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- DIDIHOOD ~ Issue 83
Hello Didis!
We just wrapped another round of The Didi Creative Fund and it’s looking like our biggest year yet! Check out Herleen Arora, founder of the South Asian Women’s Collective, who was on CTV’s Your Morning to talk about the initiative!
We’re still looking for donations — if you’d like to contribute you can do so here!
Meet The Didi
This month we’re chatting with poet Farah Ghafoor! Ghafoor is an award-winning poet living on the traditional territory of the Anishnabeg, the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples. Her work was awarded the E.J. Pratt Medal and Prize in Poetry, longlisted for the CBC Poetry Prize, is taught in university courses, and published in The Walrus, the Fiddlehead, Room, and elsewhere. Raised in New Brunswick and southern Ontario, Ghafoor now works in Tkaronto (Toronto) as a financial analyst. Shadow Price is a stunning debut that examines the idea of value in a world that burns under our capitalist lens.
Farah Ghafoor
Your debut collection of poetry comes out this spring. Tell us more about Shadow Price and what this book means for you?
Shadow Price is my exploration of value at the intersection of climate change, capitalism, and colonialism. I started writing it to understand the world we’re living in, how we got here, and my place in it after I had lost sleep due to climate anxiety. I’m very interested in interrogating what we value in our lives and in the world today, and the consequences of the status quo as it leads us into an unsustainable future. This book encapsulates the conclusions I’ve arrived at over the last few years about the times we’re living in.
How did you get into writing poetry?
I stumbled upon a haiku in a summer workbook in the second grade and was fascinated by how beautifully and concisely you could tell a story. I won contests through middle school and started taking myself seriously in high school when I realized there was a whole world of poetry online with teenagers like myself pursuing their craft.
How is your lived experience expressed in your writing?
I wouldn’t say I typically write about my life, but when I do I’m trying to come to terms with being a Gen Z poet and what it means to have the shadow of the climate crisis hanging over my life. After reading Jenny Odell’s lecture “How to Do Nothing” on Medium years ago, I began to take note of the flora and fauna that exist in my immediate biosphere by identifying bird calls and plants that live in my neighbourhood. Paying attention and recognizing that we share a space with other living creatures has been a core aspect of my writing, and a daily habit that I’ve formed whenever I’m outside, no matter the city I’m in.
As a South Asian author, did you ever face any barriers in the publishing world?
I’ve noticed that there’s a market for diaspora trauma that isn’t interested in work that encapsulates different aspects of being South Asian. Since I wasn’t interested in feeding into that market or writing very explicitly about my identity, my work was often rejected. It was important for me to trust myself and my work as well as search for new opportunities to overcome this.
What is your advice for other Didis who want to write a book or write poetry?
It’s always an act of bravery, in poetry and otherwise, to tell the exact, whole truth. However, one thing to remember is that you don’t have to publish everything you write. Nothing is wasted material, in life and on paper, so each weak (or private) poem will get you closer to the stronger poem that you’ll be proud to share with your friends, family, and the world at large.
Anything else you would like to add?
It’s so important to prioritize curiosity! To be a poet is to be interested in the world. I encourage everyone to give it a try, if only to strengthen your observational and analysis skills.
Our next event
We are so excited to announce our next event in Mississauga on April 14 in collaboration with The Kollective! Tickets are free, but we’d love a donation!
What we’re watching:
Jonita Gandhi’s performance at the Junos. Skip to 2:48.
What we’re reading:
See you next month!
— Roohi Sahajpal
Issue 83
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