21/01/2022
Dr. Anita Nahal’s book of prose poems, What’s Wrong With Us Kali Women? are soliloquies, treatises, and of other literary forms that focus on life and human interactions. The poems are eclectic, thought provoking, formidable, haunting, and soul reflective. They are inspired by the strength of Hinduism’s many female goddesses, especially Kali, and by the author’s journeys across the world. The poems portray the perceptions of a diaspora of Indian woman on immigration, domestic abuse, r**e, aging, Covid19, single motherhood, love and sensuality, death, racism, sexism, environment, alien life, environment, poverty, and much more. The poems are personal, with implications on a global scale, especially in the pandemic.
Anita says that she generally lives at intersections thereby not limiting herself to one space or manner. As such, her poems reflect variously, impressionist, realist, romantic, confessional, and surrealist styles. Looking at life from the prism of tenacity, sensitivity, and survival, Nahal’s poems display imagery that is starkly varied, vivid and robust. Phyllis Wheatley, Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson, and Maya Angelou are some of the writers with whom Anita’s poems are compared. Anita Nahal takes everyday emotions, actions, and reactions, and creates an immensely poignant, unforgettable poetic tapestry.
What’s wrong with us Kali women? has been included as compulsory reading in an Elective course on Multicultural Society in the Department of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences at Utrecht University, The Netherlands. The department previously included two of her earlier books as additional readings. These included Nahal’s second poetry book, Hey, Spilt milk is spilt, nothing else (Authorspress, 2018) and a collection of flash fictions, Life on the go- Flash fictions from New Delhi to America (Authorspress, 2018)
Quotations of scholars on the front and back jacket of the book include the following:
"East meets West in Anita Nahal’s work. Poetry dances with prose. She is a new woman for the new world coming. A literary goddess!" E. Ethelbert Miller, Writer, Literary Activist, and author of several collections of poetry and two memoirs.
"Writing that is so meditative and suffused with bliss! All women, especially Indian women in the Diaspora, will cling to Anita Nahal’s words like lifelines.”
Joy Lalita Ford Austin, President and CEO, Joy Ford Austin Arts and Humanities Advocacy, Washington DC
"Anita Nahal’s third volume of poetry is her best till date, a monument to her astounding ability to create an infinity lemniscate, a myriad of overlapping worlds, dazzling us in and out of micro and macro universes of our most personal intimacies to burning societal issues of our time. Nahal’s work resonates C. Wright Mills Adagio that no understanding of personal challenges is possible without bringing them into the wider circle of society. No bedside table, no college or university shelf that aims at opening minds to the interlinkage of important personal and societal issues should be left without a copy of Nahal’s enlightening prose poetry." Dr. Gerrit Dielissen, Professor of Sociology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
"Anita Nahal is a distinguished poetic voice. She is here to stay--to immortalize poetry and to commemorate herself. I cannot agree more with her, that there is nothing wrong with us Kali women! In solidarity and sisterhood." Professor Nandini Sahu, poet, folklorist, Director of School of Foreign Languages, IGNOU, New Delhi, India
"This collection of richly dramatic and evocative prose poems is a jewel in feminist, transnational poetics. Anita Nahal defies comfortable characterization in her writings and is irreplaceable." Phillip Hall, author of Sweetened in Coals; Fume; Cactus; & publisher of Burrow, Australia: https://oldwaterratpublishing.com
"Anita Nahal’s poems are reminiscent of youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman's message of resilience and, like Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou, Anita has persisted. Her book is a timeless work for the ages. a gift from the Hindu Goddesses whose powers she invokes in her passionate, pensive prose poetry through the eyes of an Indian American renaissance woman, deftly weaving words from two languages to paint this linguistic masterpiece." Everett Vann Eberhardt, J.D., (Retired) Attorney, Professor, Director of Equity, Diversity & Legal Affairs, NOVA C.C., Fairfax, US
You may wish to purchase a copy of the book at $19.00 for your own enrichment, as well as to use in your course readings on women/immigration, race, socio/politics, and ethnicity, to encourage students to learn more about women of the Indian diaspora whose experiences mirror those of women worldwide and to use in discussions about the societal conditions that are endemic to populations globally.
