Sahiyo Discusses book club to hold next event in September
Event: Sahiyo Discusses: Cut Woman by Dena Igusti Date: September 27, 2023 Tme: 7:00 PM EST Registration Link: https://bit.ly/SahiyoDiscusses Sahiyo invites you to join the next iteration of Sahiyo Discusses! Designed to bring people together through literature, art, and media, Sahiyo Discusses hosts meetings with activists and allies in Sahiyo’s network to discuss a chosen piece of media. With themes including feminism, equality, bodily autonomy, women-centered movements, and sexual empowerment, this club will focus on uplifting the stories and experiences of women everywhere. On September 27, 2023 the group will meet virtually for Sahiyo Discusses: Cut Woman by Dena Igusti. Dena Igusti is an Indonesian Muslim writer born and raised in Queens, New York. They are the author of CUT WOMAN (Game Over Books, 2020), which has been listed as a 2020 Harvard Bookstore Staff Pick and a Entropy Mag’s Best Of 2020-2021, and I NEED THIS TO NOT SWALLOW ME ALIVE (Gingerbug Press, 2021). They are the co-playwright of the wish: a manual for a last-ditch effort to save abortion in the united states through theater, created with the support of New Georges and made possible by the Clubbed Thumb Constitution Commission, funded by Heidi Schreck and the producers of What The Constitution Means to Me, and winner of A is For. Their work has been produced and performed at LA Times, The Brooklyn Museum, The Apollo Theater, Prelude Festival (Cut Woman, 2020), Center At West Park (CON DOUGH, 2021), The Tank (First Sight 2021 at LimeFest), and several other venues internationally. They have received commissions from The Miranda Family Fund (2023), Motor Theater Company (2023), New Ohio Theatre (Now In Process 2022), Center at West Park (2021), Converse, and more. In a post-colonial world shaped by what is and what will be lost, what is there left to celebrate? In Dena Igusti’s debut collection Cut Woman, Igusti is overwhelmed by the loss of their people. The loss includes but is not limited to: the deaths of Muslims around the world due to xenophobia and Islamophobia; the deaths of Indonesians as a result of post-colonialism, state violence, environmental racism, and overall media negligence and prioritization of white people over their own; the mortality of friends, lovers, and family facing economic disparity and gentrification in New York City; the loss of their body that could’ve been their body if they didn’t undergo female genital mutilation. They know that one day, their time will be up too. Rather than stay in mourning, they try to turn these wakes, both current and future, into the biggest celebrations of their life. Sahiyo Discusses members will have the opportunity to discuss this book with Dena and ask pertinent questions. Admission to Sahiyo Discusses is based on a suggested minimum donation of $25.00 USD per event. Donors who contribute $100 or more will also receive a copy of the work that we are discussing! If you or anyone in your network is interested in joining us please register and donate here: https://bit.ly/SahiyoDiscusses Thank you all for your continued dedication to Sahiyo’s mission, and we look forward to seeing you all there!
Sahiyo Discusses: You Still Look the Same, a discussion with Farzana Doctor
In our latest Sahiyo Discusses event, which took place on September 21st, we were joined by Farzana Doctor, to discuss her newly released poetry book, You Still Look the Same. A profoundly moving collection of poems, Farzana explores multiple themes and includes a section on being a survivor of female genital cutting (FGC). At the event itself we listened to her poetry, which was subsequently followed by a discussion and questions for Farzana, focusing on methods for healing grief and trauma, alongside her process for writing such personal insights into her life. Farzana is a writer, activist and psychotherapist, currently volunteering with WeSpeakOut, a global group that works to end FGC in her community and also writes for Sahiyo’s Dear Maasi, a sex and relationships column on Sahiyo’s blog for FGC survivors. Evident in her ‘agony aunt’ style responses, as well as her poetry, Farzana is not afraid to shine light on difficult and painful topics: the pain of heart break and dating at middle-age, cultural and familial responses to her same sex relationship, and misogyny and racism that has followed her from childhood. Though heart-wrenching and emotionally stirring, Farzana’s voice also rings with humour and strength, holding the ability to switch between light-hearted anecdotes about online dating and a fiery condemnation of those who stand by and silently watch FGC take place. Sahiyo believes storytelling to be an important part of the work to end FGC, simultaneously uplifting survivors’ experiences to give them a voice while increasing awareness and conversations around the practice to end it. Farzana’s writing is a brilliant example of this, and we thank her for joining Sahiyo Discusses and giving us the opportunity to talk with her about her work and experiences. Thank you to everyone who came and donated. Follow these links if you are still interested in donating to Sahiyo or reading Farzana’s poetry collection.
