Chicago Chapter
In 2005, the DesiLit Chicago chapter organized the Kriti festival, a November 2005 literary festival celebrating the work of South Asian and South Asian diaspora writers in the genres of fiction, poetry, drama, and creative nonfiction.
DesiLit Chicago Writing Workshop
Our local writing workshop meets the first Sunday of the month in downtown Chicago, from 3-6 in the afternoon. The workshop is open to all genres of creative writing, and all levels of experience. We ask a small sliding-scale donation each session, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
If interested in participating, please contact one of our workshop coordinators for further details: Smita Das (sailuv9@yahoo.com) or Amina Chaudhri (amina.chaudhri@gmail.com).
Kiran Bavikatte Reading / Writing Workshop Series
DesiLit was recently the recipient of a generous grant from the Kiran Bavikatte Memorial Foundation, to help establish a reading / writing workshop series in Chicago. We're hoping in 2008 to present quarterly readings and workshops. To that end, we'd love to hear from you if you're a S. Asian or S. Asian diaspora author, have a book coming out in 2008, and would like to come do a reading here in the city.If selected, authors will receive airfare (within the U.S./Canada), plus housing for up to two nights with a host family in the city (if you prefer to pay for your own hotel room, you of course have that option as well). If you're interested in coming from further away, please do let me know; we'll talk! You'll give a reading to the public that we'll arrange, and you'll also help lead a writing workshop.
Authors of any creative genre are welcome, from literary fiction to genre to children's to creative nonfiction to poetry. And yes, chapbooks count! :-) So if you'd like to come to Chicago in 2008, please drop me a line and let me know:
- a little bit about you and your 2008 book
- which of the following months you'd be available: March, June,
September, and either November or December
Applications must be received by February 15th for full consideration.
Events
We're delighted to invite you to three events in April, as part of the DesiLit / Bavikatte Family Foundation Reading/Workshop Series. We hope you can join us! All are welcome!***
Friday, April 18, 7-9 p.m. Reading
Book Cellar, 4736 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago
(http://www.bookcellarinc.com)
Join us as we celebrate the launch of Sugi Ganeshananthan's first novel, LOVE MARRIAGE, with a reading and Q&A by Sugi, accompanied by brief readings from authors Mary Anne Mohanraj, Ranjit Souri and visiting Laotian poet, Bryan Thao Worra. $5-$10 suggested donation at the door.
***
Saturday, April 19, 12 - 1:30 p.m. Reading
McCormick Place
Three S. Asian-American authors come together to offer you tales of love and marriage. Sugi Ganeshananthan will be reading from her first novel, LOVE MARRIAGE, Kali Plomin from her first novel, HOME BEFORE THE MONSOON, and Mary Anne Mohanraj from her collection of Sri Lankan-American stories, BODIES IN MOTION. This event is part of Asian American Studies Conference; registration is required. Lunch is included. http://www.aaastudies.org/2008/index.html
***
Saturday, April 19, 2:30 - 5:00 p.m. Writing Workshop
Roosevelt University, 430 S. Michigan Avenue, Rm. 720
Sugi Ganeshananthan will lead a fiction writing workshop and discuss aspects of publishing your first novel. Pre-registration is recommended; space is limited to 15 participants. $5-10 suggested donation; free to Roosevelt students, faculty and staff. To register, please e-mail info@desilit.org with the SUBJ line: WORKSHOP REGISTRATION. This event is kindly co-sponsored by the Roosevelt University MFA in Creative Writing.
*****
Author Bios:
V.V. Ganeshananthan is an alumna of Harvard College, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Sepia Mutiny, among others. LOVE MARRIAGE, her first novel, tells the story of a young Sri Lankan- American woman who meets her dying uncle, a former member of the militant Tamil Tigers. She finds herself with questions that prompt her to trace the intersection of love and war through their shared family history.
Mary Anne Mohanraj is the author of BODIES IN MOTION, a set of Sri Lankan-American linked stories, covering two families and three generations (HarperCollins). She currently teaches fiction writing and Asian American lit. at Northwestern University, and is working on a mainstream novel, a memoir/travelogue, and a YA fantasy novel. She has also just published THE POET'S JOURNEY, an illustrated children's book. Mohanraj recently received an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in Prose. She currently serves as the Executive Director of DesiLit (www.desilit.org), an organization that works to support S. Asian and diaspora literature, and also directs the Speculative Literature Foundation (www.speclit.org). Mohanraj was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka. http://www.maryannemohanraj.com
The youngest of three children, Kali Plomin was born and raised in New England. Her parents emigrated from India as graduate students in 1959. Her parents' flamboyant social life allowed her access to many different personalities which contrasted with her otherwise typical middle-class American upbringing. She has a journalism degree from Northwestern University and a law degree from Vanderbilt University. She has worked as a journalist and an attorney. HOME BEFORE THE MONSOON was inspired by various events and people from her childhood.
Ranjit Souri is an essayist and comedian. His essay .Fireworks and Beethoven. was named a Notable Essay in The Best American Essays 2007. He teaches at The Second City Training Center (improvisation and comedy writing), StoryStudio Chicago (creative non-fiction writing), Northwestern University.s Center for Talent Development (programs for gifted children), and The Academic Approach (GMAT and LSAT prep). He is a member of the comedy groups Cupid Players, Stir- Friday Night!, and Siblings of Doctors. A native of Barnesville, Ohio, Ranjit has an MBA from Columbia University and a B.S. in Accounting from Case Western Reserve University.
A Laotian poet, short story writer, playwright and essayist, Bryan Thao Worra's work appears internationally in Australia, Singapore, Germany, England and across the United States of America. publications include Whistling Shade, Urban Pioneer, Unarmed, Tales of the Unanticipated, the Asian Pacific Journal and the Journal of the Asian American Renaissance, among many others. His first full- length book of poetry, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE EYE will be released this August by Sam's Dot Publishing.
