Children's literature festival in US focusses on books by authors from Indian diaspora

An award-winning book about a young Indian girl who learns to embrace her cultural identity and a story about an Indian-American superhero were some of the highlights of a children's literary festival held here.

Organised by the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) last month, the 5th Annual Literature Festival festival was attended by nearly 30 authors.

The event included the first children's literature programme titled 'Wonderland@IAAC'.

The Council and The Culture Tree, which provides South Asian theme educational and cultural programmes, partnered together to organise the children's festival aimed at igniting young minds "in a way only words and thoughts can", the IAAC said.

Festival Director Nili Lakhani said the event celebrated works representing South Asian heritage and for the first time had a dedicated line-up of books for and about children.

"The need of the hour is diversity in youth literature and pioneering initiatives such as the children's lit festival help push forward important conversations and lead to a real change in children's literature publishing. Our vision is to create a place where Indian-American children see themselves reflected within the literature they read," Lakhani said.

Among the highlights of the festival were Kanchan Koya's 'The Spice Spice Baby Cookbook', a first-of-its-kind cookbook detailing the science of spices.

Koya, who has a doctorate in Molecular Biology from Harvard Medical School, discussed the powerful benefits of spices and the need to use them in food for the family.

Sheetal Sheth talked about her first children's book 'Always Anjali', which won the 2019 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Grand Prize. The book is about a young bright girl who gets bullied for her "different" name but gradually learns to celebrate who she is and carry her name with pride and power.

Veera Hiranandani talked about her book The Night Diary', a 2019 Newbery Honor Award Winner and named Best Book of Year in 2018 by The New York Times and The Washington Post among others.

The book is a fictional account of one family's experience during the partition of India in 1947.

The festival's highlight also included Mona Sehgal's Under the African Sky', the story of Krishna, an Indian-American boy who struggles to reconcile his Indian heritage with American childhood.

Set against the backdrop of the African wilderness, it highlights themes of natural and environmental harmony and conflict.

The festival also presented the Ramleela Puppet Storytime show by The Culture Tree that celebrated the magic of Diwali through the art of puppeteering.

Award-winning writer, editor and pediatric cancer crusader Raakhee Mirchandani's book talk was on her work Super Satya Saves the Day', which was inspired by her daughter Satya.

The book is about an Indian-American superhero, who is ready to save the day, even if she doesn't always know it right away. The animated story explores the inner hero in all children.

Author Roopa Pai, who flew in from India, presented an interactive session with her talk on The Ten Powerful Ideas From Ancient India' that explored modern day questions parents and children face everyday.

Emphasizing the need for more children's literature by Indian-American authors, the Culture Tree founder Anu Sehgal noted that there is a huge diversity gap in children's books.

She noted that people of colour make up 37 per cent of the US population, but only 10 per cent of children's books published in the past 21 years include multicultural content.

Through Wonderland our vision is to create a platform where children's books by authors from the Indian diaspora get the visibility they deserve. Additionally, we want Indian-American children to see themselves and their lives in literature. This will instill a deep sense of confidence and curiosity about their culture. Through festivals like this, we also offer cross-cultural exposure that can help develop knowledgeable, open-minded and respectful individuals, Sehgal said.

The festival was also attended by actor Anupam Kher who spoke about his newly released book Lessons Life Taught me, Unknowingly: An Autobiography.'

Sarod Maestro Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Ayaan Ali Bangash and Amaan Ali Bangash also attended the festival.

URL: https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/children-s-literature-festival-in-us-focusses-on-books-by-authors-from-indian-diaspora-119111101324_1.html

Wonderland Children's Literary Festival

October 19, 2019 through October 20, 2019
Saturday and Sunday, 10:00am-5:00pm.
Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies, New York University
New York
Pre-school & younger, Young elementary, Tween, Teen
$10

Event description:
A one of a kind literary festival for Indian-American children featuring award-winning authors, book fair, workshops, story times and cultural shows. This is a platform for children's literature from India and by authors of Indian origin. A space where Indian-American children can access stories that will inform and inspire them by reflecting aspects of their identity and culture. The Culture Tree, an organization that promotes cultural literacy about South Asia through educational and cultural programs, is hosting this festival in partnership with the The Indo-American Arts Council.

Address: 50 Washington Square S at 255 Sullivan Street
New York, NY 10012
Phone: 212-582-9280
Website: https://iaac.us/iaac-literary-festival/

• The two-day IAAC literature festival proved that books are an important part of Indian-American life.
• Indian authors for the newer generation of immigrant children are helping them find their place in the world.

New York is a place of new beginnings and something innovative is always happening in the Big City. The digital age may have sounded the death knell of the printed word but we are in Manhattan, celebrating new books in a new country. Indian writers and books, long unsung in the mainstream, are getting their moment in the limelight with the Wonderland@IAAC literary festival which is the fifth such event organised by the Indo-American Arts Council.

Indeed, in today’s fast-changing world books are often taken for granted, not appreciated enough and not credited enough for the wonder they invoke. “Adbhuta Rasa is the rasa of mystery and wonderment,” noted Rakesh Kaul, the vice-president of the newly restructured Indo-American Arts Council. “It is in that spirit that we are excited to welcome our talented and globally recognised cast of writers. They will evoke a sense of surprise, wonder and pleasure in you through their literary creations."

This festival, organised by Indian-Americans for all those who love India, the Indian Diaspora and everything Indian in America, has had a good run in the past years, showcasing such stellar names as Salman Rushdie, Suketu Mehta, Madhur Jaffrey, Shashi Tharoor and the late Ram Jethmalani.

