T126.
For Whom Do You Write?: Four Immigrant Writers on Their Audiences
Thursday, March 9, 2023
9:00 am to 10:15 am
“For whom do you write?” is a common question asked of immigrant writers, especially in their early career, including in writing workshops. In this event four writers of South Asian roots—Indian, Pakistani, and Nepali—representing different linguistic backgrounds, share their experiences of writing in English and reflect on their audiences and on what it means to them to write from the intersection of languages and cultures.
Participants
Khem K. Aryal is the author of a short story collection, The In-Betweeners (Braddock Ave Books, 2023) and th editor of an anthology, South to South (Texas Review Press, 2023). He teaches creative writing at Arkansas State University, where he also serves as creative materials editor of Arkansas Review.
Soniah Kamal's novel Unmarriageable received acclaim from Financial Times, NPR, NYPL, People, and more. Her debut, An Isolated Incident, was also shortlisted for literary prizes. She has bylines in the New York Times, Guardian, Catapult, Best Asian Short Stories Anthology 2017, and Pushcart Prize nominations.
Aruni Kashyap is an Assamese writer, and the author of the novel The House with a Thousand Stories (Penguin Random House, 2013) and a short story collection His Father’s Disease (Flipped Eye Books UK, 2020). He is an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of Georgia.
Chaitali Sen is the author of a novel, The Pathless Sky, and numerous short stories and essays. She has taught writing workshops to children, teens, and adults around the country and is the founder of an interview series with writers called Borderless: Conversations on Art, Action, and Justice.
