016, an article in the NYT reported that $100,000 was given by a U.S. group to aid West Bank farmers.This project in Auja is the first substantial one to be financed by both Jews and Muslims in the United States, and has Israeli Jews and Palestinian Muslims on its technical team. The solar project gives an economic push to farmers who struggle with unreliable and expensive electricity.

This serves the spirit of RONIT AND JAMIL!

It Ain't So Awful, Falafel

I am very excited about a great new diverse book, It Ain't So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas. This book tells the story of a girl coming to America from Iran and the struggles that she faces. Because it takes place in the 1970s after the U.S. Embassy in Iran is invaded by anti-American students, Zomorod must deal with animosity from her peers. More diverse books are coming out in the YA market today, so the teen market is truly ready for Ronit and Jamil, due out in January, 2017!