Sheth Lecture in Indian Studies: Celebrating Diversity and Building Bridges

Indian-American writer Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an award-winning author, poet, activist and teacher. Common themes in her writing include the Indian experience, contemporary America, women, immigration, history, myth, family, and the joys and challenges of living in a multicultural world. Her books have been translated into 29 languages, and her work has appeared in over a hundred magazines and anthologies.

Divakaruni will share about her experience as an immigrant at the 2018 Sheth Lecture in a talk titled, “Celebrating Diversity and Building Bridges.” Her lecture will touch on major themes in her writing: creating understanding and developing community even in the context of public or personal crises.

Divakaruni is the Betty and Gene McDavid Professor of Writing at the University of Houston Creative Writing Program. Her short story collection, Arranged Marriage, won an American Book Award in 1995. Two of her novels (The Mistress of Spices and Sister of My Heart) as well as a short story, “The Word Love,” were adapted into films. Mistress of Spices was short-listed for the Orange Prize. Currently, Sister of my Heart, Oleander Girl, Palace of Illusions, and One Amazing Thing have all been optioned to be made into movies or TV serials. Apart from poetry collections and stories for young adults, Divakaruni has 11 novels to her credit.