New Book of Poems by South Asian Women

May 9, 2026, 10:06
AustraliaCulture

Introduction

Two teachers, Lopamudra Basu and Feroza Jussawala, made a new book. It is called 'Sing, Slivered Tongue'. It has poems by women from South Asia and other countries.

Main Body

The book has 68 poems. Women from India, Pakistan, and other places wrote them. These women are between 30 and 70 years old. The poems talk about sadness and pain. Some women write about violence. Others write about losing parents or getting old. Some poems talk about the pandemic in India. The writers want to tell their stories. They believe that writing helps them feel better.

Conclusion

This book remembers the hard lives of women. It gives them a place to share their pain.

Learning

πŸ’‘ The Power of 'And'

In English, we use and to glue two similar ideas together. Look at how the article does this:

  • sadness β†’\rightarrow and β†’\rightarrow pain
  • India β†’\rightarrow and β†’\rightarrow Pakistan

Why use it? Instead of saying: "The book has sadness. The book has pain." (Too slow!) You say: "The book has sadness and pain." (Natural A2 English!)

πŸ“ Useful Word Pairs from the Text

Word AGlueWord B
Two teachersandFeroza Jussawala
Indiaandother places
sadnessandpain

Quick Tip: Use and when you want to add more information to your list.

Vocabulary Learning

book (n.)
a set of written pages
Example:She read a book about South Asian women.
poems (n.)
short pieces of writing that use rhythm and emotion
Example:The book contains many poems.
women (n.)
adult human females
Example:Women from India and Pakistan wrote the poems.
teachers (n.)
people who teach
Example:Two teachers made a new book.
new (adj.)
not old, just made or found
Example:It is a new book.
talk (v.)
to speak about something
Example:The poems talk about sadness.
pain (n.)
a bad feeling in the body or mind
Example:The poems describe pain and sadness.
old (adj.)
having lived many years
Example:Some women are getting old.
help (v.)
to give support or assistance
Example:Writing helps them feel better.
share (v.)
to give part of something to others
Example:The book gives them a place to share their pain.