Afshan D'souza-Lodhi's debut poetry collection re: desi
re
explores the yearning to love, be loved and belong from a d
esi
(South Asian) perspective. Her work sits on the intersections of flash fiction, poetry and script, echoing the hybridity of the worlds that many young British
desis
find themselves occupying. Drawing on the poetry of many different languages and cultures - Urdu, English, Konkani, Islamic and Christian - this collection explores how we access our traditions from a distance.
re: desire
is a collection of poetry that draws upon literary traditions and cultural references to flip the male gaze common in
mushairas
on its head. Common themes for
are
love, God and being drunk or intoxicated by love and God - but is usually seen from a male perspective. The pieces in
re:
desire
are mainly told from a female perspective, and question the gender given to particular acts, objects and ideas.