Nearly 30 authors came together at the Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies, New York University, for a two-day festival celebrating different genres of Indian writing including fiction, non-fiction, mysteries, fantasy and food writing. These authors examined many different themes including cultural identity and stories of immigration and finding their place in the world. From spice to art to science, every topic was covered.

This year there were some firsts added to the repertoire – a poetry session as well as a children’s literature programme. After all, what is life without poetry? A wine reception was replete with the poetry and poets of the South Asian Diaspora including Ravi Shankar, Diane Mehta, Pramila Venkateswaran, Rafiq Kathwari, Subashini Kaligotla, Kirun Kapur, Tsering Wangmo, Ralph Nazareth, Monica Farrell, IndranAmirthanayagm, and Jaswinder Bolina.

It takes all kinds of Indian-Americans to make the Indian diaspora, including little people who have until now had to make do with little representation in the book world. Indian authors for the newer generation of immigrant children are helping them find their place in the world and understanding their roots.

Readers got a chance to meet diverse authors, hear diverse voices:

The noted art curator John Guy who presented the exhibition of the little known but wonderful artist YG Srimati at the Met, has just published a book on her art which shows the links of her work to India’s freedom movement and at the same time as a fearless woman artist who lived life on her own terms.

Another book which was showcased at the festival was ‘The Limits of the World’, the debut novel by Jennifer Acker who is the founder and editor in chief of The Common – an immigration tale from the Indian enclave of Nairobi to America.

The festival celebrated Indian-American writers and their perspectives on life. Anuradha Bhagwati, author of ‘Unbecoming: A Memoir of Disobedience’ is an activist, yoga and meditation teacher, and Marine Corps veteran. Maya Lang, novelist and author of the forthcoming memoir What We Carry, is the first-generation daughter of Indian immigrants and the author of The Sixteenth of June.

A talk by Kanchan Koya, who has a doctorate in Molecular Biology from Harvard Medical School and is the founder of Spice Spice Baby, was an eye-opening link to the healing power of spices. In her book she does a deep dive into 15 spices and their science-backed benefits and shares a hundred recipes to demystify spices for the home cook.

Emphasis on future readers

Anjali Sachdeva talked about her elegant debut short story collection, All the Names They Used for God, which is the winner of the 2019 Chautauqua Prize and was selected as a best book of 2018 by NPR. In the introduction to her intriguing nine short stories, she writes about life, “Wonder and terror meet at the horizon, and we walk the knife-edge between them.”

Author of the bestseller The Last Queen of Kashmir, Rakesh Kaul, has written an intriguing new novel titled ‘Dawn, the Warrior Princess of Kashmir’, a science fiction saga which takes you into the future, to Kashmir where many stories begin.

In an in-depth discussion, he said that he was attempting to create a whole new universe in each chapter: “I am honouring the feminine, which is in you and me. The story, in a sense, attempts to honour the feminine energy - shakti - which is in all of us.”

Actor Anupam Kher who is currently starring in NBC’s ‘New Amsterdam’ series and has over 500 films to his credit, has the new book Lessons Life Taught me, Unknowingly, after his inspirational book, The Best Thing about You is You. The new one takes on the scepter of failure and turns it into a conquering sword. In a chat with Nirmal Mattoo, the president of IAAC, Kher spoke engagingly about his life, tough times and the power of humour in facing life.

Perhaps the most refreshing part of the festival was the emphasis placed on the future readers (and leaders) of America. The children’s lineup was presented with The Culture Tree founded by Anu Sehgal.

“We all know there is a huge diversity gap in children’s books in America. People of colour make up 37 percent of the US population, but only 10 percent of children’s books published in the past 21 years include multicultural content,” noted Sehgal.

There was a superb line-up of Indian-American authors who through their children’s books address issues of roots and growth, racism and identity. All these authors grew up in a very different America and are finding positive answers for their own young children in a changing country.

Raakhee Mirchandani: Award-winning writer, editor and pediatric cancer crusader whose book Super Satya Saves the Day is inspired by her own spunky daughter Satya, a cancer survivor. Mona Sehgal’s book Under the African Sky, the story of an Indian-American boy who struggles to reconcile his Indian heritage with his American childhood.

Veera Hiranandani whose book The Night Diary is a 2019 New bery Honor Award winner and was named a 2018 Best Book of the Year by the New York Times; noted actor Sheetal Sheth with her first children’s book Always Anjali which has won the 2019 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Grand Prize.

A taste of homeland

Authors from India are also giving American children a taste of their homeland: Kavita Bafana introduced Namaste Jaipur, part of the Namaste Series of books; Roopa Pai, author of the eight-part Taranauts, India’s first original fantasy-adventure series for children in English and the award-winning The Gita For Children, listed by Amazon among its list of ‘100 Indian Books To Read In A Lifetime’.

For young readers there were interactive sessions by Kulture Khazana, Little Ustaads and Culture Tree’s performance of Ramleela through puppets. The festival concluded with awards for young people in a literary contest about growing up bicultural in America, presented by the Consul General of India Sandeep Chakrovorty, Anupam Kher and sarod master Amjad Ali Khan.

There was even a Hindi touch in this festival of books in English with a talk by Susham Bedi, author of nine Hindi novels and short story collections. Maybe other regional languages will be added in future festivals.

The two-day IAAC literature festival proved that books are an important part of Indian-American life, with many new authors of adult and children’s books sharing their American experience through words.

