Kashmiri riches
November 10th, 2015
The central poems of Ontario-born Rahat Kurd’s first poetry collection, Cosmophilia (Talonbooks $16.95), a term that means “love of ornament,” reflect her experiences among family members in Kashmir and the influence of traditional Kashmiri handicrafts on her. Integrating Islamic imagery, the poems share the perspective of a modern Muslim woman. The “cosmic colours” of the book jacket are intended to represent the juxtaposition of the darkness and lightness of being. Cosmophilia was launched in Vancouver at the Heartwood Café. Rahat Kurd was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1970 and she came to B.C. in 1997. She was a finalist for the 2014 Gwendolyn MacEwen Poetry Prize and was named Emerging Artist in the Literary Arts category of the 2013 Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Awards. Her works has also been nominated for National Magazine Awards in the categories of poetry and personal journalism (2011); and she has been shortlisted for a CBC Literary Award (2007). She also wrote and illustrated Reading Rights: A Woman’s Guide to the Law in Canada in 1999. 978-0-88922-946-4
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