A Certain Way

by Mona Dash

As an immigrant,
I am expected to behave in a way,
A certain way

A Certain Way, the collection of poems, brings a first time eighty-nine pages of poems by this award-winning poet now living in the UK as the UK poet to the readers internationally. After her novel published last year and newly gained MA, she speaks in a polished and a confident voice, but not rowdy in any way. This collection is a mix of poems about identity, belonging, spirituality, feminism and love. The voice is intense, always searching, and always honest. It is unique not because the poet observes everything through the eyes of an Indian and a first generation migrant but because it explores the sentiments of displacement and belonging in a different way. Instead of the usual longing for home and derision of the new surroundings, it tries to bridge the two. It tries to define new spaces to inhabit. It does the same with the other themes expressed; feminity and feminism, love and solitude, spirituality and disbelief, motherhood and independence. Throughout the collection, there is a sense of search and exploration, and trying to find a balance in dichotomies.

A writer and poet Yogesh Patel of Word Masala Foundation highlights the significance of the title: Is it still the certain way we—the displaced ones—are expected to behave suggested by the cover of the book? Is a roar at the locked door about the same hopelessness as 'the calf butted the oak' by Solzhenitsyn and the self-satisfaction of challenging the impossible? It seems Mona has not only those but more questions about the certain way we are expected to behave in all kinds of situations. It provides a perfect ground for the poet to explore them through her poetic take. Hence, the collection is not a loud rant by an immigrant, but an examination of perspectives from the other side as well. The example of it is in 'Suitcase,' where an emigrant returning home is expected to behave in a certain way burdened with guilt in the homeland!

The voice and the themes make this a unique collection. The writer, like many others, lives in dual worlds, whether it is about adopted home and birth home, a technology job and words, independence and feminism.

Prof Saleem Peeradina, poet and essayist, puts this aptly in the book blurb: 'There are two voices here: the personal domestic one and the bold public one.'

100 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2017

About the author

Born and brought up in the eastern coastal state of Orissa in India, Mona Dash comes from a family of artistically inclined professionals. Mona grew up in an environment defined by books and debates, as her mother is a poet and writer and their house was usually filled with writers discussing literature, art, music and anything ‘different.’ Mona’s sojourn into writing started with dabbling in poetry while in school and went on to produce a collection of poems Dawn Drops. She has been listed in various competitions, and published widely in various journals and anthologies. She is part of the British South Asian writers collective, The Whole Kahani. With a degree in engineering, an MBA, and a Masters in Creative Writing, she currently works in an international Telecom company, but spends every free waking moment writing and plotting stories. Most of Mona’s work explores themes of love, displacement and belonging. Relationships, subsequent betrayal, and a quest for something fulfilling also emerge as strong themes in her work. Mona currently lives in London with her husband and young son. She doesn’t believe that not having time is an excuse to not read and write; and hence is a stranger to television and reads/writes on trains, in cars, waiting in a queue, late in the night – like anyone who has been afflicted by the written word.

Reviews

[Yogesh Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of poems, brings a first time eighty-nine pages of poems by this award-winning poet now living in the UK as the UK poet to the readers internationally. After her novel published last year and newly gained MA, she speaks in a polished and a confident voice, but not rowdy in any way. This collection is a mix of poems about identity, belonging, spirituality, feminism and love. The voice is intense, always searching, and always honest. It is unique not because the poet observes everything through the eyes of an Indian and a first generation migrant but because it explores the sentiments of displacement and belonging in a different way. Instead of the usual longing for home and derision of the new surroundings, it tries to bridge the two. It tries to define new spaces to inhabit. It does the same with the other themes expressed; feminity and feminism, love and solitude, spirituality and disbelief, motherhood and independence. Throughout the collection, there is a sense of search and exploration, and trying to find a balance in dichotomies.

As an immigrant,
I am expected to behave in a way,
A certain way

(visit us at http://www.skylarkpublications.co.uk/...)

A question is quite nagging: Is it still the certain way we –the displaced ones - are expected to behave suggested by the cover of the book? Is a roar at the locked door about the same hopelessness as 'the calf butted the oak' by Solzhenitsyn and the self-satisfaction of challenging the impossible? It seems Mona has not only those but more questions about the certain way we are expected to behave in all kinds of situations. It provides a perfect ground for the poet to explore them through her poetic take. Hence, the collection is not a loud rant by an immigrant, but an examination of perspectives from the other side as well. The example of it is in 'Suitcase,' where an emigrant returning home is expected to behave in a certain way burdened with guilt in the homeland!


The voice and the themes make this a unique collection. The writer, like many others, lives in dual worlds, whether it is about adopted home and birth home, a technology job and words, independence and feminism.