• Madhu’s Seeds

    Mustard Seeds Darjee

    Illustration by Ram Darjee

    An essay for spring published in  New Hampshire Home‘s back page feature “At Home in New Hampshire.”

    Madhu’s Seeds

    by Terry Farish

    Madhu Bhandari tells me, “When I bring the greens home from the garden, that is the best thing.”

    I am in her home in downtown Concord where she lives with her husband; her children, including her grown son Nilhari and daughter-in-law Devika; and grandchild, Neeja.Devika sits with us and translates for Madhu, who speaks Nepali. Dressed in turquoise trousers and a white shirt, Madhu is “wearing pote,” glass pote beads around her neck that say she is married.

    “What kind of greens?” I ask.

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  • Christmas Visits With The Cat

    A child from Pittsfield, NH retells the story of The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup.

    I have enjoyed Christmas class visits.  I went to New Durham School in New Hampshire and met all the children, grades 1 -6.  They are very fun to puzzle out with about what’s really going on in THE CAT WHO LIKED POTATO SOUP.  The children are savvy. They see the truth about the old man who in the story claims to have no affection for his old cat. He complains about her. He calls her a “worthless cat. Never caught nothin’ Not a mouse, nothin’.”  But the children read between the lines. They see the old man let her sleep on his electric blanket and  he takes her bowls of potato soup.  And they see the READ MORE

  • Eleven Days Before I Go

     

     

     

    Paul Winter, of the organization Scottie’s Place, posted this photo on a blog.   It is dated December 13, 2012. You can read the post, Life in Kakuma Refugee Camp.  Scottie’s Place is an American-based nonprofit organization working to support the education of girls and young women in the camp, as well as many other sites. Paul Winter’s blog post is terribly sobering.

    I am preparing to go to Kakuma Refugee Camp  – in eleven days.  From here on out, I am devoting this blog to my journey to Kakuma.  It will become a more personal story. Follow my blog at http://goodbraider.com where I’ll write about Kakuma when it is possible.

  • OD Bonny Writes “A Girl From Juba”

    South Sudanese American rapper OD Bonny opened our launch event for The Good Braider on a blustery night in Maine. Then he stunned us with a new song he has written to tell the story of Viola,  the heroine of the novel.  OD is still working on the song and is creating a book trailer with scenes from Juba and Portland.  Here’s a sneak preview of  OD singing A Girl From Juba.The cover song of his new album, Kwo I Lobo Tek  stays in my mind.  The Portland Phoenix called it “an infectious pop-hip-hop carousel ride.” “Kwo I Lobo Tek” is Acholi, meaning roughly,  life is a hard journey.  But the song feels like hope.