Yaari: An Anthology on Friendship by Women and Queer Folx

by Shilpa Phadke (Editor), Nithila Kanagabasai (Editor)

Yaari centers friendship in the politics of everyday life and well-being.

Drawing on narratives of women and queer folx from South Asia, it reflects on friendship in all its avatars—as wondrous and full of excitement; as joyous and embedded in an ethics of care, as evoking jealousy, anger, and disappointment; and as strained and fractured. Just as friendship itself resists definition, the pieces in this collection come in various shapes and forms: comic strips and poems, essays and fiction, as paeans, reflections and rants.

These ninety-five contributions examine the world not only through the lens of what is but what we might aspire to. At the heart of this anthology is the recognition that friendship not just matters but is also deeply political.

Genres: Nonfiction

384 pages, Paperback

Published May 17, 2023

Reviews

[Ashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Women operate with a permanent sense of collective solidarity, almost coded into our DNA. We see a woman out there all alone, and immediately want to help her, protect her, laugh with her, give her a shoulder to cry on, give her even thirty seconds of our company. And it is with this sense of solidarity that we navigate our lives in a world where the male gaze follows us everywhere.
I have friends whom I've met in the oddest of places. We may not even have spoken the same language but we didn't need to. Our shared sense of solidarity, and empathy, connected us. Even if it was just for a few seconds. I may not remember their faces or their voices. But I remember the security I felt in their presence. They were my companions, they will remain my companions. I hope to have more in this life and I hope to be one for others”.

The cover artwork and the artwork within is beautiful. I feel so lucky to have found this anthology at Shalimar Books (a South Asian book specialist in London). I found myself frequently taking pictures of paragraphs and sending it to my friend.

It was interesting learning more about Karachi in particular and what it is like for women in that city. The section on virtual realities spoke to being a teenager growing up on the internet.

I wish I would’ve discovered this text while I was at university, as it has such a wealth of writing on class specifically and the section on ‘Cites. Spaces. Conversations’ shows how “loitering” can be a political act as a woman.

There are too many individual essays/poems/artworks that I liked or resonated with me to list them all, but some that stand out:

- Living with Girls
- Some Women Pass Me Like Weather
- Making of the Quilt
- Befriending the Buri Aurat
- Cousins Shall Unionize
- Our Friendship is Your Cup of Tea / Tea(rs) Party
- The Barbie from Ichra Bazaar
- On Losing Friends to Fascism
- …And We’ll have a Small Garden
- To the Friends I May Never See Again
- Loitering Ladies: The Escapades of Annie and Susan

[Guneet · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice collection of personal essays, poems and drawings from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal. Sorry if I have missed any country. Some accounts are beautiful talking about female friendships. Mostly the stories revolve around Covid time. Really enjoyed most of them. Five stars to the editors and Yoda Press for publishing this. 🤍🤍🤍🤍✨✨✨🫰🏽

[Eve Burniston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read around half of the stories. I really enjoyed what I did read of the book & can see myself picking it up again in the future.

I just struggled to get engrossed in the book due to the style.