Kriti was our first four-day event featuring South Asian writers reading and discussing their work. The festival was a collective of readings, workshops, panel discussions. The keynote speech was delivered by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, presented in collaboration with the Chicago Humanities Festival. In addition, we offered perspectives from academics and a dealer's room where local bookstores, artists, businesses, and organizations to showcase their material. There were also theater performances from groups such as Rasaka and Mango Tribe, traditional South Asian dance performances, an open bhangra dance, and an open mic.
- Press Release
(download)
- Schedule (brief)
- Schedule (full detail)
- Programming Panelists
- Writing Workshop
- Registration
- Transit: Directions / Parking
- Sponsorships
- Program Book Ads
- Organizational
Festival Schedule (brief)
- 7:00 - 9:00 Opening reception, Roosevelt University, Auditorium
Building, 430 S. Michigan, Rm 244. Refreshments will be served.
Friday
- 9:00 - 12:00 - Writing workshop
- 1:00 - 5:00 - Registration open
- 1:00 - 5:00 - Books, clothing, jewelry, and snacks for sale in lobby
- 2:00 - 5:00 - Panels and readings
- 4:30 - 7:00 - Private dinner with Chitra Divakaruni at Vermilion (tickets sold separately, see below)
- 7:30 - 8:30 - Divakaruni reading and signing
- 8:30 - 9:00 - Mango Tribe performance
- 9:00 - 10:00 - Open mic (hosted by Lakshmi Rengarajan and Bushra Rehman)
- 9:00 - 9:30 - Bhangra lesson (taught by Sadaf Ahmad)
- 9:30 - midnight - Open bhangra dance
Saturday
- 9:00 - 5:00 - Registration open
- 9:00 - 12:00 - Writing workshop
- 10:00 - 5:00 - Books, clothing, jewelry, and snacks for sale in lobby
- 10:00 - 12:00 - Panels and readings
- 12:00 - 1:00 - Chitra Divakaruni Keynote Speech: The award-winning
author and poet (Arranged Marriage, The Mistress of Spices)
addresses the current state of South Asian diaspora literature, of which
she has been a forerunner and major figure. As the South Asian diaspora
becomes more visible across the American landscape, who are the
established and emerging figures in its literary scene, and what place
does their work hold in the broader literary world?
- 1:00 - 2:30 - Lunch Break
- 2:30 - 6:30 - Panels and readings
- 5:00 - 5:30 - The Sri Lankan Women's Project
- 6:00 - 8:00 - Meet the authors reception
- 6:00 - 6:30 - Shailja Patel performance
- 6:30 - 7:30 - Rasaka Theatre performance
- 7:00 - 8:00 - Matt Geraghty Project
- 8:00 - on - Eat dinner, enjoy Chicago, catch a play, see the sights...
Sunday
- 9:00 - 12:00 - Registration open
- 9:00 - 12:00 - Writing workshop
- 12:00 - 3:00 - Books, clothing, jewelry, and snacks for sale in lobby
- 10:00 - 3:00 - Panels and readings
- 3:00 - 3:15 - Closing ceremonies
Thursday
Schedule -- full details
Programming
Learn more about our panelists and films with their detailed bios!
Keynote Speaker
Children's Literature
- Monika Jain, editor
- Uma Krishnaswami,
author
- Pooja Makhijani, author and
editor
- Sangeeta Mehta, editor
- Rukhsana Khan, author
Comics / Theatre / Film
- Anita Chandwaney,
stage director and playwright
- Ligy Pullappally,
filmmaker
- Sanjay Shah, comic co-author of
Badmash
Fiction / Creative Non-Fiction
- Ranjan Adiga
- Shauna Singh Baldwin
- Neela Banerjee
- Abha Dawesar
- Anna Ghosh, literary agent
- Sapna Gupta
- Minal Hajratwala
- Anil Menon
- Mary Anne Mohanraj
- Meera Nair
- Sachin Waikar
- Rashena Wilson, literary agent
Poetry
- Nilofer Ahsan
- Summi Kaipa
- Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
- Shailja Patel
- Bushra Rehman
- Ravi Shankar
- Pireeni Sundaralingam
- Marian Yalini Thambynayagam
- Molshree Sharma
Academic
- Prof. Clinton Seely, University of Chicago
- Prof. Shailja Sharma, DePaul University
- Prof. Woodman Taylor, University of Illinois at Chicago
Musician
- Varuni Tiruchelvam, cellist
Artists
- Molshree Sharma (photography)
Short Films
- Cross My Heart
- Laxmi
- Mann Ke Manjeere
- Sangam
- Take the A Train
- The Bypass
- Amal
- Arranged Marriage
- Waxed Poetic
- Good Thing
- The Waiter
- Call Center
- Holly-Bolly
- Maya the Indian Princess
- Happy Holi Maya!
Writing Workshop
The writing workshop will take place Saturday/Sunday mornings, and we will do our best to accommodate as many participants as possible. There will be no additional charge for those who have purchased an all-festival pass, or the appropriate Saturday/Sunday day pass. No prior writing experience is required.Sign-ups for the workshop are first-come, first-served. The workshop will be coordinated by Sachin Waikar, and taught by various panelists.
Further writing workshop details, including application.
Registration
Pre-registration is no longer available. Please register at the door with cash or check. Thank you!
- All-Weekend Passes, including keynote ($40)
- Friday ($15)
- Saturday ($25) (not including keynote)
- Sunday ($15)
We are also offering tickets to the exclusive Chitra Divakaruni dinner on Friday night at Vermilion, 4:30 - 7:00 p.m. Tickets for this four-course intimate dinner are $55, inclusive of tax and gratuity. Please purchase those by calling Vermilion at 312-527-4060. Seating is limited.
DesiLit is in the process of applying for 501(c)3 status; in the interim, the SLF, a registered non-profit 501(c)3 organization, is serving as a fiscal sponsor for DesiLit.
Transit: Directions / Parking
- Map of local parking garages
(download PDF)
- Directions (public transit /
from airports)
Sponsorships
While all of our staff are volunteers, and the space for the festival has been kindly donated, there are significant expenses involved in bringing authors to Chicago and giving them a place to stay while they visit our city. Kriti is funded primarily through the generous contributions of sponsors like you. To learn more about how you can help support Kriti, please visit our sponsorship page
Program Book Ads
We're currently planning on printing 500-750 programs for the festival. Our ad rates for the program book are as follows:
- Back cover (8" wide x 10" high): $750
- Inside back cover: $350
- Inside front cover: $350
- Last page: $300
- Full page: $200
- Half page (8" wide x 5" high): $100
- Quarter page (4" wide x 5" high): $50
Organizational
If you're interested in helping to plan this festival, please join our planning list. Please send general questions to info@desilit.org.
- Festival Chair: Mary Anne Mohanraj
- Assistant Chair: Sophia Sheikh
- Fundraising: Purvi Patel
- Design: Satya Gummulari
- PR/Marketing: Devi Bhaduri, Sujata Bhat
- Children's Programming: Sheelah Murty
- General Staff: Nilofer Ahsan, Vinita Bhojwani, Anita Chandwaney, Ami Gandhi, Ramona Gupta, Sapna Gupta, Venu Gupta, Tanya Jogee, Kavita Kapadia, Nadia Majid, Angeli Primlani, Arin Reeves, Deepak Sevak, Aparna Sharma, Nikhil Trivedi, Sachin Waikar