Sahiyo Discusses book club holds next event in September
Event: Sahiyo Discusses: You Still Look the Same by Farzana Doctor Date: September 21, 2022 Time: 7:00 PM EST Registration Link: https://bit.ly/SahiyoDiscusses Sahiyo invites you to join the next iteration of Sahiyo Discusses! Designed to bring people together through literature, art, and media, Sahiyo Discusses hosts quarterly meetings with activists and allies in Sahiyo’s network to discuss a chosen piece of media. With themes including feminism, equality, bodily autonomy, women-centered movements, and sexual empowerment, this club will focus on uplifting the stories and experiences of women everywhere. On September 21, 2022 the group will meet virtually for Sahiyo Discusses: You Still Look the Same by Farzana Doctor. Farzana Doctor is a writer, activist, and psychotherapist. She currently volunteers with WeSpeakOut, a global group that is working to ban female genital cutting (FGC) in her Dawoodi Bohra community, and is a co-founder of the End FGM Canada Network. Farzana is also behind Dear Maasi, a sex and relationships column on Sahiyo’s blog for FGC survivors. Her newest collection of poetry, You Still Look the Same, is both an intimate deep-dive and a humorous glance at the tumultuous decade of her forties. Through crisp and vivid language, Doctor explores mid-life breakups and dating, FGC, imprints of racism and misogyny, and the oddness of sex and love; she urges us to take a second look at the ways in which human relationships are never what we expect them to be. Sahiyo Discusses members will have the opportunity to discuss this book with Farzana and ask pertinent questions. Admission to Sahiyo Discusses is based on a suggested minimum donation of $25.00 USD per event. Donors who contribute $100 or more will have access to Sahiyo Discusses events for a full calendar year. If you or anyone in your network is interested in joining us please register and donate here: https://bit.ly/SahiyoDiscusses Thank you all for your continued dedication to Sahiyo’s mission, and we look forward to seeing you all there! In Her Own Words: Farzana Doctor’s Full Bio Farzana Doctor is a writer, activist, and psychotherapist. Her ancestry is Indian, and she was born in Zambia while her family was based there for five years, before immigrating to Canada in 1971. She became interested in community organizing as a teen (primarily environmental issues, gender violence, and LGBTTTIQ rights). From 2009-18, she curated the Brockton Writers Series and has been a volunteer with The Writers’ Union of Canada and the Writers’ Trust. She currently volunteers with WeSpeakOut, a global group that is working to ban female genital cutting in her Dawoodi Bohra community. Farzana is also behind Dear Maasi, a sex and relationships column on Sahiyo’s blog for FGC survivors. She co-founded the End FGM Canada Network. She studied social work in the early nineties and has been a social worker ever since. She worked in a variety of community agencies and a hospital before starting part-time private practice, where she sees individuals and couples. She has been writing all of her life but it became a more regular practice around 2000, when she began writing her first novel, Stealing Nasreen, which was published by Inanna in 2007. Her second novel, Six Metres of Pavement, won a 2012 Lambda Literary Award and was short-listed for the 2012 Toronto Book Award. In 2017 it was voted the One Book One Brampton 2017 winner. Her third novel, All Inclusive was a Kobo 2015 and National Post Best Book of the Year. Her fourth novel, Seven was chosen for many 2020 Best Book lists and shortlisted for the Trillium and Evergreen Awards. Her poetry collection, You Still Look The Same, was just released in May 2022. While all her books are distinct from one another, some common themes include loss, relationships, community, healing, racism, LGBT rights, diasporic identity, and feminism. She seamlessly blends strong stories with social justice issues. She has just finished work on a YA novel and is editing a new self-care workbook. She is represented by Rachel Letofsky of CookeMcDermid. She’s an amateur Tarot card reader and has a love of spirituality, energy psychology, hypnosis, and neuroscience. She lives with her partner and dog near the lake in South Etobicoke, the traditional territory of the Haudenosauneega, Anishinabek, and Huron-Wendat peoples.
