Mother Tongues Connections
Meet Adiba Jaigirdar
I’m an Irish and Bangladeshi author. My debut novel, THE HENNA WARS, is about two teen girls with rival henna businesses who fall in love.
It’s out on May 12th.
How would you describe your last year in a nutshell?
It was a very hectic year. It was the year when I was really getting started with my writing career. I had recently signed with a literary agent and I got my book deal at the beginning of the year, and spent the majority of the year working on revising my book and getting ready for publication, along with working on other projects.
What is the role of art in your life right now?
Art has had a really important role. I have definitely been spending more time consuming media, like reading books, simply because it is a welcome distraction from everything that has been going on. I have also been working on writing that takes my mind off of everything.
What projects are you working on right now?
I’m currently working on revisions for my second novel which is due to be published in 2021, and I’m also working on drafting a personal project for myself – something that is lighthearted and fun for me to write.
How did Covid-19 affect your work and your lifestyle?
From a business point of view, there’s been a lot of anxiety around how and if my book will actually be able to reach people because warehouses and bookshops are all closed. From a creative point of view, it’s been very difficult to work on creative projects while being anxious about many things, like relatives who have contracted Covid-19.
Do you think the current pandemic has changed you? If so, in what way?
I think it has, and it still will change me, but it’s difficult to say how when we haven’t come out on the other side of it.
what is the biggest challenge for the creative sector right now?
There are a lot of challenges, but I think the biggest one is financial. So many creatives are losing work and because different industries are losing money it’s difficult to know how creatives will be financially affected not just currently, but also in the future. There is so much financial instability and that has negative affects on everything.
What do you look forward to the most right now?
Currently, I am looking forward to my debut novel being out. It’s being released during a time when the world doesn’t look a way that I had ever imagined it would look, but it’s the result of a lot of hard work and I hope that people can find some comfort in it during these difficult times.
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