God Loves Hair

In 2010, Vivek Shraya self-published God Loves Hair, her first book; in the ten years since, Vivek has published six more titles including a novel, poetry collection, graphic novel, and children’s picture book, while also working as an artist, musician, and academic. God Loves Hair is a collection of short stories that follows a tender, intelligent, and curious child as they navigate the complex realms of gender creativity, queerness, brownness, religion, and belonging. This tenth-anniversary edition includes a foreword by award-winning YA writer Cherie Dimaline (The Marrow Thieves), as well as additional a new preface, story, and illustrations. Told with the poignant insight and honesty that only the voice of a young mind can convey, God Loves Hair is a moving and ultimately joyous portrait of the resiliency of youth. Ages 12 and up. This publication meets the EPUB Accessibility requirements and it also meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG-AA). It is screen-reader friendly and is accessible to persons with disabilities. A book with many images, which is defined with accessible structural markup. This book contains various accessibility features such as alternative text for images, table of contents, page-list, landmark, reading order and semantic structure.

In this beautiful children’s picture book by Vivek Shraya, author of the acclaimed God Loves Hair, a five-year-old South Asian boy becomes fascinated with his mother’s bindi, the red dot commonly worn by Hindu women to indicate the point at which creation begins, and wishes to have one of his own. Rather than chastise her son, she agrees to it, and teaches him about its cultural significance, allowing the boy to discover the magic of the bindi, which in turn gives him permission to be more fully himself. Beautifully illustrated by Rajni Perera, The Boy & the Bindi is a joyful celebration of gender and cultural difference. Ages 3 to 6. Vivek Shraya is a performer, musician, and filmmaker, and the authors of God Loves Hair and She of the Mountains. This publication meets the EPUB Accessibility requirements and it also meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG-AA). It is screen-reader friendly and is accessible to persons with disabilities. A book with many images, which is defined with accessible structural markup. This book contains various accessibility features such as alternative text for images, table of contents, page-list, landmark, reading order and semantic structure.

“Biting and beautiful.” — Jonny Sun, author of everyone’s a aliebn when ur a aliebn too Everyone talks about falling in love, but falling in friendship can be just as captivating. When Neela Devaki’s song is covered by internet-famous artist Rukmini, the two musicians meet and a transformative friendship begins. But as Rukmini’s star rises and Neela’s stagnates, jealousy and self-doubt creep in. With a single tweet, their friendship implodes, one career is destroyed, and the two women find themselves at the center of an internet firestorm. Celebrated multidisciplinary artist Vivek Shraya’s second novel is a stirring examination of making art in the modern era, a love letter to brown women, an authentic glimpse into the music industry, and a nuanced exploration of the promise and peril of being seen.

A poetry book by the author of God Loves Hair: a bold and timely interrogation of skin.

Described as “cultural rocket fuel” by Vanity Fair, Vivek Shraya is a multi-media artist whose art, music, novels, and poetry and children’s books explore the beauty and the power of personal and cultural transformation. How to Fail as a Popstar is Vivek’s debut theatrical work, a one-person show that chronicles her journey from singing in shopping malls to “not quite” pop music superstardom with beguiling humor and insight. A reflection on the power of pop culture, dreams, disappointments, and self-determination, this astonishing work is a raw, honest, and hopeful depiction of the search to find one’s authentic voice. The book includes color photographs from the show’s 2020 production in Toronto, and a foreword by its director Brendan Healy. This publication meets the EPUB Accessibility requirements and it also meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG-AA). It is screen-reader friendly and is accessible to persons with disabilities. A Simple book with few images, which is defined with accessible structural markup. This book contains various accessibility features such as alternative text for images, table of contents, page-list, landmark, reading order and semantic structure.

Yvette Maher, a Kentucky farm girl, shares her life’s traumas, trials, and triumphs. Before Yvette became a Christian, she dealt with emotional pain by filling the voids with drugs, alcohol, and empty relationships. Yet God did not abandon her. Through poignant stories laced with humor and irony, Yvette reveals how God has redeemed her devastating childhood by enabling her to forgive her murderous and unfaithful father and cope with her mother’s debilitating depression. She tells how God has blessed her marriage even though she was several months pregnant when she walked down the aisle. Throughout the wild changes that have occurred in Yvette’s life, God has been with her, ever-present and offering grace at each turn.

In the fall of 2017, the acclaimed writer and musician Vivek Shraya began receiving vivid and disturbing transphobic hate mail from a stranger. Acclaimed artist Ness Lee brings these letters and Shraya’s responses to them to startling life in Death Threat, a comic book that, by its existence, becomes a compelling act of resistance. Using satire and surrealism, Death Threat is an unflinching portrayal of violent harassment from the perspective of both the perpetrator and the target, illustrating the dangers of online accessibility, and the ease with which vitriolic hatred can be spread digitally.

This gem of a book presents God as a positive life force that, when tapped, can send our lives spinning in an exciting new direction. It explains how spiritual "experiments" work, and provides concrete instructions for using these principles to improve one's life. Ten spiritual concepts are introduced, with a suggested 48-hour experiment to prove each one. Some examples of these principles are: 1) There's a power and force in the universe that can heal; 2) Your thoughts create your reality; and 3) By directing your mind, you can create more abundance, joy, and love in your life. Written in a conversational, contemporary voice, God Doesn't Have Bad Hair Days will appeal to the spiritual believer who's a fan of such bestsellers as The Prayer of Jabez and Simple Abundance, as well as to the spiritually curious who seek fulfillment outside traditional Christian denominations. The spiritual skeptic, too, will be drawn to this attractive book and its cheeky, no-nonsense tone.