Kristina Sarhadi
Bio
NY native. Social Worker. Reiki Master. Certified Holistic Health Counselor. Consciousness Engineering Nerd. Punk Enthusiast. Therapist. Friend to the Friendless. Guidance Counselor to the Brave. @kingstonreiki newleafholistichealth.com
Stories (4/0)
Take the Trip Before it’s Too Late
For years I’ve wanted to escape New York and move south to be with my father’s parents. My grandmother’s hugs have never been matched. My grandfather’s stories are some of the first that ever mattered to me. Whenever life would feel unbearable I’d remind myself of him—orphaned in Iran as a little boy, the things he witnessed. The luck he made for himself and carried forward, relentlessly optimistic, for decades. When I was old enough I traveled to Florida with a voice recorder and sat with him for hours. I didn’t care about the beach or playing with my younger cousins or the amazing garden he tended so carefully. I craved my history and his. I promised Grandpa I’d write his biography one day. He told me everything.
By Kristina Sarhadi2 years ago in Families
Womyn in Punk
I often wonder what makes the sound of my voice so different from that of my three sisters. The way I pronounce short vowels and grumble, how my laugh sometimes sounds violent, why I swear so often and cringe when I hear the word “like” too much. I used to attribute my sarcastic, matter-of-fact tone to a younger, subconscious need to stand out from my hyper-feminine sisters—the youngest in a family of six, I was always seeking small ways to rebel, to get attention, to be heard. But now I have to wonder if the way I talk and laugh and write is a direct result of growing up in the punk scene, and because of it. I feel certain that spending all of my free time in crowds of mohawked girls and men in tight pants taught me more about gender—and rebellion—than I could have understood at the time. The lyrics of my favorite songs, the way brusque, angry women would scream from their stomachs when they sang, the humor of their pseudonyms and song titles, and the brash attitudes they donned in interviews were speaking directly to the norms and standards against which I was also trying to rebel. Today, with a greater understanding of gender norms, subcultures, linguistic use, and of course, myself, I see that an analysis of women within the punk movement can be a valuable place to look for manifestations of social and political resistance through self-expression.
By Kristina Sarhadi5 years ago in Beat
- Top Story - July 2019