This oral history interview is an intimate conversation between two people, both of whom have generously agreed to share this recording with Oral History Summer School, and with you. Please listen in the spirit with which this was shared.

This interview is hereby made available for research purposes only. For additional uses (radio and other media, music, internet), please inquire about permissions.

All rights are reserved by Oral History Summer School.

Researchers will understand that:

  • Oral History Summer School abides by the General Principles & Best Practices for Oral History as agreed upon by the Oral History Association (2018) and expects that use of this material will be done with respect for these professional ethics.
  • Unless verbal patterns are germane to your scholarly work, when quoting from this material researchers are encouraged to correct the grammar and make other modifications maintaining the flavor of the narrator’s speech while editing the material for the standards of print.
  • All citations must be attributed to Oral History Summer School:
    Narrator’s Name, Oral history interview, YYYY, Oral History Summer School
I have read and agree to the terms listed above.
Library

Meera Nair

July 1, 2016

|

Hudson, NY

Song

Recorded by

Lucinda Segar

This interview is available in-person only. Please get in touch if you would like to listen.
Is this your interview?
Click here to respond.
x
Summary:

This interview was conducted by Lucy Segar at Kite's Nest on July 1st, 2016. Meera Nair is a writer and professor of writing, currently living in Jackson Heights, Queens, NY, although she is originally from India. She was a participant in Oral History Summer School 2016, in Hudson NY.  In this interview Meera, Lucy and a local Social Justice Leadership Academy student Tahida Wahida, are conducting life-history interviews during a training for SJLA students and a session on interviewing youth narrators. During the interview Meera is speaking to both Lucy and Tahida, although Tahida is witnessing, and occasionally giggles in the background.

In this interview Meera speaks about her life and family in India, her home in Jackson Heights, her daughter, her writing and her impressions of Hudson, NY. She describes in great detail her grandparents house in India, and how she remembers it, as well as how she feels about the house now. She speaks about her grandmother's passing away, her mother, and her siblings. Meera also describes what it is like to to visit India for her now. Meera moves on to discuss her neightborhood in Jackson Heights, her community of friends, sharing child-care, cooking and her love of New York. She also talks about her writing, her developing love of essay writing, and a current fiction story she is working on. Meera describes her relationship with her daughter, what they do together, and how her daughter is growing up. At the end of the interview Meera describes her impressions of Hudson as a visitor; the segregation she sees in town, the poverty and the uneven distribution of wealth. This interview might be of interest to people who want to learn about India, writing, the writing process, Jackson Heights, Queens, family, immigrant experience, first impressions of Hudson, parenting and mother-daughter relationships.

Themes:
No items found.
Interviewer Bio:
Lucinda Segar

Lucy Segar is a writer, educator and movement artist living in Hudson, NY. She earned her MFA in writing from Columbia University and her BA in writing and dance from Oberlin College. Lucy teaches multidisciplinary writing workshops for children at Kite's Nest, and is a founding member of the Hudson Sloop Club. She is currently getting her NY State teacher certification at Bard College. Lucy participated in OHSS 2015 and served as program assistant for the 2016 program.

Additional Info:
Interview language(s):
English
,
Audio quality:
Medium

Audio Quality Scale

Low - There is some background noise and the narrator is hard to hear.

Medium - There is background noise, but the narrator is audible.

High - There is little background noise and the narrator is audible.

Permissions: 

This interview is hereby made available for research purposes only. For additional uses (radio and other media, music, internet), please click here to inquire about permissions.

Part of this interview may be played in a radio broadcast or podcast.

Oral history is an iterative process. In keeping with oral history values of anti-fixity, interviewees will have an opportunity to add, annotate and reflect upon their lives and interviews in perpetuity. Talking back to the archive is a form of “shared authority.”

Is this your interview?
Click here
to leave updates or reflections on your life, your interview or your listening experience.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

© 2023 Oral History Summer School. All rights reserved.