For more information, please contact [email protected]. You may purchase the book at:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/195435388X/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_TP7HG99T8CHQX6DHGXJ8
Kelsay website: https://kelsaybooks.com/products/what-s-wrong-with-us-kali-women?_pos=1&_sid=1dfa24944&_ss=r
Sincerely,
Other reviews of the book may be found in such global publications as the following:
The Statesman
By Malashri Lal, academic, editor, and writer, retired as professor, Department of English, University of Delhi, & member, English Advisory Board, Sahitya Akademi
https://www.thestatesman.com/books-education/book-review-call-justice-anita-nahals-words-images-like-magnet-1503020096.html
The Pioneer
By Dr. Swati Pal, professor and principal, Janaki Devi College, Delhi, India in the national daily newspaper in India, The Pioneer:
https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/sunday-edition/exquisite-prose-poetry.html
East/India Story
By Basudhara Roy, poet and assistant professor of English, Karim City College, Jamshedpur, India
https://eastindiastory.com/reviewing-the-kali-women/
Fem Asia
By Sutanuka Gosh Roy, writer and assistant professor of English, Tarakeswar Degree College, The University of Burdwan, WB, India
https://femasiamagazine.com/whats-wrong-with-us-kali-women-a-review/
Journal of Expressive Writing
By Angella Lee, director of Social Media, Journal of Expressive Writing: https://www.facebook.com/Journal-of-Expressive-Writing-100782998824081/
Different Truths
By Megha Sood, poet, editor, and blogger:
https://www.differenttruths.com/literature/poems/poems-on-feminism-immigration-discrimination-violence-against-women/
Setu, Pittsburg
By Prithvijeet Sinha in Setu, https://www.setumag.com/2021/08/book-review-whats-wrong-with-us-kali.html
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About Anita Nahal, Ph.D., CDP
Anita Nahal is a poet, flash fictionist, children's writer, professor, higher education administrator, D&I consultant, and chair yoga instructor. She has authored eleven books and two more are due for release soon. Her third poetry book, What's wrong with us Kali women? was nominated by Cyril Dabydeen, celebrated Guyanese Indian Canadian poet and novelist as his choice for the best poetry book for 2021 for the British, Ars Notoria's yearly selection. Three of her books are prescribed readings at the University of Utrecht's Department of Interdisciplinary Sciences, Faculty of Social Science in the course, Multicultural Society.
Besides writing full time, Nahal continues to teach, and is currently Adjunct Professor at the University of the District of Columbia, Washington DC. Her past appointments include; Adjunct Professor, Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Washington DC; Mellon Fellowship Program Administrator, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington DC; Assistant Provost for International Programs, Howard University, Washington DC; Acting Director of International and Women's Studies programs, Howard University, Washington, DC; Adjunct Professor at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia; Adjunct Professor at Rider University, NJ; Visiting Associate Professor at SUNY, Binghamton, New York; Associate Professor, Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi, India; and Assistant Professor at Kamala Nehru College, University of Delhi, India.
Nahal's Ph.D. was on U.S. foreign policy, and her post-doc was on African American Women's History. She has taught courses on US History, African American Women's History, South Asian Women's History, International Relations, Modern India, Diversity, Inclusion, Social Marketing, Civic Engagement, and senior Capstone courses. She has been a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, SUNY, Binghamton, NY; a Visiting Scholar of Gender, University of California, Berkeley; and a National Endowment for the Humanities summer teacher seminar awardee. Besides books, Nahal has over 30 articles in journals & blogs. She writes periodically on LinkedIn. She has researched on special projects of interest, first being a data-based study on Ethnic and Cultural Diversity at HBCUs which was published as a chapter in a book in 2015 (Exploring Issues of Diversity within HBCUs). And the second being, Women in the Indian Armed Forces which was published in the USI Journal, New Delhi, 2001. Besides her various degrees, Nahal also holds three certifications in diversity, inclusion, and unconscious bias training.
Anita Nahal’s first collection of poems, Initiations was published in 1988 by Pitamber, New Delhi. Her second collection of poems, Hey...Spilt milk is spilt, nothing else, and her first collection of flash fictions, Life on the go-Flash fictions from New Delhi to America, both were released by AuthorsPress, New Delhi in 2018. Her third book of poetry, entirely composed of prose poetry, What's wrong with us Kali women? was released by Kelsay Books in August 2021. And a fourth book of poetry entirely composed of ekphrastic prose poems, Kisses at the espresso bar is due for publication in 2022, also by Kelsay Books.
