Tales of Love, Loss, Migration, and Violence

An exclusive interview with writer Reema Rajbanshi about her latest book

- Meeta Borah

Reema is an Assamese-American writer. Born in Miami and raised in New York City, she spent her formative young adult years as an artist in California. Her latest book titled ‘Sugar, Smoke, Song’ has been published by Los Angeles-based Red Hen Press. Not only is she a talented writer, she is also a skilled educator. Currently, she is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Haverford College. We speak to the writer to find out more about her and her book.

What inspired you to write?

I was always a voracious reader, in part because my mother took me to the library every week and had me read the Classics section, A to Z. That side of the family (Barpeta) was involved in theatre and politics, so I grew up understanding there were many ways to tell a story and that stories shaped our material realities. I was also a very shy child, and as one of the few Asian kids in a borough that was mostly Black and Latino, I was curious about the lives around me, which weren’t shown in ways I recognized on TV or film. As a young woman, I wrote from rage and grief at the things harming smart brown girls that erased the girls and their truths. Word art was the most accessible art and continues to kintsugi* my spirit.

Tell us a little about your book and what readers can expect