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Hi Everyone, I’m late starting this challenge and will do my best to keep up now. Thank you, Nadia and Alison for making it possible for me to join. This image is the back cover of my most recent publication in the literary journal, Conjunctions (I need to read the rest of the pieces in this issue, too)!
I’m a writer and teacher of writing, and also a recovering academic, based in Rochester, New York. I’m not reading as much as I used to and wanted to strengthen my practice—being a reader is what made me want to write in the first place. I have many half-started books and some I’m re-reading. Right now, what’s on my plate: The Mother of All Questions (Rebecca Solnit), recommended to me by a few friends including Nadia; Living Your Yoga (Judith Lasater—re-reading); Talking Back (re-reading after 20 years—bell hooks); Pain Woman Takes Your Keys (essays by Sonya Huber); Difficult Women (Roxane Gay); Spectacle (Susan Steinberg—re-reading the stories, but this time in order). I’m thinking about what it means to claim your life and your experiences, to be a feminist in a misogynist culture, and how books are made from individual essays and stories and chapters. There are others, but I haven’t done the breakdown of pages. I’m glad to be here and look forward to reading your posts.
Open Arts Spring 2023 
Hi Sejal. I’m excited you have come on board. I have also been thinking about some of these issues also. It will be fun to engage some of these things in community.
Kate
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Hi Kate, thanks for writing. I’m working from home mostly these days and am eager for community and discussion, too.
Sejal
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Sejal, it is so great to have you here. I am so interested in what you are reading, especially in the context of what a feminist is or can be in our misogynist culture today.
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Thanks, Nadia! I am also really thinking about silence as it relates to writing. But first I have to make headway through one book (I think) instead of having so many started and not finished…I have one about grieving mindfully, too.
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Nice to virtually meet you! I’m so excited to see Rebecca Solnit on your list of reads. The essay she begins her book with “On Silence” is what inspired me to make the art that I currently have on display for a solo exhibition in NYC right now. Her articulation of how women (along with many of the LGBTQ community) are silenced helped me to understand some of my personal issues and why we resort to silence and create communities for ourselves as a means of survival. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
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Hi, Sejal. Thank you for introducing yourself and letting us know what you’re reading. I’m looking forward to your coming posts.
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Thanks, Teri! I am looking forward to hearing more about what you reading, too.
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Welcome Sejal! Looking forward to seeing what you are getting from your reading 🙂
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Hi Sejal, great list! I love Judith Lasater- and have also read Living Your Yoga, but need to pick it back up again, so full of wisdom and helpful words! I also love her book Relax and Renew.. Looking forward to seeing how you navigate your pile, and hearing about the subject matter that comes up…
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Hi Daniela, I’m trying to pull my thoughts together on Solnit’s book. “A Short History of Silence” also was the essay that had the most impact on me. I’d love to learn more about your art practice and exhibition! Can you post a link to information or your website or the exhibition?
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