Since we are all likely to be overwhelmed by greetings in a few days’ time, I thought I’d cut in early and wish you for 2007 about two weeks ahead of time. May your year be full of joy and warmth, may your days be full of cheer, and may your troubles last as long as your resolutions!
In the run up, one announcement and one request. The announcement: the book that I edited along with Shamillah Wilson and Kristy Evans, ‘Defending our Dreams: global feminist voices for a new generation‘ is doing well, and is (cough cough) on the reading lists of a few universities. Please do check out www.sanmathi.org for reviews and information on how to get the book, or do go directly to the Zed Books site: http://www.zedbooks.co.uk/book.asp?bookdetail=4061
Now for the request. I have been asked by Penguin (India) to put together an anthology of prose and poetry for children and young adults (i.e. in the age group of 12-18 years) that can be used for ‘elocution’ or speaking competitions. It seems an ideal opportunity to inspire and enthuse young people with a not-so-usual selection of writing. So if you know of any pieces that you feel might be appropriate in a collection such as this – funny, quirky, serious, sombre, powerful – please do send them on, or mention any references that I could use. I would be particularly happy if it was work done in translation, including writing from Asia, Africa and Latin America. The speaking time needs to be between 2 and 4 minutes.
I hope to get a magical set of ideas and suggestions from all of you. In the meantime, here’s to the magic of the midnight moment… and a wonderful year ahead.
love and peace,
alo/anasuya
Anasuya Sengupta
www.sanmathi.org
anasuya_s@yahoo.com