Synopses & Reviews
Winner of the 2010 Bakeless Prize for Poetry, the debut collection by Dilruba Ahmed
Cant occupy the same space at the same time
unless, of course, you land in Dhaka
—from “Dhaka Dust”
Ranging across Europe and America to the streets of Bangladesh, the sharp-edged poems in Dhaka Dust are culled from a rich mélange of languages, people, and poetic attitudes. Through lyric and narrative poems, Dilruba Ahmeds keen observations on birth, motherhood, and death offer a unique way into the beckoning world. Voices of villagers resonate alongside those of global travelers, each searching for an elusive homeland in small towns and cities alike. Vendors hawk their wares at a bazaar in Dhaka. Gyms in Ohio double as mosques for uprooted immigrants. In Ahmeds skillful hands, these disparate subjects adroitly capture the textures of life in this new century.
Review
“Clear, sensuous, and astute, Dilruba Ahmeds poems play and radiate off each other in subtle and provocative ways. She embraces life in all its complexity and handles a variety of forms with originality and grace. And the themes of departures and arrivals, of cultural and poetic hybridity, resonate gorgeously through this book.” —ARTHUR SZE, Bakeless Prize Judge
Synopsis
Winner of the 2010 Bakeless Prize for Poetry, the debut collection by Dilruba Ahmed
Can't occupy the same space at the same time
unless, of course, you land in Dhaka
--from "Dhaka Dust"
Ranging across Europe and America to the streets of Bangladesh, the sharp-edged poems in Dhaka Dust are culled from a rich melange of languages, people, and poetic attitudes. Through lyric and narrative poems, Dilruba Ahmed's keen observations on birth, motherhood, and death offer a unique way into the beckoning world. Voices of villagers resonate alongside those of global travelers, each searching for an elusive homeland in small towns and cities alike. Vendors hawk their wares at a bazaar in Dhaka. Gyms in Ohio double as mosques for uprooted immigrants. In Ahmed's skillful hands, these disparate subjects adroitly capture the textures of life in this new century.
About the Author
Dilruba Ahmed's work has appeared in Cream City Review, New England Review, New Orleans Review, and other publications. She was born in Philadelphia and raised in Ohio, and holds an MFA from Warren Wilson College.