URL: https://www.cnbctv18.com/views/indian-americans-in-wonderland-a-book-universe-highlights-desi-immigrant-tales-in-new-york-4624971.htm

Wonderland@IAAC - The Literary Festival

IAAC

NY Celebrates Diversity in Literature at the
WONDERLAND@IAAC Literary Festival
Dignitaries from the literature world descend on the one-of-a-kind literary festival,
featuring award-winning Indian-American authors, poets and performances

At the 5th Annual IAAC Literary Festival, the Indo-American Arts Council celebrated literary works representing South Asian heritage. On October 19 and 20, authors and poets, all of them multiple award-winning and acclaimed in their own right, participated in talks and readings, making it an unforgettable experience for adults and children alike. Festival Director Nili Lakhani said that in addition to the Adult Lit festival, "The need of the hour is diversity in youth literature and pioneering initiatives such as the children's lit festival help push forward important conversations and lead to a real change in children's literature publishing. Our vision is to create a place where Indian-American children see themselves reflected within the literature they read".

At the festival -
— Kanchan Koya presented The Spice Spice Baby Cookbook, a first-of-its-kind cookbook detailing the science of spices. She held the audience's attention by debunking myths, discussing the powerful benefits of the spices and inspired the attendees to cook with the spices.

— Renowned scholar and curator at the MET Museum, John Guy, shared his extensive knowledge of South Asian art with a visually stunning presentation, detailing his book Art and Independence: Y. G. Srimati and the Indian Style

— Anjali Sachdeva talked about growing up between two cultures, how her debut short story collection, All the Names They Used for God, Best book of 2018 by NPR, written over 12 years, came to be, the common thread between the stories, how it was written and more

— Jennifer Acker, author of the debut novel The Limits of the World, was in conversation with Megha Majumdar, the associate editor at Catapult. She spoke about how the book is framed by family that has moved to a new continent almost every generation, to India, East Africa and then to the US. Spanning four generations and three continents, the book illuminates the vast mosaic of cultural divisions and ethical considerations that shape the ways in which people judge others' actions

— Author of the bestseller The Last Queen of Kashmir, Rakesh Kaul was in conversation with Gabriela Nik Ilieva, Director of the South Asian Languages program at NYU. The festival featured the NY launch of Dawn: The Warrior Princess of Kashmir, a sci-fi saga that reveals eternal truths as it traverses the terrains of the Kashmir Valley, the birthplace of the greatest stories ever. In this Dystopian story, the protagonist seeks out secrets hidden in the Niti folk tales of Kashmir and unlock the powers within her to become the ultimate warrior.

— Susham Bedi, who currently teaches Modern Indian Literature at City University of New York and previously taught at Columbia University, held a very engaging talk with Gabriela and spoke of her journey and her work in Hindi Literature which has been widely translated.

— Maya Lang, novelist and author of the forthcoming memoir What We Carry, presented an intimate and personal account of her relationship with her mother in conversation with IAAC Chairman Dr. Mattoo. The talk left the audience in a very emotional state.

— Actor Anupam Kher held the audience in rapt attention during his chat about his new book Lessons Life Taught me, Unknowingly: An Autobiography. The crowd was entertained and inspired with the stories and snippets he shared from his life. On the occasion, he said: "Thank you, Indo-American Arts Council for launching my book with so much of warmth. Thank you, Dr. Mattoo for being such a generous moderator. And having Sarod Maestro Amjad Ali Khan in the audience was my ultimate high and honor."
Amjad Ali Khan

This year, IAAC also celebrated the 1st Annual Wonderland@IAAC Children's Literary Festival. The Indo-American Arts Council and The Culture Tree partnered together to program a festival that helped ignite young minds in a way only words and thoughts can.

Speaking at the event, Anu Sehgal, Founder of The Culture Tree, said, "Our mission is to provide Cultural Literacy specially on South Asia. As cultural educators, we are looking to providing children with authentic, immersive, fun and inspiring experiences. This fall we have introduced puppet shows and a literary festival that will take cross-cultural learning a different level. Through events like these, we can offer cross-cultural exposure that can help shape knowledgeable, open-minded and respectful individuals. We all know there is a huge diversity gap in children's books in America. People of color make up 37% of the U.S. population, but only 10% of children's books published in the past 21 years include multicultural content. We want books that our kids read to be Windows into a new world, but we also want them to be MIRRORS into their heritage and their experiences, something that is extremely empowering!"

The authors who participated in this session were:

— Veera Hiranandani with her Newbery award winning The Night Diary, A fictional account of one family's experience during the partition of India into two countries in 1947. The story is told in the form of diary entries written by the main character, Nisha, beginning on her 12th birthday, addressed to her deceased mother. Moderating Veera Hiranandani's session was Namrata Tripathi, Publisher at Kokila Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, which publishes inclusive books for children and young adults across all formats and genres.

— Celebrated author Roopa Pai, who flew in from India, presented an interactive session with her talk on The Ten Powerful Ideas From Ancient India that explores modern day questions parents and children face everyday Publisher of Kokila Books
From Left to Right Actress and Author Sheetal Sheth, Author Veera Hiranandani and Namrata Tripathi, Publisher of Kokila Books.

— Actress Sheetal Sheth with her first children's book Always Anjali, which won the 2019 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Grand Prize

— Mona Sehgal, with her debut novel Under the African Sky. The story of Krishna, an Indian-American boy who struggles to reconcile his Indian heritage with American childhood. Set against the backdrop of the African wilderness, the story also highlights themes of natural and environmental harmony and conflict. The session was followed by the acclaimed Ramleela Puppet Storytime show presented by The Culture Tree. Through the art of puppeteering, the children celebrated the magic of Diwali while learning the true meaning of devotion, love, kindness and valor.

— Kavita Bafana, who presented the cultural show Little Ustaads and read from Namaste Jaipur part of the Namaste series of books, a six-part series that brings the cities of India to children all around the world through well-written text and beautiful images. Her interactive session included a musical journey that brought young children to Jaipur using music, imagination and play.

