DESILIT-GREATER TORONTO
For all things literary and South Asian.As one of the chapters of DesiLit.org, DesiLit-Greater Toronto currently exists as a loose network of individuals who are interested in South Asian inspired writing. Through various initiatives, such as our book clubs, book events and listserv, we support writers and readers of South Asian literature.
The listserv is our primary vehicle for communicating with one another -- its purpose is to create a forum for sharing opinions about writings and publications, announcing literary events, broadcasting calls for literary submissions, as well as providing a supportive network for writers and literary lovers. To subscribe to our listserv, please send an email to desilit-toronto-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
In 2006, we initiated the DesiLit Toronto Book Club - a club that meets monthly to discuss South Asian inspired books. As a result of growing interest from members residing in the suburbs of the city, we introduced the DesiLit West End Book Club in 2007 and the DesiLit North End Book Club in 2008. Reviews of books discussed can be found on the listserv and on MyBindi.com, who proudly supports DesiLit in its various initiatives.
The Toronto Book Club meets at the Starbucks in Chapters at John & Richmond; the West End Book Club meets at 5390 Terry Fox Way, Unit #6 in Mississauga; and the North End Book Club meets at the Chapters at Hwy.7 & Yonge in Richmond Hill. All clubs meet on the first Wednesday of the month at 7pm.
In 2008, DesiLit Greater Toronto proudly initiated a writers' group. For more information about where and when this group meets and how it works, please contact the facilitator, Janice Goveas at jmgoveas@rogers.com.
We also organize various events including book launches and literary festivals. To see pictures from past events, click here.
Whatever genre of writing you engage in or enjoy, we hope you'll join us for some interesting conversations and information sharing.
For information about DesiLit-Greater Toronto, please contact Zenia at zwadhwani@yahoo.ca.
2008 Book Club Reading List
| January | No meeting |
| February | The Feast of Roses by Indu Sundaresan |
| March | Stealing Nasreen by Farzana Doctor |
| April | A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam |
| May | A Pakastani Bride by Bapsi Sidhwa |
| June | House of Blue Mangoes by David Davidar |
| July | No meeting |
| August | No meeting |
| September | TBD |
| October | TBD |
| November | TBD |
| December | TBD |
2007 Book Club Reading List
| January | Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry |
| February | Baby Khaki's Wings by Anar Ali |
| March | Heaven's Edge by Romesh Gunesekera |
| April | Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai |
| May | Cereus Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo |
| June | The In-Between World of Vikram Lal by MG Vassanji |
| July | English Lessons by Shauna Singh Baldwin |
| August | The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy |
| September | Can you Hear the Nightbird Call? by Anita Rau Badami |
| October | Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai |
| November | The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh |
| December | Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found by Suketu Mehta |
2006 Book Club Reading List
| June | Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie |
| July | The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri |
| August | A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul |
| September | Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni |
| October | The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi |
| November | Cinnamon Gardens by Shyam Selvadurai |
| December | Bodies in Motion by Mary Anne Mohanraj |
Articles and Events
Sweet Spice and Sass
South Asian Writers from the Diaspora Bring the World to Toronto at the 2008 MMM DesiLit Writers’ Stage
Torontonians were treated to a unique literary experience at the DesiLit Writer’s stage during the annual Masala! Mehndi! Masti! festival (July 26th and 27th, 2008).
The 2-day long literary feast included a lineup of talented local and internationally acclaimed poets, storytellers, novelists, spoken word artists and playwrights from the South Asian diaspora. Among them were: Ahmad Saidullah, author of Happiness and Other Disorders (Key Porter, 2008), Mary Ann Mohanraj, author of Bodies in Motion (HarperCollins, 2005), Nila Gupta, author of The Sherpa and Other Fictions (Sumach, 2008), award-winning poet Moez Surani, and poetry slam favourite That Brown Bastard.
In addition to the dynamic lineup of performers, the experience included the creation of a collaborative story, to which everyone was invited to contribute; unique contest giveaways; storytelling for children; and a writing workshop by Devyani Saltzman, author of Shooting Water.
The stage was curated by a volunteer committee of Farzana Doctor, Sobia Ahmed and teenah edan and indeed included something for everyone.
