Miscarriage. Divorce. Friendship. Betrayal. Coup-attempt. Economic crisis. Relocation. No, those stories are not found in Expat Sofra; Culinary Tales of Foreign Women in Turkey, but they are a part of the book all the same. The five-year journey of Expat Sofra’s release had all of those elements and has marked us, the book, and our contributors forever. This should be a celebratory blogpost -and it is- but it is also the start of a new, healing journey as our book is finally out for the world to see.
Two years ago, we signed with Alfa Publishing Group, and made a deal to have the book printed in both English and Turkish. We thought we were set, that FINALLY things were moving forward. But the book had other ideas. She was still not ready for the world to see her, no matter how hard we tried to force it. Francesca and I fought every step of the way, from editing, design, styling, and translation. We fought through unanswered calls and e-mails, and tried to keep our contributors and supporters feeling upbeat and hopeful. “When is the book coming out?” the question on everyone’s lips.
“Soon,” our response. “Insallah,” what we were actually thinking. For, while we made a great show at embracing and loving Turkey and Turkish culture, we did not apply the concept of “soon” to Expat Sofra. In that, we were impatient yabancilar and wanted results yesterday. Two weeks ago, and almost two years into our contract with Alfa, I stood on the coast of Lake Superior in my home state of Michigan. Lake Superior is a wild, deep, mysterious lake. If drained, she could cover the entire continent of North America in 2 inches of water. My e-mail pinged with a message from the publisher. Sofra was out! I stood, fall foliage in a dazzling and heart-wrenching display of orange, yellow, russet, and green behind me. The waves churned and threw up rocks – it’s gale season here – and if this isn’t a representation of all of the emotions tumbling around inside me I don’t know what is. I wanted to scream when I got the news, cry for days, jump around with excitement, hit my head against the wall.
The past week has been a flurry of emotions and busy as we prepare for the upcoming Istanbul Book Fair November 2-10, and many other mini-launches, readings, and appearances. Books are available for online purchase here and are on shelves in Turkey at D&R and Remzi. Plans are in the works for availability in the US soon, and we will keep you posted. If you are interested in hosting a reading or an event, please e-mail us at info@expatsofra.com. Like its predecessor, Tales from the Expat Harem (Dogan 2005), Expat Sofra is also being released during a time when Turkey is in the news. Writing this blogpost from the United States, in between multiple questions from friends and colleagues regarding the current relations between the US and Turkey, I cannot help but feel Expat Sofra taking on another role. An important one, which is to show a side of Turkey and Turkish culture absent in Western media. Maybe even a way to start a dialogue, open up a conversation through stories and food. It’s what humanity does, in the midst of disaster and uncertainty. Sow the healing seeds. If Expat Sofra can be a part of that in some small way, than she has been well worth the wait.