— Raakhee Mirchandani, a crusader against pediatric cancer, brought to the children, the story of Super Satya Saves the Day, a brilliantly animated story that explores the inner hero in all children

— Akruti Babaria, Founder of Kulture Khazana, which made the festival even more fun by incorporating song and dance into the sessions, had this to say, "This is a phenomenal platform to bring creatives together for our children, passing down heritage and sharing stories about Indian culture. Everyone has a story and every child loves a good story.we need to make sure our children see themselves in these stories and grow up to be fearless to tell theirs!"

Attendee Havisha Karihaloo, who flew in from Houston, said of the event: "Thank you for such a wonderful opportunity for Indian heritage kids. wrapping this travel with peace in heart and an experience that will last. Hope to you bring this to other cities soon."

The awards for the Expressions literary contest for children were given out by Consul General of India in New York Sandeep Chakravorty, who provided his support to the festival and encouraged IAAC to take the literary festival to other cities. Other dignitaries who graced the occasion and gave away the awards were actor Anupam Kher, Sarod Maestro Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Ayaan Ali Bangash and Amaan Ali Bangash. Director of the South Asian Languages Program at NYU Gabriela Nik Ileva provided extensive support to all aspects of planning and execution of the festival as IAAC forged a new partnership with the Hagop Kevorkian Center at New York University.

The winners of the Expressions Literary Contest for children at the Wonderland@IAAC Literary Festival were:

Uma Tiwari, 5 years, Drawing
Vikram Sethi, 7 years, Hamare Gandhiji poem
Nikhil Sethi, 10 years, Interpretation of Eidgah
Dev Lakhani, 11 years, Drawing
Sahana Dhama, 13 years, essay

Ravi Shankar, poet extraordinaire and a diaspora Icon, led an evening of poetry reading at the end of the inaugural day. Poets from all over the world participated in this one-of-a-kind experience for the audience. Guests mingled, had book conversations and got their books signed at the post event wine reception. Poets who participated include:

— The Green Rose Prize in Poetry winner Jaswinder Bolina. His first collection of essays, Of Color, is being released in March 2020.

— The poet laureate of Suffolk County, Long Island, Pramila Venkateswaran. She is also the 2011 Walt Whitman Birthplace Association Long Island Poet of the Year.

— Kirun Kapur, named by NBCNews on their 2015 list of Asian-American Poets to Watch.

— The first non-Irishman to win the Patrack Kavanaugh Prize, Kashmiri-born Rafiq Kathwari.

— Former editor at PEN America, Guernica, and A Public Space, Diane Mehta whose debut poetry collection, Forest with Castanets, came out in March 2019.

-Yale art historian and winner of the (Great) Indian Poetry Collective's Emerging Poets Prize, Subhashini Kaligotla who read from her first book of poems ,Bird of the Indian Subcontinent.

— Poet and novelist and winner of the Kathryn A. Morton Poetry Prize Monica Ferrell whose poetry collection You Darling Thing was named a New & Noteworthy selection by The New York Times.

— Poet, teacher and publisher of Yuganta Press, Ralph Nazareth who is the author of four books of poems.

— Tsering Wangmo Dhompa who has multiple poetry collections and is the finalist for the 2012 Northern California Independent Bookseller's Book of the Year Award.

— Poet/diplomat Indran Amirthanayagam who has published sixteen collections thus far, including the Elephants of Reckoning which won the 1994 Paterson Prize in the United States.

-Pushcart prize winning poet, translator and professor Ravi Shankar who has published, edited or has forthcoming over fifteen books, including the Muse India award-winning translations of 9th century Tamil poet/saint, Andal. His collaborative chapbook, 'A Field Guide to Southern China' written with T.S. Eliot Prize winner George Szirtes was just published in the UK August 2019.

Speaking about the event, Festival Director Suman Gollamudi, said: "To say that the festival was successful would be an understatement. Everybody came together to celebrate the work these authors and writers are bringing to the diaspora community. It was a wonderful two days of a community bonding over literature. We thank our friends, donors, the Board, the Advisory Council and the staff who have worked tirelessly to make the event a success."

Wonderland@IAAC Literary Festival

IAAC Vice Chairman Rakesh Kaul concluded, "The Indo-American Arts Council is playing a very useful role in bringing to the forefront and making the Indian diaspora aware of these shining jewels in the community. We are delighted to collaborate with The Culture Tree on youth literature and to bring to the children, a sense of wonder through the books. We are looking forward to a continued success in providing a platform for Indian-Americans to see themselves in the stories which represent them. We aim for the festival to be a benchmark in celebrating diversity in South Asian literature." IAAC Festival Director

Links, Social Media, Photos, More
Authors Photos and Bios, Event Posters and more are downloadable at
https://iaac.us/iaac-literary-festival/
Photos: https://iaac.us/iaac-literary-festival/#photos-child
https://iaac.us/iaac-literary-festival/#photos
Videos: https://iaac.us/iaac-literary-festival/#videos

Social Media
Indo-American Arts Council
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iaac.us
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IAArtsCouncil
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/IAArtsCouncil

The Culture Tree:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCultureTreeNY
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheCultureTree
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theculturetree/

Event Hashtags
#IAACLitFest
#WonderlandAtIAAC
#IndoAmericanArtsCouncil
#TheCultureTree

ABOUT INDO-AMERICAN ARTS COUNCIL:
The Indo-American Arts Council supports all the artistic disciplines in classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. We work cooperatively with colleagues around the United States to broaden our collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. Our focus is to help artists and art organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists from India to exhibit, perform and produce their work here.