Sahiyo’s Book Club Holds Second Event In February
Event: Sahiyo Discusses: A Fractured Life by Shabnam Samuel Date: February 6th, 2022 Tme: 10 am EST Registration Link: https://bit.ly/SahiyoDiscusses Sahiyo invites you to join the second iteration of Sahiyo Discusses! Designed to bring people together through literature, art, and media, Sahiyo Discusses hosts quarterly meetings with activists and allies in Sahiyo’s network to discuss a chosen piece of media. With themes including feminism, equality, bodily autonomy, women-centered movements, and sexual empowerment, this club will focus on uplifting the stories and experiences of women everywhere. On February 6th, 2022 the group will meet virtually for Sahiyo Discusses: A Fractured Life by Shabnam Samuel. Shabnam Samuel is a writer, coach, social media trainer, and the founder of the Panchgani Writers’ Retreat, an international writing retreat based out of Panchgani, India. Her memoir, A Fractured Life, explores her life growing up in 1960s India after being abandoned by her parents. In her own words, Shabnam says; “We come from a Culture of Silence. A culture that along the way has shrouded us with this cloud of clear demarcations that all things good are only told to the outside world and all things bad are kept inside your own world. For women, this is doubly true. We are supposed to be the strength, the keeper of secrets, and the face of acceptance. It does not matter that some of us crumble inside. This needs to change. I know my story is not unique. I know there are so many of us out there. In writing my memoir, I want the world to know that silence should not be a part of our culture; I want young girls of today and women of yesterday to know that we all have a reason to exist. We all have the right to exist and no one should ever take that away from you in the name of culture, family name, kids, spouses or any other reason. So I write to prove that I exist.” Sahiyo Discusses members will have the opportunity to discuss this book with Shabnam and ask pertinent questions. Admission to Sahiyo Discusses is based on a suggested minimum donation of $25.00 USD per event. Donors who contribute $200 or more will have access to Sahiyo Discusses events for a full calendar year. If you or anyone in your network is interested in joining us please register and donate here: https://bit.ly/SahiyoDiscusses Thank you all for your continued dedication to Sahiyo’s mission, and we look forward to seeing you all there! In Her Own Words: Shabnam Samuel’s Full Bio Shabnam Samuel is an author and a motivational speaker and heads an Enterprise called Social Lite House, LLC, based out of Washington DC. Through SLH LLC, we reach out to the underprivileged, just not in economic spheres but also to those women, who voices have been silenced. Shabnam is an award winning author of her memoir called A Fractured Life, which was published in the USA in 2018. At the age of 57, after decades of silence, Shabnam found her voice and her strength through the writing of her book. Today, Shabnam reaches out through her talks, seminars and workshops to those who need to come out of their own shadows and find themselves. Creative Corporate Workshops is where Shabnam spends her time teaching writing and structure to various organizations. Shabnam is also the founder of the Panchgani Writers’ Retreat, an international writing retreat based out of Panchgani, India. The retreat incorporates mindful living along with creativity and wellness following Ayurveda principles, with yoga, meditation and writing workshops. Shabnam is studying to be an Ayurveda practitioner at the Kerala Ayurveda Academy in Kerala, India Shabnam hosts a local TV show called Dew Drops and Words that broadcasts to 6.1 million viewers on the WJAL LATV network in the Washington DC area. You can find her on YouTube under the name “Dew Drops and Words.” When she is not doing any of the above you can find her cycling somewhere in the suburbs of Washington DC which she has called home for the last 34 years.
