Monthly Archives: June 2008

LeGs Book Club

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I enjoyed a stimulating evening of Indian food and conversation with the Let’s Get Social Book Club last night. The newish Toronto lesbian social group, headed up by a few volunteers, runs a variety of cool activities for its diverse group.

The twelve book-clubbers and I tossed around questions like: “Is Salma really a lesbian?” and “What happened to Ravi and Angie”. There was talk of what could be in a sequel and the ways in which non-South Asian dykes related to Salma and Nasreen.

Book club meetings always feel great to me. All the members read the book and engage with the story. They often have insightful questions and lovely, interesting feedback.

If you belong to a book club, invite me to come. If you are out of town, I’d be happy to do something over speaker phone.

Next month, I head out to Hamilton’s McMaster University (I’m an alumnus) to talk to their Alumni book club–if you are in Hamilton, please feel free to join us. More info on the “public appearances” page.

Stealing Nasreen’s One Year Anniversary

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It’s been one year since Stealing Nasreen went public. I realized it on Thursday, when I was listening to Matt Galloway on CBC’s Here and Now at 4:30 in the afternoon, the same time-slot during which I was interviewed last year, just before the big launch at Trane Studio. My heart sped up, feeling nervous and wistful for my newbie author self, the person I was a year ago. I’ve learned so much about what it means to be an author this year. 

A few highlights:

-I’ve toured across the US and Canada, visiting 20 cities and doing over 40 readings

-I’ve spoken to dozens of media folk, felt the embrace of countless readers

-I’ve had hands-on training, learning what it means to be a self-promoter, organizing most of my own readings by sending thousands of e-mails, and making a hundred of cold calls

–Stealing Nasreen went into its second printing, exceeding the publisher’s expectations and my own

This year has also been a fruitful one for me as a writer. Having one successful novel out raised my confidence, and made my writing more assured and smooth. I received Toronto Arts Council and Ontario Arts Council grants for my second novel, which is now in its revision stage.

Thanks to my partner, friends, family, publisher, booksellers, media and readers for making this year such a successful one for me and Stealing Nasreen! I couldn’t have done it without you.