Book news, job listings

I’m performing, planning, hiring… enjoying the last bit of 2008, and laying the groundwork for 2009.  And I’d love your company!
SF Reading Friday 12/26

If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area for the holidays, please join me and several other authors on Friday, Dec. 26, at Hamara Mushaira – the hottest, smartest desi lit event of the season.

Hamara Mushaira is the evening program of the South Asian Lit Association conference, which happens in conjunction with the Modern Language Association conference every winter.   This year’s theme is “Gender and Sexuality” so you know that’s gonna be fun.   I’m excited to be sharing the stage with Toronto-based novelist Farzana Doctor, author of Stealing Nasreen; Chicago-based writer Mary Anne Mohanraj; and other talented writers/performers.


Details: Friday Dec. 26, 8:00-10:30pm, Galleria Park Hotel, 191 Sutter St, SF.

For full conference program or if you’d like to become a member of SALA, please see: http://www-instruct.nmu.edu/~jsingh/SALA/

The evening program is open to everyone.  I’d love to see you there.

Help birth the book!
LEAVING INDIA officially launches in March and we’re rolling with loads of good news: readings lined up in several cities, a starred review in Publishers Weekly, and a lovely blurb from Alice Walker.  It’s quite a change for me, from hibernating for seven years as I wrote the book, to getting ready to take it public. I’d love help in brainstorming and creating a fun, community-based book launch and tour!  In particular:

PARTY TIME: Got ideas, venues, connections for holding launch parties in San Francisco and New York? I’m looking for locations, co-sponsoring organizations, food/drink providers, DJs, and fellow performers.  I have a small budget and can also do trade and/or publicity and/or a friends-and-family rate because yes, I pay for the party! If you love to plan a party and want to share the fun of planning either of these celebrations with me, it would be totally fun to do it as a team project. 🙂

AT THE MIC: Invitations to speak, read, perform in your area are very welcome.  In March/April 2009, I’ll be touring in NY, DC, LA, SF Bay Area, and Toronto.  In addition to the bookstore readings my publisher is setting up, I would love to collaborate with other artists/performers on joint events while I’m in town.  It’s not just about the bookstores anymore, so I definitely welcome your ideas and contacts at community spaces, museums, universities, non-profits, etc.  (For those of you with academic connections, I’m also available to teach creative writing and performance workshops in late spring, or fall 2009.)

MEDIA BUZZ: Know a journalist who would be interested in covering the book and/or me?  Let me know!  Or, are you a freelancer who wants to do a review or interview?  Occasionally editors ask me to suggest a reporter, so do get in touch.  And of course, if you happen to be connected with the “big media” – Oprah, the New York Times Book Review, major national magazines and broadcast venues – you’re my new best friend.  Seriously, any contacts you feel comfortable sharing would be very welcome, and will be treated with the utmost professionalism.

Now Hiring… You?


I’m looking for a few smartypantses to work with me for the next few months, and possibly beyond. An upbeat, professional attitude is really important to me, and I’d love to keep resources within the (progressive, queer/trans, poc) community. These are paid positions. I am also open to barter if you’re in need of professional editing, writing, writing coaching, or manuscript consultation. Anyone interested should email me with a brief description of herself/himself and a daytime phone number.

The jobs are:

– An assistant who can work with me in my San Francisco home office, a few hours per week, on various administrative, marketing, and creative support tasks. The most pressing of these are: to help me sort out my contacts from several databases into one place; to help plan SF and NY launch parties; to provide home-base support for me during the book tour; and to assist with other tasks that help support my consulting/freelance work. This person should be super-duper-organized, Mac-literate, able to take a task and run with it, and more tech-savvy than me.  This is a paid, hourly position from now through April 2009 (and possibly beyond, if available).  Since this person will be in my home regularly, I’d really like to hire based on a friend’s referral.

– A web designer/graphic designer who knows the latest bells and whistles, and can help me take my website to the next level. I have a wee bit of Dreamweaver training, but the more I learn, the more I realize that at this point my ideas far outpace my skills.  I prefer someone with a strong visual sense, who can stay calm while troubleshooting technical problems, who can be patient with dumb questions, who is willing to teach me to keep the site maintained, and who is based in or near SF because I find at least occasional face-to-face meetings helpful. This is a paid contract position based on the designer’s estimate. Work will need to be completed by Feb. 10, with possibly a small number of ongoing maintenance and design update hours thereafter.

– A person to set up QuickBooks for my little consulting/freelance editing biz.  I can maintain it on my own but I’d like to be sure the categories, etc., are set up correctly. This is a paid position based on a work estimate. I’d like to have this set up by mid-January, if possible, so that I can start the new year fiscally organized.

Thanks in advance for your help!

And if you made it this far, thank you for reading.  You definitely deserve a holiday cookie and a sparkly beverage now.  Enjoy the rest of 2008 … and may 2009 be full of wonder, excitement, art, and community for you.

Love,

Minal