I picked up these books today, and expect to be a lot more intelligent by the time I’m done reading them—Tsering Wangmo Dhompa’s The Politics of Sorrow and (ed) Benjamin Linder’s Kathmadu: A Reader. 📚

“Each one of these groups can by themselves take the nation down, but none of them can by themselves build it up again”—my favourite analysis about Nepal as we go into the festivals. 🇳🇵

As it did after the 2015 earthquake, the Government of Nepal has established a reconstruction fund following the widespread destruction of the Gen Z movement of Sept 8 & 9. Anyone can donate from anywhere in the world. (Screenshot from X).

Is anyone else feeling overwhelmed by the analysis-to-action ratio in Nepal? So much language around what has happened, and what will/will not. It really brings to mind the Lacanian framing of language as the main means through which we understand and address psychic wounds.

The Kathmandu Post kathmandupost.com/national/202...

What do you do with a democracy that refuses to serve the demos – the people? For 75 years now, following Nepal’s short-lived experiment with democracy in 1950, each generation has had to answer this question anew. My view on where Nepal stands now: www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/b6403fe...

Lots to read in the latest issue of Nepali Times. nepalitimes.substack.com/p/nepkids-to...

Nepal’s New Government Calls Elections. Its Critics Cry Foul. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/13/w... Gift article

We’ve read this? (Gift link) Nepal’s Social Media Ban Backfires as Citizens Nominate New Leader in Chat Room www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/w...

Every generation has to fight the permanent establishment of Nepal anew. (Thank you forever to CK Lal for giving us that term—the PEON). Does Gen Z really want to help the Hindu caste-based order, the monarchy, and an undemocratic system return?

My observations on 🇳🇵from afar: the next few days are very crucial, as is the main question before the Gen-Z leadership: do they want to stay within the current (2015) constitution or not? And if not, how do they plan to ensure that Nepal remains a democracy?

Okay, Boomer. Over 2 turbulent days, & at the sacrifice of many young lives, Gen Z in Nepal has succeeded in ousting the country’s top political leaders. Here’s hoping the change they usher in takes Nepal towards more democracy, rule of law, and civil and human rights. 🕊️🇳🇵

Police open fire on demonstrators across Nepal killing 19. That death toll will rise, I'm sure. Banning WhatsApp was the inciting incident but government corruption lies at the heart of unrest. kathmandupost.com/national/202...

The KP Oli government has murdered 19 people open.substack.com/pub/kalamwee...

Good graphics! It’ll be interesting to see how this goes.🇳🇵 Source: x.com/enoughisenou...

I’m surprised by how much people buy into what are essentially marketing categories—Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, etc.. it seems like a way to avoid acknowledging that we all have universal experiences/sufferings, with different technologies/times of course.

Kalam Weekly has a good explainer on Nepal’s social media ban. And on Nepal’s plan to track all foreign visitors through digital portals and mobile apps. And on other plans to forbid public disturbance. All pretty idiotic. Do read if you haven’t already. open.substack.com/pub/kalamwee...

4 Arabic Titles Longlisted for 2025 National Translation Awards The American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) today announced the longlists for the 2025 National Translation Awards in two categories: Poetry and Prose. Three novels translated from Arabic were on the prose longlist, while one…

The Wayzgoose 2025, where I got to chat with my Toronto go-to @shawnmicallef.bsky.social, and hang out with my wonderful agent Carolyn Forde—and got to follow the entire printing process at Coach House Books. What fun. 📚🙏🏼📚

This year’s prose judges are @unpoetaloco.bsky.social, @rekognition.bsky.social, @ilzeduarte.bsky.social, @manjushreethapa.bsky.social, and Peter Constantine. This year’s judges for poetry are Conor Bracken, Dongshin Chang, and Rachel Galvin.

The 2025 NTA longlists feature authors writing in 12 different languages and books from 21 different presses, celebrating the diversity of literature in translation in English and the large, vibrant community of translators, publishers and readers.

