Facilitated by Aashay Dalvi
Featuring music by Amanda Movio
Book Table hosted by Brown & Dickson
Saturday, February 24th
6-8 PM
Pink Moon is part anthem of decolonization, part oracle of the times. Earthy, magical, and steeped in ancestral connection, Roshan James fuses her lived experience as a Tibetan-Indian born in Scarborough, Ontario, with a tangible connection to nature, humanity, and realms of consciousness. Growing up in the South Asian diaspora, but feeling disconnected from her cultural roots, James makes peace with the tension between her self-identities through poetry.
With lyrical ease and simplicity, James resonates off the page, holding the reader in a space, almost trance-like, of quiet confidence. Infused with street-style and deep contemplation, ancient tones and child-like questioning, this collection is a journey through abstract expression. Pink Moon sits at an intersection of timely themes: anti-oppression, melanated lived experience, climate action, social justice, and personal spirituality. The collection will be of interest for discussion in academia, literary circles, and among people who are passionate about art, mindfulness, meditation, holistic health, and nature.
For this special event, Roshan James will be in conversation with publisher Aashay Dalvi of Rad Riot Books to discuss her recent collection, Pink Moon. The conversation will be followed by a poetry open mic event, open to audience members. Bring your work and share it with us! London-based musician Amanda Movio will perform sets throughout the evening.
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Roshan James (she/her) is a Tibetan-Indian multidisciplinary artist, poet, and musician, living as a settler in southwestern Ontario. As part of the South Asian diaspora, Roshan researches and experiments to create work that embodies decolonization, identity, timelessness, mindfulness, purpose, and healing. Entrenched in her work is anti-oppression advocacy and representation of marginalized, queer, and melanated voices to help dismantle colonial, capitalistic systems. As a vocalist, musician, and sound composer, Roshan is a recipient of a 2023 Canada Council for the Arts grant. She is deeply involved in advocating for mental health and the arts - Roshan is on the Board of Governors for Lutherwood Canada, and she sits on the Board of Directors for the Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener + Area (CAFKA). Roshan studied at Queen's University and the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto, and she holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from York University, summa cum laude. You'll find her on social media, most active on Instagram at @roshan_james.
Since moving to KW a few years ago at the height of the pandemic, Aashay Dalvi (they/them) has helped organize Anti-Racism rallies, have delegated at regional council towards reallocating the police budget, delegated at the school board council with an emphasis on teaching queer literature in schools, co-founded the local grassroots initiative GroundUpWR and co-produced 2021's Rainbow Reels Queer and Trans Film Festival. They are currently working on starting an anti-racist, queer and migrant-centric bookstore called Rad Riot Books. After moving to Canada less than half a decade, Aashay noticed a lack of representation in bookstores of Black, Indigenous and Racialized books. Aashay started Rad Riot Books as a way to educate readers on anti-racism, Indigenous and Black solidarity and create a space for queer and racialized newcomers to feel validated. Canada is a country of immigrants. Most Canadian migrants are from countries in Asia, Africa and South America. It is time for immigrants to feel represented in the literature we consume in Canada. Rad Riot Books is an intentionally curated collection of books that encourage readers to diversify and decolonize their bookshelves.
Amanda Movio bends an old soulful sound into the modern world. Influenced by Hip-Hop, RnB, Jazz, Funk, and Soul, she holds her audience with an exclusive tone and lyrical puzzles.