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‘Appropriation Is an Undeniable Fact of Human Interaction’
Jeffery Renard Allen writes in ‘Eat Joy,’ coming out next week
“Eat Joy: Stories & Comfort Food from 31 Celebrated Writers,” out October 29 from Black Balloon Publishing, is an unconventional collection of intimate, in-depth essays with recipes celebrating the foods we eat to get through the dark times in our lives. Each piece is full of heartache, loss, adversity, and self-discovery; each serves as a reminder of our resilience. Collectively, the book presents a hopeful vision, and it serves up delicious things to eat along the way. — Natalie Eve Garrett, “Eat Joy” editor.
By Jeffery Renard Allen
Some years ago, I spent a summer month on Lamu off the Kenyan coast through the help of two good friends in Nairobi who wanted to start a writers’ residency on the island. I was the ideal test subject given my fondness for the place. Lamu feels like a throwback to another time with its houses erected from stone and winding narrow streets. You get where you need to go by foot or donkey or jahazi (dhow) powered by outboard motors since there are no motorized vehicles on the island with the exception of a motorcycle or two. You relish in the slow pace and the air from the Indian Ocean, free of any worries about crime or violence — this would later change — and…
