Thursday, October 6, 2011

Dussehra brings nerdy news...

Over 18 months ago, I went to Portugal for a writing residency. The residency was in the southwestern part of the country. The afternoon that I reached, the director drove a bunch of us to see eucalyptus forests. Most of the eucalyptus trees were being replaced with oak trees. That very trip sparked the idea for my upcoming chapbook of poems, Beyond the Scent of Sorrow.

Exactly a week from today, Beyond the Scent of Sorrow will be launched in New York as part of Freedom Week NYC. I am told that poets and photographers can beautifully express what victims cannot or do not have the chance to convey. Along with my book, renowned photographer Kay Chermush’s images of trafficking will be on display. I am very excited, proud, and humbled to be a part of this humane event.

Though the launch is a week away, Beyond the Scent of Sorrow is available for advance purchase online in the United States and India.

To buy in the US, click here:

To buy in India, click here:

About this chapbook

Beyond the Scent of Sorrow delves into the challenges faced by women on a global level. The eucalyptus trees in southwest Portugal are used as an archetype to symbolically elicit the challenges women face in today’s world. Boldly, the poems, which are lyrical, literal, short, and succinct, profess the unkind capabilities of mankind.

Advance praise for Beyond the Scent of Sorrow

“Sweta's poetic voice flows like water smoothing and shaping stones. With great skill she uncovers, sometimes tenderly and other times more forcefully, the shroud of fog surrounding the feminine archetype. With metaphorical comparisons to the strength of the olive tree, in particular, she has created and nurtured a garden, a wordscape, in which trust and healing can flourish.”

—Nick Purdon, author of The Road-shaped Heart

“Sweta Srivastava Vikram holds her work close. Fold it one way, a poem of loss appears. Fold it yet again for a poem of longing. Her work is as structurally sound as the elements. It soars with anticipation. In Beyond the Scent of Sorrow the author reveals lovely and powerful poems that will long linger.”

—Doug Mathewson, Editor Blink-Ink


Here is the invite to the formal event: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=220952937963646.

I would love to see you on Thursday, October 13

The Ceeflat

988 Manhattan Avenue, between Huron and India Streets

Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY

Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m.

$10 at the door

It promises to be a fun evening of poetry and photography! And more importantly, your presence can help make a change! Let’s fight human trafficking, together!


More until next time,

Xoxo

Copyright © 10.06.2011

“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.” ~ Mark Twain