Join us for a conversation about what it means to answer the question, "Are you Indian?" if you were not born in India.

About this event

Although this program is free to the public, Kalapriya is a non-profit that relies on the generous donations of our supporters to provide the high quality programming you enjoy. If you can, please support us by purchasing a Donation Ticket. Thank you!

This discussion, facilitated by Dr. Ritu Radhakrishnan, will feature Chicago-based, Indian American authors, Sonali Dev and Anuradha D. Rajurkar. These authors will engage in a conversation about how their experiences of being an Indian American have influenced their writing. Audience members will have an opportunity to hear excerpts from the authors' books and participate in a question and answer session

Sonali Dev - USA Today bestselling author Sonali Dev writes Bollywood-style love stories that explore universal issues. Her novels have been named Best Books of the Year by Library Journal, NPR, the Washington Post, and Kirkus. She has won numerous accolades, including the American Library Association’s award for best romance, the RT Reviewer Choice Award for best contemporary romance, multiple RT Seals of Excellence, has been a RITA® finalist, and has been listed for the Dublin Literary Award. Shelf Awareness calls her “Not only one of the best but one of the bravest romance novelists working today.”

She lives in Chicagoland with her husband, two visiting adult children, and the world’s most perfect dog.

Anuradha D. Rajurkar is the national recipient of the SCBWI Emerging Voices Award for her contemporary debut novel, American Betiya. Born and raised in the Chicago area to Indian immigrant parents, Anuradha earned two degrees from Northwestern University, and for many years had the joy of being a public-school teacher by day, writer by night. Nowadays, when she’s not writing or reading, you can find Anuradha exploring the shores of Lake Michigan with her family, obsessing over her garden, watching old horror flicks with her sons, eating too many baked yummies, or roguishly knitting sweaters without their patterns.

Dr. Radhakrishnan is an Associate Professor at the State University of New York at Oswego, and is a member of Kalapriya's Cultural Sundays Advisory Panel.

We are striving to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. Please be aware that our efforts are ongoing. For questions about accessibility or to request an accommodation, please contact mordion@kalapriya.org or call 312-436-2789. Requests should be made at as early as possible.