Life lately (January-March)
small joys fuel the fire (...and an invitation to join me in poetic conversation)
If you’ve been reading me for a while, you know that monthly roundups were once the backbone of this newsletter (which used to be called 44 Revolutions). But as I shared when I launched Assemblage, the path was increasingly leading me in a new direction.
And I’m proud to say that over the course of the last three months, I’ve stretched consistently in that direction and in my journey as a writer, sharing a personal essay every week(ish).
Consistency is admittedly not my forte (as a person), so I have to say that I’m proud of my accomplishment, especially in the current moment. Your reading, engagement and encouragement have been a huge factor in my showing up and letting the words flow every week, so please accept my heartfelt thanks!
On the subject of life lately, let me lead by saying that the ascent from peak winter to early spring always astounds me, despite the fact that it happens every year. It seems like just yesterday that snow blanketed the woods surrounding our balcony. Schools closed for several days in January, and I largely hibernated at home. The onset of Trump 2.0 and the rising political chaos cast a gray and depressing pallor over Washington (the belly of the beast, to say the least) that certainly hasn’t lessened its grip.
But all of a sudden, spring poked her head around the corner, tentative at first and then building up to peak conditions, seemingly overnight. This is always the way it is, yet I find myself stunned every time: that the earth always wakes up, after even the coldest and darkest of slumbers. And on the heels off the huge Hands Off rallies throughout the U.S. (and elsewhere) yesterday, I’m feeling something akin to a quiet bubbling of hope.
I don’t know where we’re going from here, but I do know that the small joys of life fuel my personal fire. Pausing, living, savoring, documenting and sharing the joys is also how I bear witness, and in this spirit please enjoy this glimpse at the season that was.
10 Things to Check Out
As you may have heard, my friend Meghan and I are organizing what promises to be a magical gathering in my beloved Treasure Beach, Jamaica on May 17-21. Nature, Nurture, Nourish is about connecting mind, body and spirit while immersed in the elements and the beautiful community of Treasure Beach. We still have one spot left – maybe it could be yours? Or perhaps you know of someone who might be interested? Please help us spread the word!
Speaking of Treasure Beach, I recently joined the board of the Jamaica Center for the Arts (JAarts). Created by my friends Jeff & Morgan Menzies, JAarts is a community-centered arts hub in Treasure Beach focused on providing arts education, mentorship and skills training for community members. The aim is also to provide a space where locals and visitors alike can exchange, collaborate and create in a setting that celebrates Caribbean culture heritage and contemporary arts practices. Please check out the website and consider donating to support the completion of the center and space. JAarts is also one of the organizers of this month’s Treasure Beach Arts Festival.
I’m learning that it’s never too late to pursue the path of creativity. And as I wrote, the magnificent children’s book Ablaze with Color by Jeanne Walker Harvey and Loveis Wise reminds us of this through the story of American painter Alma Thomas, who didn’t start making her own art until she was 70 years old. I’d be remiss not to recommend this beautiful book (which now lives on my desk): it’s perfect for kids or anyone else.
A new DC spot that I checked out recently is SOST, a “hybrid-café, vinyl room and resto-lounge” with a grown and sexy vibe. “Sost” means the number 3 in Amharic, a nod to the Ethiopian heritage of the three siblings who created and run the spot. I recently enjoyed a great night out there with friends and look forward to checking out the food and daytime scene at some point.
The hibernation that marked the first half of this season was perfect for working further on the actual craft of writing, which is a goal of mine. As part of this, it’s been wonderful to be a part of Jeannine Ouellette’s Writing in the Dark community, which I highly recommend for the fellow writers in our midst. What is writing in the dark? Jeannine explains:
“Writing in the dark means doing language in a way that goes beyond self-expression or conveying information. It means writing creatively in order to discover more truth and beauty in the world and in your life. There’s more to it…but for starters, let’s just say that writing in the dark means wanting to wake language up and make it capable of telling the truth again, make it capable of holding beauty again, make it capable of being surprising, real, and free, so that we can be, too.”
I joined the last WITD seasonal intensive, centered around the delightful (no pun intended) The Book of Delights by Ross Gay, whose “essayettes” on delight we studied and used as frameworks for writing our own. It was a joy to share one of my pieces at the virtual open mic that Jeannine and Billie hosted to close out the intensive and to share daily delights with a warm community of fellow writers engaged in the practice of “making language come alive.” Here’s my essayette from the second week of the intensive (in response to the prompt “Something I’ve Noticed…”), if you’d like to read:
I often get comments about my hair color. Maybe I can take some credit, but I give all the kudos to my colorist of 7 years, who is also my friend: the fabulous Peter Perera. Peter recently joined the team at Eli Ali Salon in Dupont Circle, which is a new-ish salon with some very talented stylists and a cozy, friendly vibe. Check it out for your hairstyling needs if you’re in the DC area.
During my recent trip to Chicago, I hung out my friend Mwelwa while he was DJing at the Epiphany Center for the Arts, in the West Loop. Amidst a soundtrack of Angolan semba, Haitian kompa and Colombian salsa (Mwelwa is one of Chi-town’s best “world music” DJs), I discovered a really cool space – formerly a historic church but now an interdisciplinary arts center with cool exhibits, concerts, food and regular “golden hour” with DJs and live music. Check it (and Mwelwa!) out if you’re in Chicago.