About The Culture Tree:
The Culture Tree promotes cultural literacy about South Asia through educational and cultural programs for children and their families to instill a deeper connection with their heritage and the world around them. For information please visit: www.theculturetree.com

URL: https://www.facebook.com/474965349245213/posts/3159766507431737?sfns=mo

From left, actress and author Sheetal Sheth, author Veera Hiranandani and Namrata Tripathi, publisher of Kokila Books at the 5th Annual IAAC Literary Festival hosted by the Indo-American Arts Council at the Hagop Kevrokian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU in Manhattan, Oct. 20

Celebrated authors and poets participated in talks and readings at the 5th Annual IAAC Literary Festival hosted by the Indo-American Arts Council at the Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies at NYU in Manhattan, Oct. 19 and 20. The two-day festival included several discussions, book launches and readings as well as the first children’s literary festival, held in partnership with The Culture Tree.

Kanchan Koya presented “The Spice Spice Baby Cookbook,” a first-of-its-kind cookbook detailing the science of spices. She held the audience's attention by debunking myths, discussing the powerful benefits of the spices and inspired the attendees to cook with the spices.

Renowned scholar and curator at the MET Museum, John Guy, shared his extensive knowledge of South Asian art with a visually stunning presentation, detailing his book “Art and Independence: Y. G. Srimati and the Indian Style.”

Anjali Sachdeva talked about growing up between two cultures, how her debut short story collection, “All the Names They Used for God,” written over 12 years, came to be, the common thread between the stories, how it was written and more

Jennifer Acker, author of the debut novel “The Limits of the World,” was in conversation with Megha Majumdar, the associate editor at Catapult. Acker spoke about how the book is framed by family that has moved to a new continent almost every generation, to India, East Africa and then to the U.S.

Susham Bedi, who currently teaches Modern Indian Literature at City University of New York and previously taught at Columbia University, held an engaging talk with Ilieva and spoke of her journey and her work in Hindi Literature which has been widely translated.

Maya Lang, novelist and author of the forthcoming memoir “What We Carry,” presented an intimate and personal account of her relationship with her mother in conversation with IAAC chairman Dr. Nirmal Mattoo.

Veteran actor Anupam Kher held the audience in rapt attention during his chat about his new book “Lessons Life Taught me, Unknowingly: An Autobiography.”

Rakesh Kaul’s “Dawn: The Warrior Princess of Kashmir,” was launched at the festival. The book, a sci-fi saga, reveals eternal truths as it traverses the terrains of the Kashmir Valley. Kaul also engaged in a conversation with Gabriela Nik Ilieva, director of the South Asian Languages program at NYU.

From left, Amman Ali Bangash, Ayaan Ali Bangash, Sarod Maestro Amjad Ali Khan, Rohan Narine from the NYC Mayor's Office, Consul General of India in New York Sandeep Chakravorty, IAAC festival director Nili Lakhani, Anupam Kher, The Culture Tree Founder Anu Sehgal, Kulture khazana Founder Akruti Babaria, IAAC chairman Dr. Nirmal Mattoo and IAAC Board Member Rajeev Kaul with the children who participated and won the Expressions Children's Literary Contest.

Speaking at the children’s festival, Anu Sehgal, founder of The Culture Tree, said the group’s mission is to provide cultural literacy to kids, especially on South Asia. “As cultural educators, we are looking to providing children with authentic, immersive, fun and inspiring experiences,” she said.

Authors who participated in this session included Veera Hiranandani with her Newbery award- winning “The Night Diary,” a fictional account of one family's experience during the partition of India into two countries in 1947; Roopa Pai, who flew in from India, presented an interactive session with her talk on ‘The Ten Powerful Ideas From Ancient India’ that explores modern day questions parents and children face every day; actress Sheetal Sheth with her first children’s book “Always Anjali”; and Mona Sehgal with her debut novel “Under the African Sky.”

The session was followed by the acclaimed ‘Ramleela Puppet Story Time’ show presented by The Culture Tree, followed by Kavita Bafana, who presented the cultural show ‘Little Ustaads’ and read from “Namaste Jaipur” part of the Namaste series of books, a six-part series that brings the cities of India to children all around the world through well-written text and beautiful images.

Raakhee Mirchandani, a crusader against pediatric cancer, brought to the children “Super Satya Saves the Day,” an animated story that explores the inner hero in all children.

Winners of the Expressions Literary Contest for children were also felicitated.

Ravi Shankar, poet extraordinaire and a diaspora icon, led an evening of poetry reading at the end of the inaugural day. Poets from all over the world participated in this one-of-a-kind experience for the audience. Guests mingled, had book conversations and got their books signed at the post event wine reception.

Poets who participated were Jaswinder Bolina, Suffolk County poet laureate Pramila Venkateswaran, Kirun Kapur, Rafiq Kathwari, Diane Mehta, Subhashini Kaligotla, Ralph Nazareth, Tsering Wangmo Dhompa and Indran Amirthanayagam.

URL: https://www.indiaabroad.com/indian-americans/authors-poets-performances-at-indo-american-arts-council-s-literary/article_3daf6cd6-f779-11e9-9187-af88eec27dae.html

New York

At the 5th Annual IAAC Literary Festival, the Indo-American Arts Council celebrated literary works representing South Asian heritage. On October 19 and 20, authors and poets, all of them multiple award-winning and acclaimed in their own right, participated in talks and readings, making it an unforgettable experience for adults and children alike. Festival Director Nili Lakhani said that in addition to the Adult Lit festival, "The need of the hour is diversity in youth literature and pioneering initiatives such as the children's lit festival help push forward important conversations and lead to a real change in children's literature publishing. Our vision is to create a place where Indian-American children see themselves reflected within the literature they read".

At the festival -
— Kanchan Koya presented The Spice Spice Baby Cookbook, a first-of-its-kind cookbook detailing the science of spices. She held the audience's attention by debunking myths, discussing the powerful benefits of the spices and inspired the attendees to cook with the spices.

