Photo: Jamey Stillings
Houston writer Tayyba Kanwal has released a collection of shorts stories called “Talking with Boys.”
Houston writer Tayyba Kanwal has a background in mathematics and technology, but she has spent much of her recent years engaging in literary pursuits. Among them: she’s the managing editor of the literary journal Conjunctions, and she is the literary director for the Houston literary organization Inprint. And now, she has a collection of short stories out called Talking with Boys.
The stories in the collection take place all over the world, from Houston to Dubai, but they end up finding ways to link together. There’s a community of Pakistani immigrants in Houston using some unlikely bait to distract ICE officers. Then, there’s a housekeeper in a mansion in Dubai plotting to liberate her fellow indentured workers. And there’s a Houston woman getting a chance to compete in a reality TV show called Top Nanny.
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To learn about what goes on in the stories and how her experiences as a Pakistani-American shaped their themes, Kanwal talks with Houston Matters producer Michael Hagerty (audio above).
She will discuss the book at an event at Basket Books on March 3 at 7 p.m.
Michael Hagerty/Houston Public Media
Tayyba Kanwal in the Houston Public Media studios.