Hena Khan's blog

What would you do?

2012-02-15T23:39:30Z

My fifth grader recently needed to pick a quote that spoke to him for a school project. Searching for Martin Luther King, Jr., he selected a passage from his speeches that dealt with big issues like ignorance. I realized that, ironically, he didn’t quite understand what ignorance was, and urged him to choose something that really meant something to him. So he ended up finding a line from The Lorax about caring. His project made me think about quotes that resonate with me. I often see thought-provoking passages on Facebook statuses, in signatures, and in articles—beautiful words by the likes of Dr. Seuss, Lennon, Mandela, Rumi and Mother Theresa that serve to inspire, elevate, or ground us. But the one that kept coming to mind is a simple anonymous saying written on a pewter paperweight that my friend Shazia gave me years ago. It was a gift of encouragement as I prepared to go back to work for a research organization after consulting from home and raising my kids for five years. The paperweight says, “what would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” I’ve never told Shazia that I often stared at that paperweight on my desk for the next five years at my office, at times thrilled with my decision to be there, and at other times hungry for something more creative. And I still look at it today, now sitting on the desk of my home office while I finally attempt to do exactly what I would if I knew I could not fail: writing for myself and trying to make a living doing what I love most. I’ve been blessed by the support and encouragement of my loved ones to take the risk, whether they realize it or not. Thanks, Shaz!

A baby is born

2012-01-20T21:28:34Z

Apart from my new book, I’ve also eagerly anticipated the arrival of a real baby for many months. The baby technically belongs to my dear friend Farin, but her sister-in-law Toby and I have declared him ours, too. I was anxious the baby would arrive while I was on vacation earlier this week, but he waited. Farin was scheduled to be induced the day after my return.

Toby and I set up camp in the delivery room, along with dad-to-be Shereef and others who rotated through. We shared uncomfortable seats, meals, and jokes as we waited, and kept friends and family around the globe updated with emails and texts. Our friend Hania in San Francisco expressed her jealousy that she wasn’t with us and urged us to “just go home.”

“Yeah, right,” we laughed.

But the hours ticked by and baby wasn’t budging. In the early morning, the Doctor found that very little progress had been made. Against our wishes, Farin sent Toby and me home to rest.

“I need to lay eyes on this baby as SOON as he gets here,” I warned her. She promised that she’d call with updates and we could rush right back to the hospital. But neither of us slept as we kept checking our phones. We came back to the hospital, and finally after more than 30 hours, Farin was ready to push.

Against our wishes again, we were sent to the waiting room, where we stared at our watches. Over two hours later, Toby shouted, “He’s here!” Shereef had sent a text message saying that the baby was born. We decided to get more details before sharing the wonderful news with the rest of the world. Toby texted back and asked him to send us a picture to tide us over as we waited to be allowed back into the room.

A few minutes later, my cell phone rang.

Hania: “I’m going to fire you guys! The baby’s here and I’m finding out on Facebook…”

Me: “What? There’s a picture on FACEBOOK?”

Toby: “Shereef is dead.”

We logged in and sure enough, there was a picture of baby lying on his mother’s chest on freaking Facebook. There were already 10 comments and a dozen likes. And there we stood, staring at this beautiful, perfect little boy on a tiny digital screen, 30 feet away from the room where he was born. Hania was right! We could have just gone home.

Shereef didn’t end up dying. He explained that he was trying to text the photo to us and only uploaded it accidentally. We believe him. Mostly. Soon enough, I did get to see our baby for real and, even better, hold him. And that was more than worth the wait.

A book is born

2012-01-11T04:45:52Z

Although my mailman recently left a package on my doorstep, it might as well have been delivered by the stork. I knew before opening it that it was an advance copy of a much anticipated bundle of joy: my newest picture book named Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns. Breathless, I tore open the padded envelope and slid out the book. And then, like a mother counting the fingers and toes on her newborn, I caressed its pages, marveled at the cover, and felt a rush of gratitude.

As I savored the richly detailed illustrations, I realized that an artist not only put beautiful pictures to my words but elevated them beyond what I ever thought possible. I was so fortunate to have Julie Paschkis illustrate Night of the Moon and know that much of the positive attention it received was due to her brilliant contribution. And now, with Mehrdokht Amini’s talent splashed across the pages of this book, I’m again awed by her creativity and artistry. I haven’t quite figured out how she got the layers of detail into her paintings, but it’s stunning.

I hope you all will welcome this new book into the world and am super excited to see the life it leads. The first step will be for it to hit the warehouses. Then it will travel to the desks of those in charge of editorial reviews and hopefully make a good impression. Finally, it’ll make its debut in bookstores sometime in the late spring. Like a parent, I’ll probably be sharing key moments and experiences with you. In the meantime, here’s the requisite baby photo. Stay tuned!

Hole-y holidays

2011-12-21T04:58:59Z

A few days ago my sister mentioned that she was going to read Night of the Moon to my twin nieces’ pre-K class to share the holiday of Eid. Even though Eid currently falls smack in the middle of summer, the teacher was thoughtfully trying to be inclusive of all kids during the holiday season. My sister was going to have the students do a craft I recommended and take a special snack: halwa, a traditional Pakistani dessert made from cream of wheat.

Scene from Night of the MoonWhen I was in second grade my mom had me bring an Eid treat to school: another Pakistani dessert, made with vermicelli noodles and condensed milk. Unbeknownst to me, to make it extra special, she had added fragrant rosewater. “Ewwwww! It smells like perfume!” the kids all cried in disgust. I brought back the untouched bowl, filled with shame and pretty sure my fellow second graders wanted no part of the strange holiday known as Eid.

Fast forward twenty-five years to when my son was in preschool and his older Pakistani teacher assistant asked me to come in for a class Eid party. As I excitedly walked into the church basement, the smell of frying dough and onions filled the air. Auntie was in the kitchen making pakoras, savory dumplings. And, sure enough, she had brought Pakistani sweets—green and orange squares of sweet cheese, sprinkled with nuts and decorative foil. One by one, the kids wrinkled their noses as she offered the treats. Luckily, remembering second grade, I had come armed with donut holes, which I quickly passed around amidst cheers.

“Take donut holes,” I told my sister.

“You can do that?” she asked.

“Yes. Trust me.”

My sister reported that the kids listened to the story, made paper henna hands, enjoyed their donuts and might even have gained a little understanding of what Eid is—a festive time for family, friends, and delicious foods, whatever that means to different people. In our family, that means donuts and “sweet noodles,” as my kids call them. But we make sure to leave out the rosewater.

Wishing everyone happy and delicious holidays!

Welcome to my website

2011-11-30T15:29:51Z

After registering my domain name a couple years ago, I've finally put together a website. Since I'm new to this, I welcome your input on how to improve the site. This spot is where I will be blogging for the first time. I plan to get some tips from my ten-year old son, who chronicled our summer vacations for the past couple years, on how to keep an audience coming back for more. I'll be writing updates on what's going on with my books, events, and other exciting happenings. I hope you'll visit often and look foward to having a dialogue with you on some of my favorite topics: writing, children, children's books, the publishing industry, travel, holidays, food, and more! Thanks for stopping by.