— Renowned scholar and curator at the MET Museum, John Guy, shared his extensive knowledge of South Asian art with a visually stunning presentation, detailing his book
Art and Independence: Y. G. Srimati and the Indian Style

— Anjali Sachdeva talked about growing up between two cultures, how her debut short story collection, All the Names They Used for God, Best book of 2018 by NPR, written over 12 years, came to be, the common thread between the stories, how it was written and more

— Jennifer Acker, author of the debut novel The Limits of the World, was in conversation with Megha Majumdar, the associate editor at Catapult. She spoke about how the book is framed by family that has moved to a new continent almost every generation, to India, East Africa and then to the US. Spanning four generations and three continents, the book illuminates the vast mosaic of cultural divisions and ethical considerations that shape the ways in which people judge others' actions

— Author of the bestseller The Last Queen of Kashmir, Rakesh Kaul was in conversation with Gabriela Nik Ilieva, Director of the South Asian Languages program at NYU. The festival featured the NY launch of Dawn: The Warrior Princess of Kashmir, a sci-fi saga that reveals eternal truths as it traverses the terrains of the Kashmir Valley, the birthplace of the greatest stories ever. In this Dystopian story, the protagonist seeks out secrets hidden in the Niti folk tales of Kashmir and unlock the powers within her to become the ultimate warrior.

— Susham Bedi, who currently teaches Modern Indian Literature at City University of New York and previously taught at Columbia University, held a very engaging talk with Gabriela and spoke of her journey and her work in Hindi Literature which has been widely translated.

— Maya Lang, novelist and author of the forthcoming memoir What We Carry, presented an intimate and personal account of her relationship with her mother in conversation with IAAC Chairman Dr. Mattoo. The talk left the audience in a very emotional state.

— Actor Anupam Kher held the audience in rapt attention during his chat about his new book Lessons Life Taught me, Unknowingly: An Autobiography. The crowd was entertained and inspired with the stories and snippets he shared from his life. On the occasion, he said: "Thank you, Indo-American Arts Council for launching my book with so much of warmth. Thank you, Dr. Mattoo for being such a generous moderator. And having Sarod Maestro Amjad Ali Khan in the audience was my ultimate high and honor."

This year, IAAC also celebrated the 1st Annual Wonderland@IAAC Children's Literary Festival. The Indo-American Arts Council and The Culture Tree partnered together to program a festival that helped ignite young minds in a way only words and thoughts can.

Speaking at the event, Anu Sehgal, Founder of The Culture Tree, said, "Our mission is to provide Cultural Literacy specially on South Asia. As cultural educators, we are looking to providing children with authentic, immersive, fun and inspiring experiences. This fall we have introduced puppet shows and a literary festival that will take cross-cultural learning a different level. Through events like these, we can offer cross-cultural exposure that can help shape knowledgeable, open-minded and respectful individuals. We all know there is a huge diversity gap in children's books in America. People of color make up 37% of the U.S. population, but only 10% of children's books published in the past 21 years include multicultural content. We want books that our kids read to be Windows into a new world, but we also want them to be MIRRORS into their heritage and their experiences, something that is extremely empowering!"

The authors who participated in this session were:

— Veera Hiranandani with her Newbery award winning The Night Diary, A fictional account of one family's experience during the partition of India into two countries in 1947. The story is told in the form of diary entries written by the main character, Nisha, beginning on her 12th birthday, addressed to her deceased mother. Moderating Veera Hiranandani's session was Namrata Tripathi, Publisher at Kokila Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, which publishes inclusive books for children and young adults across all formats and genres.

— Celebrated author Roopa Pai, who flew in from India, presented an interactive session with her talk on The Ten Powerful Ideas From Ancient India that explores modern day questions parents and children face everyday

— Actress Sheetal Sheth with her first children's book Always Anjali, which won the 2019 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Grand Prize

— Mona Sehgal, with her debut novel Under the African Sky. The story of Krishna, an Indian-American boy who struggles to reconcile his Indian heritage with American childhood. Set against the backdrop of the African wilderness, the story also highlights themes of natural and environmental harmony and conflict. The session was followed by the acclaimed Ramleela Puppet Storytime show presented by The Culture Tree. Through the art of puppeteering, the children celebrated the magic of Diwali while learning the true meaning of devotion, love, kindness and valor.

— Kavita Bafana, who presented the cultural show Little Ustaads and read from Namaste Jaipur part of the Namaste series of books, a six-part series that brings the cities of India to children all around the world through well-written text and beautiful images. Her interactive session included a musical journey that brought young children to Jaipur using music, imagination and play.

— Raakhee Mirchandani, a crusader against pediatric cancer, brought to the children, the story of Super Satya Saves the Day, a brilliantly animated story that explores the inner hero in all children

— Akruti Babaria, Founder of Kulture Khazana, which made the festival even more fun by incorporating song and dance into the sessions, had this to say, "This is a phenomenal platform to bring creatives together for our children, passing down heritage and sharing stories about Indian culture. Everyone has a story and every child loves a good story.we need to make sure our children see themselves in these stories and grow up to be fearless to tell theirs!"

Attendee Havisha Karihaloo, who flew in from Houston, said of the event: "Thank you for such a wonderful opportunity for Indian heritage kids. wrapping this travel with peace in heart and an experience that will last. Hope to you bring this to other cities soon."

The awards for the Expressions literary contest for children were given out by Consul General of India in New York Sandeep Chakravorty, who provided his support to the festival and encouraged IAAC to take the literary festival to other cities. Other dignitaries who graced the occasion and gave away the awards were actor Anupam Kher, Sarod Maestro Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Ayaan Ali Bangash and Amaan Ali Bangash. Director of the South Asian Languages Program at NYU Gabriela Nik Ileva provided extensive support to all aspects of planning and execution of the festival as IAAC forged a new partnership with the Hagop Kevorkian Center at New York University.