Maybe I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, but Trevor Noah’s podcast What Now? is such a blessing, truly. I really enjoyed his recent conversation with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, whose new novel Dream Count is attracting a lot of buzz (like everything she writes). I haven’t read it yet but Trevor (and Christiana)’s chat with Chimamanda was incisive and thought-provoking.
It’s exciting that there are now many more makeup and skincare lines catering to melanated skin, including brands by South Asian women. One that I discovered recently is Teak Beauty, which specializes in lipstick for South Asian skin tones. I love the ‘Sonia’ lipstick – it’s a perfectly muted shade of red which also happens to be moisturizing and comes in a pretty gold tube – be still, my Indian girl heart! I also picked up the lovely neutral Whirl at Mac, during my recent trip to Paris. This shade would likely look good on any skin tone.
I’ve long been a fangirl of Caroline Donofrio, whose Between a Rock and a Card Place is one of my absolute favorites on Substack. In her Sunday dispatches, Caroline includes a weekly card reading, drawing from her extensive study of the tarot. I’ve dabbled in some tarot myself so was intrigued when she offered individual readings to her subscribers and signed up. It was a great session - lots of food for thought! I may write about the cards that Caroline pulled for me at some point, but in the meanwhile if you’re a fan of beautiful prose check out her inspiring Substack.
What I read
It’s been an active season in terms of reading, and I’ve gotten off to quite the solid start towards my goal of 35 books this year. Some of the best I’ve read recently include The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Sandwich by Catherine Newman and The Book of Night Women by Marlon James. But as I mentioned in writing about our shared humanity, the book that I haven’t stopped thinking about is Orbital by Samantha Harvey. Last year’s Booker Prize winner, it profiles a day in the life of six astronauts on the International Space Station. It’s short (only 224 pages) but searingly beautiful: a powerful reminder of our interconnectedness and shared destiny as living beings on this little blue planet.
“The earth is the answer to every question. The earth is the face of an exulted lover; they watch it sleep and wake and become lost in its habits. The earth is a mother waiting for her children to return, full of stories and rapture and longing. Their bones a little less dense, their limbs a little thinner. Eyes filled with sights that are difficult to tell.” – Samantha Harvey, Orbital
What I watched
Like many, I’ve been bingeing the third season of White Lotus (on Max). It’s all the more intriguing given that it’s set in Thailand, where we lived for more than 5 years. The acting, the writing, the costumes, the music, the sets: it’s all so good. With my son Rohan, we’ve also been enjoying Everybody Hates Chris (via Tubi), written and produced by Chris Rock circa 2005-06 (a full 20 years ago!). It’s the semi-autobiographical story of a teenager coming up in Brooklyn in the 1980s and it’s both hilarious (narrated by Chris himself) and tender: great for watching with the tween in your life (or on your own).
What I listened to
February 6 would have been Bob Marley’s 80th birthday. Lately, I’ve been going down a rabbit hole of his last (and arguably best) album: Uprising. It’s a spiritual masterpiece whose songs carry many prescient messages that we would do well to revisit in the current moment.
What I cooked
At the peak of winter, my body typically craves comfort food. But maybe because of all the heaviness in the air, I spent the beginning of the year seeking out freshness on my plate – food to feel alive, if you will. Hetty McKinnon’s recipe for dumpling and smashed cucumber salad with peanut dressing definitely hit all the right notes. For a weeknight friendly meal with both protein and veg, we really enjoyed this caramelized Brussels sprouts pasta with toasted chickpeas (though I might roast the chickpeas in the oven next time). As the farmer’s markets prepare to open and an exciting new organic supermarket has just arrived in our neighborhood, I can’t wait to cook more this next season – spring produce is always so inspiring.
No poem to sign off but…an invitation!
As I recently shared, after a few months of absence poetry has found me again. It’s timely, because we just celebrated World Poetry Day (March 21), and it’s now National Poetry Month here in the U.S. And because one of my favorite poetic genres has always been the haiku (the Japanese form that uses three sparse lines of 5-7-5 syllables respectively), I thought I’d try something. Please feel free to leave me a word – any word – or image (or even the name/link to a song), and I’d be happy to write you a haiku. As an example (with thanks to Jonathan Foster):
And…breaking news!
In advance of a longer volume of poems that I’ll be putting out into the universe later this year, I’m going to compile the haikus inspired by your submissions into a small chapbook that I’ll be releasing at the end of the month/beginning of May. It’ll be free for paid subscribers as well as anyone who makes a submission. For everyone else, it’ll be available for a nominal fee.
Stay tuned for more details, and in the meanwhile…please send me your words (and images), by commenting below, responding to my note (on Substack) or sending me a message.
I can’t wait to be in poetic conversation with you, because poetry is no small joy. It’s needed, now more than ever. Because poetry, as Audre Lorde reminded us, is not a luxury:
Reconnection
Hi Ramya, thanks for this newsletter. It's a great blend of reflections and recommendations. I absolutely love picture books, so I will definitely check out Ablaze. It's also heartening to know that she created it at 70. I'm 54 and have been writing my whole life, but I have only claimed the role of writer and began sharing my work in the last few years. I also adore Trevor Noah. His memoir Born a Crime is one of my favorites of all time, so I will check out his podcast. Have a great day!