Sahiyo’s Book Club to hold second event in February
Event: Sahiyo Discusses: A Fractured Life by Shabnam Samuel Date: February 6th, 2022 Tme: 10 am EST Registration Link: https://bit.ly/SahiyoDiscusses Sahiyo invites you to join the second iteration of Sahiyo Discusses! Designed to bring people together through literature, art, and media, Sahiyo Discusses hosts quarterly meetings with activists and allies in Sahiyo’s network to discuss a chosen piece of media. With themes including feminism, equality, bodily autonomy, women-centered movements, and sexual empowerment, this club will focus on uplifting the stories and experiences of women everywhere. On February 6th, 2022 the group will meet virtually for Sahiyo Discusses: A Fractured Life by Shabnam Samuel. Shabnam Samuel is a writer, coach, social media trainer, and the founder of the Panchgani Writers’ Retreat, an international writing retreat based out of Panchgani, India. Her memoir, A Fractured Life, explores her life growing up in 1960s India after being abandoned by her parents. In her own words, Shabnam says; “We come from a Culture of Silence. A culture that along the way has shrouded us with this cloud of clear demarcations that all things good are only told to the outside world and all things bad are kept inside your own world. For women, this is doubly true. We are supposed to be the strength, the keeper of secrets, and the face of acceptance. It does not matter that some of us crumble inside. This needs to change. I know my story is not unique. I know there are so many of us out there. In writing my memoir, I want the world to know that silence should not be a part of our culture; I want young girls of today and women of yesterday to know that we all have a reason to exist. We all have the right to exist and no one should ever take that away from you in the name of culture, family name, kids, spouses or any other reason. So I write to prove that I exist.” Sahiyo Discusses members will have the opportunity to discuss this book with Shabnam and ask pertinent questions. Admission to Sahiyo Discusses is based on a suggested minimum donation of $25.00 USD per event. Donors who contribute $200 or more will have access to Sahiyo Discusses events for a full calendar year. If you or anyone in your network is interested in joining us please register and donate here: https://bit.ly/SahiyoDiscusses Thank you all for your continued dedication to Sahiyo’s mission, and we look forward to seeing you all there! In Her Own Words: Shabnam Samuel’s Full Bio Shabnam Samuel is an author and a motivational speaker and heads an Enterprise called Social Lite House, LLC, based out of Washington DC. Through SLH LLC, we reach out to the underprivileged, just not in economic spheres but also to those women, who voices have been silenced. Shabnam is an award winning author of her memoir called A Fractured Life, which was published in the USA in 2018. At the age of 57, after decades of silence, Shabnam found her voice and her strength through the writing of her book. Today, Shabnam reaches out through her talks, seminars and workshops to those who need to come out of their own shadows and find themselves. Creative Corporate Workshops is where Shabnam spends her time teaching writing and structure to various organizations. Shabnam is also the founder of the Panchgani Writers’ Retreat, an international writing retreat based out of Panchgani, India. The retreat incorporates mindful living along with creativity and wellness following Ayurveda principles, with yoga, meditation and writing workshops. Shabnam is studying to be an Ayurveda practitioner at the Kerala Ayurveda Academy in Kerala, India Shabnam hosts a local TV show called Dew Drops and Words that broadcasts to 6.1 million viewers on the WJAL LATV network in the Washington DC area. You can find her on YouTube under the name “Dew Drops and Words.” When she is not doing any of the above you can find her cycling somewhere in the suburbs of Washington DC which she has called home for the last 34 years.