Recent Events
Sunday, April 30, 2:00 p.m.Exploring Your Inner Writer (A DesiLit event)
An informal discussion among writers and those interested in creative writing (fiction, poetry, drama, creative nonfiction). This will be relatively unstructured, but some topics covered may include: stimulating creativity, writing exercises, good books to help you get started, local writing workshops, discipline, your inner editor, how you start publishing, etc. and so on. E-mail info@desilit.org to rsvp and for address (in Bucktown, Chicago). Free.Sunday, March 12, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Private Brunch with Indu Sundaresan
Enjoy the opportunity to chat in a casual and relaxed setting with author Indu Sundaresan, over delicious brunch delicacies.Saturday, March 11, 7-9 p.m.Location: Mary Anne Mohanraj's home in Bucktown, Chicago; inquire for address
$15, pre-registration required, limited to 30 participants
Register by e-mail or phone: info@desilit.org, 312-399-2896
Reading and Q&A with Indu Sundaresan
Indu Sundaresan is the author of The Twentieth Wife and Feast of Roses, which tell the tale of Mehrunnisa, who marries Emperor Jahangir in the 15th century and becomes his twentieth wife, the Empress Nur Jahan. Mehrunnisa becomes Emperor in all but name of the vast Mughal lands that encompass modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and a massive chunk of northern and central India. Based on a true story.Friday, March 3, 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.Roosevelt University
425 S. Wabash Ave., Rm 244
Free and open to the public, co-sponsored by the Chicago Foundation for Women Asian American Leadership Council
DesiLit Chicago Rapid Fire Reading
Clips from our show! (17.6 MB, 9.47 min)
Featuring Anita Chandwaney, Aroon Chaddha, S.G. Murthy, Purvi Patel,
Nikhil Trivedi, Devi Bhaduri, Malini Goel, Mary Anne Mohanraj. Not
pictured: Vennila Kain, Lakshmni Rengarajan, Ranjit Souri, Sachin
Waikar.
Local desi writers showcasing short fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction and playwriting.Location: The Book Cellar, 4736-38 N. Lincoln
Recommended donation: $10 non-members, $5 members, students, and seniors.
Co-sponsored by SAPAC (The South Asian Progressive Action Collective).
If you're interested in actively helping to plan our 2006 activities (reading series, writing workshops) or 2007 festival, please join our planning list. If you just want to be sure you're notified about local Chicago chapter activities, please join our general announcements list.
Chicago Book Club
Chicago also hosts a monthly book club, designed to bring together those individuals who enjoy reading South Asian and diaspora literature and who would like to meet others with similar interests. All are welcome to join. Book club organizers are: Tharani Jayaratnam, Sital Shah, Linda Groetzinger, and Ria Vengurlekar. Please feel free to e-mail us with any questions. The book club maintains a separate low-volume mailing list so members can receive updates on meeting specifics -- if interested, please join our book club mailing list. Also, we are looking for a couple good volunteers to help us organize the book club meetings. If you are interested in helping to organize the DesiLit book club, please email Sital at sitals@usa.net.
If you would like to get on the DesiLit Book club list serve or know anyone who may be interested, please email Sital at sitals@usa.net to receive an invite to join the Yahoo list. As always, new folks are always welcome to join us for great discussion and good wine!
Monday, July 7th, 7:30pm - The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
Monday, August 18th, 7:30pm - The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
Monday, September 15th, 7:30pm - Trespassing by Uzma Aslam Khan
Monday, October 6th, 7:30pm - In an Antique Land by Amitav Ghosh
Meetings held at:
The Book Cellar
4736-38 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
Phone: 773-293-2665
For directions go to: www.bookcellarinc.com
We hope you can join us!
Past Books
- February 2005: The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri
- March 2005: The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
- April 2005: Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee, Meera Syal
- May/June 2005: A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
- July 2005: Queen of Dreams, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
- August 2005: The Moor's Last Sigh, by Salman Rushdie
- Sept/Oct 2005: Bodies in Motion, by Mary Anne Mohanraj
- Oct/Nov 2005: What the Body Remembers, by Shauna Singh Baldwin
- January 2006: The Buddha of Suburbia, by Hanif Kurieshi
- February 2006: The Twentieth Wife, by Indu Sundaresan
- March 2006: The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy
- April 2006: Funny Boy, by Shyam Selvadurai
- June 2006: The Guru of Love, by Samrat Upadhyay
- July 2006: Ladies Coupe, by Anita Nair
- August 2006: The In-Between World of Vikram Lall, by M.G. Vassanji
- October 2006: The Inheritance of Loss, by Kiran Desai
- December 2006: Salt and Saffron, by Kamila Shamsie
- February 2007: Red Earth and Pouring Rain, by Vikram Chandra
- March 2007: The Zigzag Way, by Anita Desai
- May 2007: Moth Smoke, by Mohsin Hamid
- June 2007: The Shadow Lines, by Amitav Ghosh
- July 2007: Madras on Rainy Days, by Samina Ali
- August 2007: English,August: An Indian Story, by Upamanyu Chatterjee
- October 2007: Maximum City, by Suketu Mehta
- November 2007: One Night at the Call Center: A Novel, by Chetan Bhagat
- December 2007: Cracking India, by Bapsi Sidhwa
- January 2008: Junglee Girl, Ginu Kamani
- March 2008: Shantaram, Gregory David Roberts
- April 2008: The Girl Most Likely To by Poonam Sharma
- May 2008: Story-Wallah: Short Fiction from South Asian Writers by Shyam Selvadurai (Editor)
- June 2008: A Hero's Walk by Anita Rau Badami
