Tanwi Nandini Islam 鈥�09.
Tanwi Nandini Islam 鈥�09 M.F.A. is a noted author, essayist, perfume maker, and community activist. They鈥擨slam鈥檚 singular pronoun of choice鈥攈as chosen to go by the name Tana茂s, a portmanteau of the first two letters in each of their three given names. On their聽, Tana茂s explains, 鈥淚 wanted to find a meridian between identities that honor where I come from and where I am headed.鈥� They also see their myriad activities as deeply connected.
Their roster of accomplishments and activities suggest that Tana茂s is headed toward big things. Their debut novel,聽Bright Lines聽(Penguin, 2015) won many honors, and it was a finalist for the Center for Fiction鈥檚 First Novel Prize and the inaugural selection of the first lady of New York City鈥檚 Gracie Book Club. Yet for all of the acclaim, it was difficult for Tana茂s to sell their second novel,聽Stellar Smoke.
鈥淭hat has been a trip,鈥� said the author, whose parents emigrated from Bangladesh. 鈥淚t鈥檚 illuminating about who are the recipients of our work and who are the gatekeepers. I expected some lack of understanding because I grew up Muslim, and I am writing about queer characters. The experience made me rather jaded about what it means to come from a non-dominant culture point of view.鈥�
Instead, Tana茂s sold聽In Sensorium, a collection of essays that grew out of their perfume business. After聽earning an M.F.A., Tana茂s worked as a brand manager for a startup, which gave them the grounding to start Hi Wildflower, their own perfume business. 鈥淚 had begun thinking about the colonial project and how it enabled the perfume business in Western cultures as a result of the cheap鈥攕ometimes enslaved鈥攍abor and the access to exotic scents.鈥�
For Tana茂s the business has furthered their cultural explorations. 鈥淚 started to deepen my experience of perfumes and what it means to build a composition from a variety of places all over the world. The materials have backstories and importance politically and economically.鈥�
Tana茂s鈥� interests in scents and literature merged when they created a fragrance based on Toni Morrison鈥檚 classic聽Beloved. They said that the perfume was to celebrate the literary lion鈥檚 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Center for Fiction. The notes included rose, African bluegrass, and saltwater. 鈥淚f you read Morrison with an olfactory sensibility,鈥� Tana茂s said, 鈥測ou can see her celebration of the ancestors.鈥�
With parents who moved to the United States in the 1970s to escape a war in their native land, Tana茂s says that a political consciousness and profound sense of justice was hard wired deep inside of them. Tana茂s said with a reflective giggle, 鈥淓ven if I have a yacht one day, I鈥檓 going to be helping move people to safety with that yacht. It鈥檚 in my lifeblood.鈥�
