Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Zambia (my parents lived there for 5 years after leaving India) and I grew up in Canada, mostly in Whitby, Ontario.
How do you think the environment you were in and your surroundings shaped what you do now?Growing up in a small town with few faces that look like mine was difficult. Although I couldn’t identify it then, the racism was pretty alienating. As a grew older, these early experiences helped create my politicized understanding of the world. On the other hand, I grew up with lots of opportunities, access to education, and a supportive family.
What led you to realize that you wanted to be a writer?I’ve always written, but it wasn’t until about 11 years ago that I began to write on a regular basis, in a more disciplined way. I suppose it might have always been brewing, and once I decided it was a priority in my life, it became addictive.
How do you think you are impacting the South Asian community through your writings?I hope that by people find some reflection of themselve on the printed page. I especially like writing about intersections of experiences and identities, for example, but writing about a diversity of South Asians: heterosexual, lesbian, new immigrants, people who have lived here a long time.
How do you think your writings are influencing the western world and mainstream?I’ve heard from non-South Asian readers that reading a book with characters like mine gives them insight into a world they don’t inhabit. At the same time, they notice that there is so much that is similar, universal to their experiences.
What do you think is special about South Asian writers?I think that diasporic South Asian writers are often bi-cultural (in various degrees); we understand the dominant cultural while being embedded within South Asian-ness too. This dual understanding makes for interesting insights and perspectives in writing.
What are you currently working on?I’m doing edits on my second novel, Six Metres of Pavement, which will be released by Dundurn Press in January 2011
What do you have in mind for the near future?I also working on my third novel which is inspired by my love/hate relationship with all-inclusive resorts.
Career wise what is the one thing that has been very special to you?
It was really wonderful to have my first novel, Stealing Nasreen published back in 2007. It gave me the confidence to keep writing.
Do you have any particular project you have wanted to work on or be a part of?I’d love to have my first and second novels published in India, so I can do a book tour there.
Any thing else that you want to share with our readers?I’m a part-time Registered Social Worker. I provide psychotherapy in a private practice and teach diversity workshops. I’d love to find a way to meld my writing life with this part of my life, through doing more writing workshops.
Good talk between them.
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