🎉 We are delighted to announce the longlists for the 2025 National Translation Awards (NTA) in Poetry and Prose! 2025 marks the 27th year for the NTA, and the 11th year to award separate prizes in poetry and prose. View the lists here: buff.ly/PJoX7du

Cartoon by Guy Richards Smit.

For those who are interested, here’s a recording of our talk from last week on how to promote Nepal’s literature globally. I learned some new things! You might too. (The discussion is in the Nepali language). youtube.com/watch?v=eyHb...

This is taking place on August 2. It's set up for UK/Nepal time, so it's at 5am Toronto time--that's how much I care about expanding the reach of Nepal's literature. 🙂 The discussion will most likely be in Nepali. Join us if you're free!

What are you reading? Here’s what im reading. My latest Substack post: open.substack.com/pub/manjushr...

It's final draft time. I'm making the final decisions on all of the characters' names. None of your names are safe. They could very well show up in the manuscript--though rest assured, your life stories are still yours to tell. 🙂

This is taking place on August 2. It's set up for UK/Nepal time, so it's at 5am Toronto time--that's how much I care about expanding the reach of Nepal's literature. 🙂 The discussion will most likely be in Nepali. Join us if you're free!

This is genuinely the news every day

Great edition of The Verb yesterday. Host Ian McMillan was joined by Harriet Walter, Jason Singh & Gillian Allnutt. Plus glacier poetry from @andrimagnason.bsky.social & @manjushreethapa.bsky.social. Gillian Allnutt read poems from her new collection #Lode from 22:45. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

I don’t know how long I’ll stay on Bluesky. I like it better than TwitX but in general I want less, not more, social media in my life—because life is so brief. We’re almost halfway through 2025. Time is precious. I want to use it meaningfully.

On completing draft eight of my novel-in-progress. manjushree.substack.com/p/draft-eight

DRAFT EIGHT. I can’t even remember when I started it. Completed today. It’s not the final draft; that’s going to be Draft Nine. I can feel the end coming and it feels good!!!

I’m no monarchist but I did find it remarkably moving to hear King Charles open his Throne Speech with an Indigenous land acknowledgment. What a strange country Canada is.

I managed to leave the house on the one day of the Spring when it wasn’t raining! (There was one sunny day last week too so yes, I exaggerate). There were all these colourful things growing everywhere. I think they’re called flowers.

Blurbing is a dangerous task. I just caught myself claiming that a book "casts a fresh gaze." Send help.

Have we seen this cartoon? And this snippet from an interview of Wong Kar-Wai? I’m very much feeling both of them on these long days at the computer writing and reading furiously.

USAian and many Canadian commentators on social media often seem unhinged because half of their posts are about the fascist takeover of the liberal world order and the other half are about the wins/losses of their home sports teams.

Tommy Thompson Park—looking gorgeous today. 🚲 🚲

PSA: You don’t have to watch the Leafs game to be a Torontonian. You have agency. You can choose to not watch. 🙂

I’m forever grateful to the universe, and to young Bhekh Thapa and Rita Basnet, that my brother Bhaskar, sister Tej, and I got to have them as our parents. They celebrate their 63rd wedding anniversary today. ❤️💕❤️💕❤️

This is a sad and powerful video from today’s NY Times.

As someone who consults every ALTA Awards longlist to put together her reading list, I'm thrilled to be one of the judges this year. If I'm scarce on social media it's because I'm reading so many great submissions!

Yesterday (May 12 in Nepal), 50+ people attended a tribute to Yala Glacier at 5000+ meters. I and Icelandic writer Andri Snaer Magnason were asked to contribute written tributes to the glacier, which, if current climate conditions persist, is due to go extinct in 2040. (Images courtesy ICIMOD.)

Well, that was fun. www.torontotoday.ca/local/sports...

I had myself a mini writing residency in Meaford, ON while my partner hiked the Bruce Trail. And I saw some old friends I’d been missing—trilliums, trout lilies, the bright blue sky, and Georgian Bay.

It’s been an extraordinarily busy Spring and I haven’t got out much, but I passed by the old Grossman’s Tavern today and saw that it’s gone. I wonder if it’ll come back again.