ARYA'S WRITING & READING BLOG

Youngstown, Ohio has a rich history of activism, from the days of the early 20th century, when steelworkers fought for higher pay, to revolts during the Civil Rights movement, to protests to preserve jobs that came in the wake of the decline of the steel industry in the 1970s. And of course there was the infamous shooting and killing of students at Kent State during an anti-Vietnam War demonstration that launched the 70s. Other movements followed at the turn of the century, such as Occupy Youngstown. And so, it should be no surprise that we now stand together protesting the trump regime in 2025. Youngstown is not and will not remain silent.  A diverse, peaceful crowd met in front the U.S. district courthouse on Market Street, March 8, 2025, with creative signs like the ones below. One, carried by someone who had borne the same sign eight years ago, read, "Trump out now." There were others, like, "We need a leader who cares about America the beautiful"; "Stop th...

Few people (on the Left anyway) have failed to realize one month into the new regime that we are under siege. The dictator has gutted Medicaid; devastated federal workers and agencies; is proposing citizenship, the equivalent of a green card, for rich foreigners for a $5-million dollar fee, in order to create a world class of greedy goons to overtake this country. Most heinously, he recently posted a video proposing "Trump Gaza," the obscenity of which one cannot begin to address. He is stealing from the American people as we speak. Protest and resistance are the right of every American and the duty of poets, writers and artists who envision themselves a voice for the disenfranchised. FRIDAY FEB. 28, 24-HOUR ECONOMIC BLACKOUT. Take a stand. #protest #resist And check out this website to see what's coming up next: https://thepeoplesunionusa.com/ "I would remind writers to see themselves as witnesses, and to always speak the truth to the people, as well as truth to. po...

Here's my favorite section of a recent four-star review of my novel, Punk Disco Bohemian, which appears in both Goodreads and Amazon and is written by Iranian-born writer Neda Aria. "A coming-of-age story steeped in the hedonism and upheaval of the 1970s, Punk Disco Bohemian plunges the reader into an era of shifting social norms, disco-lit dance floors, and radical self-invention. Ali is at the center of it all, navigating a world that offers both exhilarating freedom and unexpected dangers. She parties, she experiments, she stumbles. Through Jenkins’ unembellished prose, we follow Ali’s journey without romanticism or nostalgia—just the raw, unfiltered reality of youth in search of meaning. "Jenkins is not interested in the usual sentimental beats of the genre. Instead, she offers a protagonist whose self-destructive tendencies are as compelling as her yearning for connection. Ali’s encounters—with lovers, friends, and strangers—are transactional in nature, fueled by a m...

California is burning. The world is on fire, with wars and suffering everywhere, and one wonders, has it ever been so bad, and what am I supposed to do?  What am I supposed to do is a question I ask myself daily as a concerned human being on the planet and as a poet and writer. The current status of Mother Earth and of the nation feel virtually paralyzing. We are undergoing a big fire of change. So, what to do. As an American Red Cross volunteer disaster caseworker, I am mulling the possibilities of "deploying" to L.A., even as the situation there worsens with winds picking up, more homes being decimated and more human and animal bodies being uncovered even as I type this. Trauma abounds among those who have lost loves ones and homes and among helpers too, whose empathy in the midst of this chaos can feel like a perpetual shared wound.  On top of that, some of us always feel we can never do enough.  One side of me tells myself, helping Californians in this instance will b...

Since the depression about t's upcoming re-installment and 2025 in general is so thick among my friends and familiars in real time and online that even the best British Bake Off Series knife would not be able to cut through it, I've got a few literary suggestions that might help lift up the day, or at least ground it with hope and faith in our better qualities. Poetry: "The Peace of Wild Things" by Wendell Berry; "Starlings in Winter" by Mary Oliver Short story: "Love Letter" by George Saunders Memoir/essays: WHEN YOU ARE ENGULFED IN FLAMES and NAKED, both by David Sedaris I feel the journey into this year requires an extra push and this is mine. May we approach 2025 optimistically, doing the best we can in our given spheres to make life a little easier for everybody. In Tibetan Buddhism, Green Tara is the deity who removes obstacles and creates positive circumstances. Much like the Virgin Mary in Catholicism, Tara is there like a Mother for everyo...

Here are a few of my artworks made into postcards. Being a poet and writer has challenged my creativity and forced me to expand as an artist. Some of my artwork has made the cover of some of my books and chapbooks. The challenges of creativity never seems to end if you are a poet and writer and must also promote and help make your books marketable and beautiful.                Postcard 1 art by Arya F. Jenkins                                                                                                           Postcard 2 art by Arya F. Jenkins                     ...