putting masala chai on the shelves of my childhood library
This weekend, I had the pleasure of returning back to my hometown of Jacksonville, Florida to attend the Jacksonville Book Fest as an author. I truly enjoyed connecting with so many local authors and learning about their own creative journeys through writing and publishing. I was so overwhelmed with nostalgia as I used to attend this library as a child and would wander the aisles in wonder of all of the books surrounding me. I would have never expected that I would return to this library one day as an author as well. That is why I am so incredibly honored to have my book, masala chai, listed in the Jacksonville Public Library.
As I began to set up my booth, I began to feel nervous after realizing that I was probably the youngest author there, and the only with such a culturally centered book. I began to regret showing up in a flashy kurta, because this was my first event that wasn’t garnered towards my Pakistani community. Most of the other authors had professional marketing and a large collection of books that they already wrote, and all I had on my table was a pretty tablecloth that my sister gave me from her wedding and masala chai.
Fortunately however, that was all I needed to catch the eyes of the people walking by. I was so grateful at all the interest that the Jacksonville locals showed masala chai and that many of them took a copy home. Moreover, I was overwhelmed by the support and appreciation that the fellow Jacksonville authors gave me. I was so honored to receive praise and encouragement by successful authors because it gave me the courage that I needed to continue my creative work.
After packing up my booth and saying goodbye to my fellow authors, I began to make my way out of the library. I was carrying a box of my books, masala chai and was preparing to leave this precious library. However, as I was exiting the event, I came across Tenikka Hughes, who was encouraging people to donate to Tenikka’s Books for Kids on behalf of Action News Jax. Without any hesitation, I knew I had to donate the box of books that I was carrying to this wonderful cause.
Growing up, there has always been a lack of South Asians in the American media, especially in literature for the youth. Most of my summer reading assignments in school were rarely ever interesting. So I can only hope that this might brighten a child’s summer reading list in some way. I have always aspired to provide some sort of South Asian representation in the media through masala chai. I would absolutely love for children to read masala chai and I hope that maybe somewhere another Pakistani child might find this book and find some inspiration.
- eęsu