among the many things that upset me about the current administration, the travel ban is particularly disgusting: blatant xenophobia, Islamophobia & racism wrapped up under the guise of “safety.” we should all speak up & against this policy.

but we should also support the people affected by this hate. so, I am going to start posting about writers from/descended from the banned nations & maybe if you’re feeling down about the state of the White House, you can go buy one of these books and feel a little less helpless.

first up: GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER by Anglo-Nigerian writer Bernardine Evaristo. #travelbanwriters #travelbanbooks #nobannowall #nigerianwriters

and please add your own recommendations too by writers from or descended from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, Venezuela & North Korea!

next up in my #travelbanwriters #travelbanbooks series is THE STATIONERY SHOP by Iranian author (and local legend) @MarjanKamali! #supportiranianwriters #nobannowall

next in my #travelbanbooks #travelbanwriters series is everything ever written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. #supportnigerianwriters #nobannowall

it’s tuesday so time for another #travelbanbooks #travelbanwriters post. up next is another local legend & fellow @NoblesGrads (class of 2003) YA author @SaraFarizan. Sara is the daughter of Iranian immigrants & all her books are INCREDIBLE. #supportiranianwriters #nobannowall

also doing this series made me realize I’ve read a lot of Iranian/Nigerian authors but don’t know as many from the other countries. would love recs of writers from/descended from Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Sudan, Tanzania, Venezuela & North Korea!

couldn’t do a #travelbanbooks & #travelbanwriters series without mentioning Iranian treasure Marjane Satrapi. fucking love this graphic memoir. #supportiranianwriters #nobannowall

looking for more reading recommendations now? here’s another in #travelbanwriters #travelbanbooks: THE MAP OF SALT AND STARS by Syrian-American author @ZeynJoukhadar. haven’t read it yet b/c I just bought it at @PorterSqBooks but it looks great! #supportsyrianwriters #nobannowall

feels like months between these posts but here's another #travelbanbooks / #travelbanwriters rec: SICK by Iranian-American @PKhakpour. it’s really good & might be appropriate to read now, remembering who is most vulnerable during this pandemic. #supportiranianwriters #nobannowall

another #travelbanbooks #travelbanwriters for you: FRESHWATER by @azemezi (from Nigeria) is a goddamn masterpiece. (read their YA book PET, too!) Emezi is also an appropriate author to celebrate on #transdayofvisibility! #supportnigerianwriters #supporttranswriters #nobannowall

this week's #travelbanbooks #travelbanwriters rec is THE ARAB OF THE FUTURE graphic memoir series by French-Syrian cartoonist @RiadSattouf. they're smart, darkly funny, interesting, and will suck you in like no other story. #supportsyrianwriters #nobannowall

up next in my #travelbanbooks #travelbanwriters series are the WINGS OF FIRE books by Venezuelan-American author Tui T. Sutherland. also (I know this from working at @newtonvillebks, where she is a regular) Tui is super kind & wonderful! #supportvenezuelanwriters #nobannowall

the White House is using this pandemic as an excuse to end all immigration to the USA & push through their awful xenophonic policies. so I am altering my #travelbanbooks #travelbanwriters series to now include all immigrant writers, because fuck Trump #immigrantsmakeamericagreat.

here is MAEVE IN AMERICA by @maevehiggins, born in Ireland, now a resident of New York. comedian Maeve is hilarious, insightful, and America is better because she is here. #supportimmigrants #supportimmigrantwriters