Minal Hajratwala's Blog, page 12
July 7, 2009
Life/Limbo/Death: A Michael Jackson story
A short story to mark the day…
1. Life
Sometimes I feel them now, the millions, licking at my heart. I am the god-king of their pagan sacristy, the one they worship to soothe their own pain, boredom, loneliness. Their prayers are vague and ill-defined, and if you asked them, they might deny wanting anything at all; yet they come, wanting to taste me. Singing my own songs to me, dancing my dance, they come; gazing into my mirrored lenses, they come. With flashbulbs and tears, with professions
July 4, 2009
Tiara Hall of Fame
Following up on my first post on tiara activists, I am so proud of my friend Nancy Murrell, who just gave a kidney to a stranger! She said it was no big deal and wants to encourage everyone to do it.
Here's a news article about her act.
June 27, 2009
Why I am not mourning Michael Jackson
It's pretty simple, really: I never loved him, never hated him. How could I? I didn't know him.
And neither did you.
So what's up?
I always feel confused during these big cultural moments, out of sync, cuz there's something I'm just not getting. It might sound really cold-hearted, but honestly, I'm not trying to be a jerk. I really would like to understand how people — people I know and respect— can care so much about an event that, to me, feels so distant. (To me it even feels rather tawdry to
May 28, 2009
Tiara Activism
Tiaras are not just for birthdays and weddings and silly princess games anymore. They are for taking over the world!
1. High school elects boy as prom queen
From today’s Los Angeles Times:
Sergio Garcia, 18, spent most of his years at Fairfax High openly gay and wanted to be part of the Los Angeles school’s prom court — but not as prom king. He felt that vying for prom queen would better suit his personality, so he decided to seek that crown, running against a handful of female classmates…. Read f
May 18, 2009
Inspiration
Some things that have been inspiring me lately:
♥ An interview w/hip hop artist Maya Azucena on the LatinoUSA radio show. Her music has its own unique sound and when the interviewer asked her about that, she said, “The thing about imitating is, if you’re an imitator, you can always only be second best… Stick to being yourself. If you’re the greatest you you can be, there’s no competition.”
♥ Re-reading the novel They Who Do Not Grieve by Sia Figiel, the first woman from Samoa to publish novels i
May 12, 2009
Poetry Up in the Big House
I was incredibly moved to watch the live stream of today’s poetry jam/slam at the White House. For 45 minutes solid I was amazed and stunned to see poets, mostly poets of color, telling their truths, naming their ancestors & deities, speaking their languages … IN THE WHITE HOUSE!
President Obama started by introducing his wife as “someone who brings a lot of poetry to my life.” Aww, how sweet is that? Then the First Lady spoke passionately of the importance of poetry and spoken word in helping t
April 30, 2009
My Personal 100 days: Update & Upcoming Events
Day 57 after the release of Leaving India … Time to reflect on what’s happened and what’s yet to come! I’ve toured in DC, NY, LA, and the SF Bay Area, as well as a few other spots. I’ve been thrilled with the media coverage and great reviews, learned al about Facebook and Twitter, and reached the San Francisco Chronicle review’s Top 10 weekly bestseller list twice. More exciting events are coming up this weekend and beyond in San Francisco, as well as broadcasts in Portland and New York. Hope t
April 23, 2009
Three book covers…
… for three very different books, all released in March/April 2009.
Maybe we can all schedule a reading together. 
April 15, 2009
Post-yoga fashion dialogue
Vegas boots with hat-scarf knitted by mum.
Guy: Wow! Awesome boots! I would totally wear those— I mean, er, I wouldn’t, but… I mean, nice boots!
Me: Thanks.
Guy (to his female friend): Look at her boots!
Woman: Wow, those are great! I have some shoes, some shoes that are that color—
Me: It’s a good color…
Woman: Yea, but those boots are great.
Me: … goes with everything.
Woman (looking at crazy combo of what I’m wearing: short navy-blue yoga pants, sweater with grey-purple-green stripes, silver puffy
Amazon Update
Coupon for 20% off at Powells.com, where “all books are created equal.” (Use by Thursday.)
Link to IndieBound to order online from a network of independent bookstores, or find the one nearest you.
In case you missed it all, read this good, smart wrap-up blog entry that has most of the relevant links and says why this matters.
Slower takeI’m relieved that Amazon has restored rankings and full citizenship to all of the books affected by what the company is now calling a “ham-fisted” error.
