Translated from Catalan Maruxa Relaño and Martha Tennent (Rochester, NY: Open Letter, 2020) The rich have no concern for the poor. Or rather they live in their gilded mansions, eating expensive food, buying designer clothes, and traveling to exotic places, while … Continued
Translated from Swedish by Saskia Vogel (New York: Other Press, 2020) During the Holocaust, Denmark was the only European country that rallied around its Jewish population to save nearly every Danish Jew. Almost overnight, the resistance organized a rescue mission. … Continued
Translated from Turkish by Ümit Hussein (New York: Other Press, 2019) I am incapable of forgiving people who have hurt me. I’ve tried the whole Christian philosophy of turning the other cheek and proffering forgiveness. But what I’ve learned is that others, … Continued
(London: Holland Park Press, 2019) Life happens and then I write about it. It’s what essayists and memoirists do. We take real life stories and put them down on paper so others can read about them. However, writing non-fiction is … Continued
(Florham Park, NJ: Serving House Books, 2019) I read incessantly. This morning, I was at a department meeting at work and my supervisor commented that she always sees me with a book — a different one every week. I read … Continued
Translated from Dutch by Jane Hedley-Prôle (New York: Other Press, 2019) I am a fan of historical-fiction. History re-envisioned, a blend of fact and imagination that sometimes leads to a greater truth, a better understanding of the past. Academic texts … Continued
Translated from Dutch by David Doherty (New York: World Editions, 2018) I’ve often dreamed about living alone on an island, or, if not alone, with a few other people. Think of it: the quiet, the solitude, the lack of distraction. … Continued
(New York: Mariner Books, 2018) I live in a country that is allegedly free, a land that has not been torn apart by civil war in over a century and a half. My life has not been complicated by politics. … Continued
(Warrensburg, MO: Pleiades Press, 2018) Years ago, I used to make scrapbooks. Actually, they were more like photo albums in which I incorporated scraps of things I collected on my overseas journeys. I affixed ticket stubs from museums and trains, … Continued
(New York: Catapult, 2017) I am stuck. At least that is how I feel most days. Trapped in a life far removed from the one I once dreamed. On good days, I fantasize about fleeing, where I’d go and how … Continued
Translated from the Spanish by Sophie Hughes (New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 2017) Politics, or perhaps I should say differing ideologies, divide families. I know this well since it has been years since I have spoken to my cousin … Continued
(Brooklyn, NY: Restless Books, 2017) Living abroad in a country that is neither your home nor the home of your ancestors is no doubt interesting and educational, but it can also be challenging. Separated from family and friends, you spend … Continued
Translated from the German by Michael Hulse (New York, NY: New Directions, 2016) Talk of a wall and the ban regarding Muslim refugees is everywhere. Immigration has become one of the hot bed topics currently raging in America. On social … Continued
(Is It All in Your Head? True Stories of Imaginary Illness. New York, NY: Other Press, 2017) Justine had fibromyalgia – or so that’s what she told me. No matter how much she slept, she was always tired. Her joints hurt. … Continued
Translated from the German by Jen Calleja (New York, NY: Other Press, 2017) I am a “tobacco chipper.” Two days ago, I had never heard the term, but according to Gregor Hens in Nicotine, it is someone who can smoke … Continued
Translated from the French by Sheila Fischman (Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions, 2016) A mother gives her child life. She cradles him, loves him, feeds him and nurtures him. The death of that child is a mother’s worst fear. She will … Continued
(Portland, OR: Tin House Books, 2016) Childbirth is a ubiquitous occurrence, yet each woman deals with it differently; each woman’s experience is personal, as if scripted just for her. There are guidelines, advice, and expectations, but never are there guarantees. … Continued