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Confronting Tradition and Patriarchy Through Fiction with Farzana Doctor, Veena Rao, and Kiran Bhat

Event date: 
Sunday, March 7, 2021 - 12:00pm to 1:30pm

Charis is pleased to present Confronting Tradition and Patriarchy Through Fiction. In this program, authors, Farzana Doctor and Veena Rao will discuss the unique paths they chose for their characters to confront tradition and patriarchy with moderator Kiran Bhat. This event is co-sponsored by Raksha, Inc a Georgia-based nonprofit with a mission to promote a stronger and healthier South Asian community through confidential support services, education, and advocacy. Raksha works towards healing, empowerment, and justice for survivors of violence. This event takes place on crowdcast, Charis' virtual event platform. Register here.

This event is free and open to all people, especially to those who have no income or low income right now, but we encourage and appreciate a solidarity donation in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Charis Circle's mission is to foster sustainable feminist communities, work for social justice, and encourage the expression of diverse and marginalized voices. https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/CharisCircle?code=chariscirclepage

Farzana Doctor is the Toronto-based author of four novels: Stealing Nasreen, Six Metres of Pavement, All Inclusive, and Seven. Seven has been chosen for 2020 Best Book lists including: Indigo/Chapters, Apple Books, Amnesty International, CBC Books and more. Seven is the first novel to focus on the practice of FGM in the Dawoodi Bohra community. Farzana is also the Maasi behind Dear Maasi, a new sex and relationships column for FGM/C survivors. She is also an activist, part-time psychotherapist and amateur tarot card reader.  http://www.farzanadoctor.com

Veena Rao was born and raised in India but calls Atlanta home. A journalist by profession, she is the founding editor and publisher of NRI Pulse, a popular Indian-American newspaper. Purple Lotus, her debut novel, is the winner of the She Writes Press and SparkPress Toward Equality in Publishing (STEP) contest. https://www.veenaspulse.com/

MODERATOR: Kiran Bhat is a global citizen formed in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, to parents from Southern Karnataka, in India. He has currently traveled to over 130 countries, lived in 18 different places, and speaks 12 languages. He is primarily known as the author of We of the forsaken world... (Iguana Books, 2020), but he has authored books in four foreign languages, and has had his writing published in The Kenyon Review, The Brooklyn Rail, The Colorado Review, Eclectica, 3AM Magazine, The Radical Art Review, Cha, The Chakkar, Mascara Literary Review, and several other places. His list of homes is vast, but his heart and spirit always remains in Mumbai, somehow. He currently lives in Melbourne. You can find him on @Weltgeist Kiran.

We will be archiving this event and adding closed captioning as soon as possible after airing so that it will be accessible to deaf and HOH people. If you have other accessibility needs or if you are someone who has skills in making digital events more accessible please don't hesitate to reach out to info@chariscircle.org. We are actively learning the best practices for this technology and we welcome your feedback as we begin this new way of connecting across distances.


By attending our virtual event you agree to our Code of Conduct: Our event seeks to provide a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), class, or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate. Anyone violating these rules will be expelled from this event and all future events at the discretion of the organizers. Please report all harassment to info@chariscircle.org immediately.

Event address: 
CROWDCAST
Purple Lotus By Veena Rao Cover Image
$17.95
ISBN: 9781631527616
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: She Writes Press - September 27th, 2020

Tara, an immigrant woman in the American South, is trapped in a loveless, abusive arranged marriage, until she discovers self-love-a powerful force that gives her the courage to find herself and to confront a cruel, victim-blaming, patriarchal culture.


Seven By Farzana Doctor Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781459746398
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Dundurn Press - September 29th, 2020

FINALIST FOR THE 2021 TRILLIUM AWARD - FINALIST FOR THE 2021 EVERGREEN AWARD - AN INDIGO BEST BOOK OF 2020 - A GLOBE AND MAIL BEST INDEPENDENT READ FOR FALL 2020 - AN APPLE BOOKS BEST BOOK OF 2020 - A CBC BOOKS BEST CANADIAN FICTION BOOK OF 2020 - A NOW MAGAZINE TOP TEN BOOK OF 2020


Six Metres of Pavement By Farzana Doctor Cover Image
$22.99
ISBN: 9781554887675
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Dundurn Press - February 17th, 2011

Ismail Boxwala made the worst mistake of his life one summer morning 20 years ago: he forgot his baby daughter in the back seat of his car. After her tragic death, he struggles to continue living through a divorce, years of heavy drinking, and sex with strangers. But his story begins to change after he reluctantly befriends two women.


All Inclusive By Farzana Doctor Cover Image
$22.99
ISBN: 9781459731813
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Dundurn Press - August 5th, 2017

A story about one all-inclusive resort, the ghost of an unknown father, and the tragedies we can't forget.


we of the forsaken world... By Kiran Bhat Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781771803663
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Iguana Books - January 21st, 2020

Event Summary: 
Charis is pleased to present Confronting Tradition and Patriarchy Through Fiction. In this program, authors, Farzana Doctor and Veena Rao will discuss the unique paths they chose for their characters to confront tradition and patriarchy with Kiran Bhat.