Nahal also has four published children’s books. I love Mummy and other new nursery rhymes, When I Grow Up and The Greedy Green Parrot and Other Stories were published by Madhuban-Vikas, New Delhi between 1993-1995. A fourth book for children, Cashew, Vashew and other Nursery Rhymes was published simultaneously in India (Authorspress, 2020) and in the US by Politics & Prose, Washington DC (2020).
Anita is the co-editor of two poetry anthologies, In All The Spaces-Diverse voices in Global Women's Poetry, (Co-editor, Roopali Sircar Gaur, Authorspress, 2020) and Earth, Fire, Water, Wind (Co-editor, Roopali Sircar Gaur, Authorspress, 2021). A third poetry anthology edited by Nahal, Pixie Dust and All Things Magical is set for release in Spring 2022. Anita is also co-editor of fa ourth anthology, Nursery Rhymes From Around The World You May Not Have Heard (Co-editor, Meenakshi Mohan, Authorspress, 2021). She was the guest editor of a special edition in Setu journal in September 2020 on "Hyphenated Identities in the US". And, she is guest contributing editor and columnist for the New York based, aaduna journal.
Nahal is widely published in journals in the US, UK, Australia, and Asia. More than 100 poems and flash fictions can be found in the US in Aberration Labyrinth, Better Than Starbucks, aaduna, River Poets Journal, Colere, Setu, Visual-Verse, Spectrum, Organizational Aesthetics Journal, The Dillydoun Review, The Ekphrastic Review, Journal of Expressive Writing, and in a number of Medium publications (The Creative Cafe, Imperfect Words, A Club, The POM, An Idea and House of Haiku), in the UK in Confluence, and FemAsia, in Asia in Lapis Lazuli, International Journal of Multicultural Literature, Mirror of Time, Writers-Editors-Critics Journal, and Borderless, and in Australia in Poetryspective, Alreadyfeminine, and The Burrow. One of her poems, Hold on baby, we'll soon be home was included as part of a video produced by Doordarshan TV, Kolkota, India. Nahal's poems are also housed at Stanford University’s Digital Humanities initiative, “Life in Quarantine: Witnessing Global Pandemic.”
Anita's third poetry book, What's wrong with us Kali women? was nominated by Cyril Dabydeen, celebrated Guyanese Indian Canadian poet and novelist as his choice for the best poetry book for 2021 for the British, Ars Notoria's yearly selection. One of her poems, "Not really like Mona Lisa," (previous title, Sumair) was a finalist in the Women Artists contest held by The Ekphrastic Review in July 2021, and she received an honorable mention in the Concrete Wolf Chapbook contest in 2016.
Nahal's poetry books, What's wrong with us Kali women? (2021), Hey, Spilt Milk Is Spilt, Nothing Else (2018) as well as her book of flash fictions, Life On The Go, Flash Fictions From New Delhi to America (2018) are prescribed readings at the University of Utrecht's Department of Interdisciplinary Sciences, Faculty of Social Science in the course, Multicultural Society.
Nahal has just completed her first novel that shares the intriguing journey of a single, immigrant mom with her young son as they travel the world and experience a plethora of diverse people and experiences. The novel, like her other writings, covers an array of themes from race, ethnicity, immigration, gender, class, unemployment, sexual harassment, and domestic abuse among other themes.
Nahal has traveled to 19 countries and speaks four languages. She is involved in community service on issues of animal abuse, refugee crisis, Medicare, and women's issues. She has also taught Chair Yoga at assisted living homes. In her free time, she loves to be with her son, family, and friends, and to write, write, and write... and to dance.
Nahal is the daughter of Sahitya Akademi, award-winning Indian novelist and professor, the late Dr. Chaman Nahal; her mother, the late Dr. Sudarshna Nahal, was also an educationist and principal of a K-12 school. Originally from New Delhi, India, Anita Nahal resides in the US. Her family includes her son Vikrant, daughter-in-law Sumona and a furry family member--their Golden Doodle, Cashew.
Website: https://anitanahal.wixsite.com/anitanahal
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anita-nahal-phd-cdp-86279a19/
Blog: https://diversitydiscover.blogspot.com/
