Isra Ansari
Four years ago, I travelled alone for the first time. I was nervous and excited; saying goodbye to my family, and checking in alone was a daunting prospect, yet the thought of independence was almost euphoric. Looking back, I must have looked pretty crazy. A 16 year old girl, with an old squeaky wheel carry-on bag, a shoulder bag stuffed to the brim with last minute accessories; wallet, passport, music, make-up and a huge hard cover version of the book ‘Jinnah’ by Jaswant Singh for my grandfather, jutting out of my bag, making me look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. I dragged that book through three continents and four airports.
A few days later, I found Abba wearing his Woody Allen glasses, his study lamp on, scrutinizing the page he was reading. When he saw me leaning against his bedroom door frame, he leaned back on his swivel chair, took off his glasses and looked at me and said, “I gave you, my granddaughter, your first book on Jinnah and now, you have given me my lastâ€.
That simple statement left me speechless and stunned. I hadn’t thought of that book in years, yet the memories of reading it suddenly came flooding back and I remembered the excitement I felt when I turned the pages of that comic book based on the life of the Quaid-e-Azam, reading myself to sleep every night. Since then, books and I have never parted ways and I can say without a doubt that we never will!
I discovered The Missing Slate pretty late, which is absolutely shocking because it incorporates every type of art, and literature that my heart desires and more (if that’s even possible)! Reading The Missing Slate brings back the same feelings I felt when reading the book my grandfather gave me all those years ago, which was when I decided that I want to be a part of something that gives other art and book lovers the same joy and happiness.
The Missing Slate’s team is made up of people I’ve put under the “one of a kind†label. They are some of the most unique and talented people I’ve come across, who aim to give their readers the best works of fiction, poetry and prose all in the midst of glossy pages filled with stunning artwork. Though… I wait anxiously for the day when the magazine hits the newsstands and I can shout from every rooftop, “GO PICK UP YOUR COPY OF THE MISSING SLATE FROM A BOOKSTORE NEAR YOUUUUUU!â€