Kohl and Chalk

In her first collection Baker of Tarifa, a contemplation of the symbiotic Euro-Arab culture of Andalusia and its reverberations across the centuries, Shadab Zeest Hashmi revealed a bold and original voice with an ability to meld cultures and poetic forms with great skill. In Kohl and Chalk, she takes this further with her accomplished ghazals - a poetic form that is central to Urdu literature and song. This is a truly exciting collection, and Hashmi is clearly a poet to watch. -- Muneeza Shamsie (Editor Leaving Home and A Dragon Fly in the Sun)