Today I’m interviewing Adiba Jaigirdar, the author of the Young Adult Contemporary novel, The Henna Wars, which debuted in 2020.
Adiba Jaigirdar is a Bangladeshi/Irish writer and teacher, and she has an MA in Postcolonial Studies from the University of Kent, England and a BA in English and History from UCD, Ireland. All of her writing is aided by tea, and a healthy dose of Janelle Monáe and Hayley Kiyoko. When not writing, she is probably ranting about the ills of colonialism, playing video games, or expanding her overflowing lipstick collection.
Today, we’re diving deeper into her recent blog post titled Book Two Depression and discussing the unexpected apathy and disconnection authors sometimes feel toward their work, how writer friends can keep us afloat during these dark times, and how to cultivate joy around a particular project when you need it the most.
I found my conversation with Adiba just as moving as when I read her original blog post and it was so refreshing to speak candidly about an experience many writers have, though often in isolation, especially over the past year as many of us have been drafting and debuting in a bubble that feels so far away from the rest of the world. Our conversation allowed me to let go of mainy painful months of trying to fall in love with my sophomore novel, and to finally make room for those feelings to grow in an organic way. I hope you come away from our conversation feeling less burdened too. So without further ado, find a comfy spot away from all the noise, and then enjoy my conversation with Adiba Jaigirdar.
Connect with Adiba online: