January: Pain.
My ear hurts. There is a stabbing pain in my ear; stab, stab, stab. I have explained it in Dutch and English; received sympathetic looks. I have had my ears...
On writing (blah.)
Photo by Donald Wu on Unsplash I have spent the last few days feeling utterly and entirely uninspired by my work, which is normal after I’ve finished a...
prayer / despair
There’s a lovely little line in Sentimental Value, which I saw again last weekend, and cannot wait to see again. “Someone said praying isn’t really talking...
More distractions
Gelukkig nieuw jaar, allemaal! Discovered that a scene in the manuscript that I have written and rewritten and can visualise perfectly was missing. So the...
New writing! On Salt & Saffron, a very Karachi novel
For Dunya Digital, I wrote about one of the Pakistani novels I revisit the most — Kamila Shamsie’s Salt and Saffron, on the 25th anniversary of its...
Distractions of the day
Went on a search for the half bag of Slims (I need them, I am editing) but it was missing. Accused partner (who does not eat them) of eating them. Could not...
Currently thinking about:
ICYMI, I wrote about the books I read this year.Electrical Gaza, the film accompanying the Rosalind Nashashibi show at KM21.What happens to a child in...
Books of the year, many exclamation marks!
I’ve spent the past couple of years reading copious amounts of romance — believe me, save for monster smut, I’ve worked through almost every sub-genre by...
On writing (more?) in 2026
Delft, December 2025. It’s been a while! Of course, the minute I migrated to Buttondown I got sidetracked by something else. What was that something else? I...
Migrating to Buttondown!
This newsletter now lives on Buttondown. This shouldn’t change anything for you, subscriber who is somehow still sticking around, but this is to check...
Ways of eating
un croissant, svp
Meanwhile, in the Netherlands
A roundup of news, rats, and gold
They're trying to make spring happen
17C, terrasjes, gezellig, etc.
Back (with a book)
An update!
On Palestine.
Since last Sunday, I have been staring at a screen, stuck in a state of horror, watching, every minute, as the genocide of the people of Gaza begins,...
On homesickness
Alex made lunch and brought it to my desk because there was no way I was moving The other day, I felt my first deep pang of homesickness. (It's been a year,...
The one about all-consuming writing, and emptiness
This is not meant to be a newsletter about writing, but this is all I’ve been doing for the past year so…
The one with karhi and REM
There is no one more grating than the person who posts a variation of the tweet ‘oh no here's the story before I have to click on the recipe', a thousand...
The one where I take the train
have residence card, can travel?
On Joyland
A few nights ago I went to see Joyland at the local Filmhuis. I was one of a few noticeable desis in the audience. I couldn't quite tell if anyone was...
