a note from nina

I got a tattoo! I'm still over the moon. It was the most present in my body that I have felt in a long while. Watching it scab and heal, I feel like there is some sort of broader lesson about growth and care. In other news, I'll be selling my artwork IRL(!!) for the first time at the upcoming Queer Makers Market in East Boston. Think two floors of queer and trans+ artists and vendors, coupled with a great line-up of workshops and performances. Tickets are pay-what-you-can, and I would snag one in advance. Onto some odds and ends:

1. Beyond fascinating: From Chandigarh to the Kardashians, how a chair became a symbol of the modernist dream in post-Partition India. This is weird and good.
    
2. Rep. Pramila Jayapal writes about her abortion. Her words are beyond important to read, especially if you are South Asian. In 2013, Purvi Patel was convicted in Indiana for feticide. Abortion, bodily autonomy... These are things that deeply, deeply, deeply impact us desis. Not all states are restricting abortion rights: Illinois and Nevada have both passed laws that affirm the fundamental right to abortions, remove  criminal penalties for doctors, and outline insurance requirements to cover procedures.
    
3. Hong Kong in pictures. I'm looking forward to poking through the Toolbox Toolbox sometime soon to see what analog and digital methods I might want to pull into both my day job and facilitation.   "What Would Gwendolyn Brooks Do?"
    
4. 1 in 3 in France disagree that vaccines are safe, according to a recent analysis. My friends, that is one-third! France is one of the countries experiencing a resurgence in measles. And it comes as no surprise to me that vaccine trust is highest in South Asian and East African countries, where we've seen real progress in tackling polio and other vaccine-preventable conditions. Also, Chennai's water reservoirs have run dry.
    
5. Have you watched the web series, Insomnia? It tells the story of Nikhil, a bisexual South Asian sex worker, as he balances work and his aunt's medical bills. Only two episode so far, and it's goooood. (It was really nice to see him make idlis on screen, too?)