In this episode, Sophia Naz reads some poems from Open Zero. Open Zero is at once a visceral close up of the stark ground realities of loss and an evocation of its many shapes; the ongoing erasure of a syncretic culture in the manufactured narratives of nation-states post Partition; the slipping away of self-esteem in the face of sexism and misogyny and the ravages of rapacious capitalism on an increasingly fragile planet, our collective, imperiled home. With an innovative structure that straddles manzanitas and Mohenjo Daro, ancient mausoleums and modern media; often incorporating Urdu in Naz’s signature bilingual homonyms, Open Zero is an affirmation of the power of language to transcend, to avenge loss by creating lasting beauty from a vanished world. Buy it here: http://yodapress.co.in/open-zero