The winners of the Expressions Literary Contest for children at the Wonderland@IAAC Literary Festival were:

Uma Tiwari, 5 years, Drawing
Vikram Sethi, 7 years, Hamare Gandhiji poem
Nikhil Sethi, 10 years, Interpretation of Eidgah
Dev Lakhani, 11 years, Drawing
Sahana Dhama, 13 years, essay

Ravi Shankar, poet extraordinaire and a diaspora Icon, led an evening of poetry reading at the end of the inaugural day. Poets from all over the world participated in this one-of-a-kind experience for the audience. Guests mingled, had book conversations and got their books signed at the post event wine reception. Poets who participated include:

— The Green Rose Prize in Poetry winner Jaswinder Bolina. His first collection of essays, Of Color, is being released in March 2020.

— The poet laureate of Suffolk County, Long Island, Pramila Venkateswaran. She is also the 2011 Walt Whitman Birthplace Association Long Island Poet of the Year.

— Kirun Kapur, named by NBCNews on their 2015 list of Asian-American Poets to Watch.

— The first non-Irishman to win the Patrack Kavanaugh Prize, Kashmiri-born Rafiq Kathwari.

— Former editor at PEN America, Guernica, and A Public Space, Diane Mehta whose debut poetry collection, Forest with Castanets, came out in March 2019.

— Yale art historian and winner of the (Great) Indian Poetry Collective's Emerging Poets Prize, Subhashini Kaligotla who read from her first book of poems ,Bird of the Indian Subcontinent.

— Poet and novelist and winner of the Kathryn A. Morton Poetry Prize Monica Ferrell whose poetry collection You Darling Thing was named a New & Noteworthy selection by The New York Times.

— Poet, teacher and publisher of Yuganta Press, Ralph Nazareth who is the author of four books of poems.

— Tsering Wangmo Dhompa who has multiple poetry collections and is the finalist for the 2012 Northern California Independent Bookseller's Book of the Year Award.

— Poet/diplomat Indran Amirthanayagam who has published sixteen collections thus far, including the Elephants of Reckoning which won the 1994 Paterson Prize in the United States.

— Pushcart prize winning poet, translator and professor Ravi Shankar who has published, edited or has forthcoming over fifteen books, including the Muse India award-winning translations of 9th century Tamil poet/saint, Andal. His collaborative chapbook, 'A Field Guide to Southern China' written with T.S. Eliot Prize winner George Szirtes was just published in the UK August 2019.

Speaking about the event, Festival Director Suman Gollamudi, said: "To say that the festival was successful would be an understatement. Everybody came together to celebrate the work these authors and writers are bringing to the diaspora community. It was a wonderful two days of a community bonding over literature. We thank our friends, donors, the Board, the Advisory Council and the staff who have worked tirelessly to make the event a success."

IAAC Vice Chairman Rakesh Kaul concluded, "The Indo-American Arts Council is playing a very useful role in bringing to the forefront and making the Indian diaspora aware of these shining jewels in the community. We are delighted to collaborate with The Culture Tree on youth literature and to bring to the children, a sense of wonder through the books. We are looking forward to a continued success in providing a platform for Indian-Americans to see themselves in the stories which represent them. We aim for the festival to be a benchmark in celebrating diversity in South Asian literature."

Links, Social Media, Photos, More
Authors Photos and Bios, Event Posters and more are downloadable at
https://iaac.us/iaac-literary-festival/
Photos: https://iaac.us/iaac-literary-festival/#photos-child
https://iaac.us/iaac-literary-festival/#photos
Videos: https://iaac.us/iaac-literary-festival/#videos

Social Media
Indo-American Arts Council
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iaac.us
Twitter: https://twitter.com/IAArtsCouncil
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/IAArtsCouncil

The Culture Tree:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCultureTreeNY
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheCultureTree
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theculturetree/

Event Hashtags

#IAACLitFest
#WonderlandAtIAAC
#IndoAmericanArtsCouncil
#TheCultureTree

ABOUT INDO-AMERICAN ARTS COUNCIL:
The Indo-American Arts Council supports all the artistic disciplines in classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. We work cooperatively with colleagues around the United States to broaden our collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. Our focus is to help artists and art organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists from India to exhibit, perform and produce their work here.

About The Culture Tree:
The Culture Tree promotes cultural literacy about South Asia through educational and cultural programs for children and their families to instill a deeper connection with their heritage and the world around them. For information please visit: www.theculturetree.com

Contact:

Suman Gollamudi
Media, Sponsorships & Public Relations
Indo-American Arts Council
suman.gn@iaac.us

URL: http://www.indialife.us/article.php?id=126181

NY Celebrates Diversity in Literature at the WONDERLAND@IAAC Literary Festival

One of a kind Literary Festival featuring Award-winning Indian-American Authors, Workshops, Poetry sessions and more

The Indo-american Arts Council presents a whole section on children literature at the annual Literary Festival this year. Aptly themed ‘Wonderland at IAAC’, it is amongst the very first Indian-american children’s literary festival in the US. Presented in partnership with The Culture Tree, it is a part of the larger IAAC Literary festival that will also feature Adult Literature and Poetry.

Schedule:
10:00 am - 10:50 am Raakhee Mirchandani
Book Read: Super Satya
Kulture Kazana: Interactive Show

11:15 am - 12:45 pm Expressions Contest

URL: https://stepoutside.org/event/iaac-literary-festival-2019-10-20-new-york-ny.html

Wonderland@IAAC - The Literary Festival

URL: https://www.indiainnewyork.gov.in/whatsnew?id=NjVzVE9MWTlkNEpKcklEank4amZidz09&page=1&pagecount=3

The Indo-American Arts Council announces the 5th Annual Literature Festival, this year aptly themed, 'Wonderland@IAAC'. One of the premier celebrations of works influenced by the Indian sub continent, this year, the festival is larger than ever with not only a stellar Adult Literature lineup but also the first Children’s literature program and a wide selection of Poetry.

Nearly 30 authors and participants from across a spectrum of genres and topics will come together with hundreds of book enthusiasts on Saturday October 19 from 10am-6:30pm and Sunday October 20 from 10am–6:45pm at the Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies, New York University, 255 Sullivan Street, New York, NY 10012.

The IAAC Literary Festival is one of New York’s premier celebrations of Indian-American literature. With two days of book talks, book signings, lively cultural shows, activities, private receptions and more, the program is sure to satisfy book enthusiasts across topics, interests and genres including literary fiction, non- fiction, mysteries, thrillers, fantasy, adventure, memoirs, poetry, food writing and children’s books. Cultural identity, immigrant stories and challenging cultural norms is a theme that will be explored in both the children’s and adult literature line up and will engage young readers who are searching for their place in the world.

Internationally acclaimed emcee, poet, translator and professor Ravi Shankar, acclaimed as “ One of America’s finest younger poets” by the late CT State Poet Laureate Dick Allen and called “a diaspora icon as well as bête noir” in The Hindu, will introduce an array of extraordinary South Asian voices that will resonate long into the reception featuring wine and cheese, and book signings.

The first ever children’s lineup at the Indo-American Art Council’s Literature Festival is being presented in partnership with The Culture Tree whose founder Anu Sehgal noted “We all know there is a huge diversity gap in children’s books. Through Wonderland our vision is to create a platform where children’s books by authors from the Indian diaspora get the visibility they deserve. Additionally, we want Indian-American children to see themselves and their lives in literature. This will instill a deep sense of confidence and curiosity about their culture. Through festivals like this, we also offer cross-cultural exposure that can help develop knowledgeable, open-minded and respectful individuals.”

IAAC Vice Chairman Rakesh Kaul said of the festival “Adbhuta Rasa is the rasa of mystery and wonderment. Descartes stated that Wonder is the first passion. It is in that spirit that we are excited to welcome our talented and globally recognized cast of writers. They will evoke a sense of surprise, wonder and pleasure in you through their literary creations.”

Headlining the Adult Literature Program will be:

• Kanchan Koya who is the founder of Spice Spice Baby, a platform dedicated to shedding light on the healing potential of spices, demystifying them for a global audience, and inspiring their use in food for the whole family. She has a doctorate in Molecular Biology from Harvard Medical School and is part of the Creators Program at Buzzfeed.
• A renowned curator and scholar, John Guy has published widely on South Asian art and curated a number of ground-breaking exhibitions at The Met, most recently Encountering Vishnu: The Lion Avatar in Indian Temple Performance (2016), Y.G. Srimati and the Indian Style (2017) and Vajra Masters: Ritual Art of Nepal (2018). Previously, he served as senior curator of Indian art at the Victoria and Albert Museum London for 22 years.
• Anjali Sachdeva’s debut short story collection, All the Names They Used for God, is the winner of the 2019 Chautauqua Prize, was longlisted for the 2018 Story Prize, and was selected as a best book of 2018 by NPR. The New York Times Book Review called the collection “strange and wonderful.”.
• Jennifer Acker is founder and editor in chief of The Common, and author of the debut novel The Limits of the World. Her short stories, essays, translations, and reviews have appeared in Amazon Original Stories, Washington Post and The Yale Review among other places.
• Author of the bestseller The Last Queen of Kashmir, Rakesh Kaul, notably, after a several years hunt, recovered the Tengapura Durga, the oldest continuously worshipped Durga in the world from the German government for India. He served as Co-Chairman of The Arts of Kashmir Exhibition at Asia Society NY. He is a noted speaker and writer on the arts, culture and history of Kashmir.
• Susham Bedi currently teaches Modern Indian Literature at City University of New York and previously taught at Columbia University. She is the author of nine major Hindi language novels as well as 4 short story collections and poetry. Her works are thus located squarely in the South Asian diaspora and immigrant experience.

• Maya Lang, novelist and author of the forthcoming memoir What We Carry, is the first-generation daughter of Indian immigrants and the author of The Sixteenth of June.
• BAFTA award nominee, Padma Shree and Padma Bhushan National awards winner, Actor Anupam Kher is one of the lead actors on NBC’s hit TV show New Amsterdam. He has acted in over 500 films and 100 plays in under 35 years, many of them blockbuster films. He has featured in Hollywood films such as Silver Linings Playbook, Hotel Mumbai, The Big Sick and has worked with directors Ang Lee, David O Russell, Woody Allen, Gurinder Chaddha and The Wachowskis. As an author he was ranked 17th amongst top 200 best global authors for his best-selling inspirational book The Best thing About You Is You which has been translated in 6 languages and is in its 20th edition.
• Anuradha Bhagwati is a writer, activist, yoga and meditation teacher, and Marine Corps veteran. She is a regular media commentator on issues related to national security, women’s rights, civil rights, and mental health, and is the recipient of numerous awards. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, Foreign Affairs, and The New Republic.

Celebrate the perfect end to the inaugural day of the Festival, on Saturday Oct 19 4:30pm, by enjoying some poetry from around the subcontinent and joining us for refreshments, conversation, book signings and photo opportunities. The rich poetry tradition of the Indian subcontinent stretches back for centuries and includes such crucial voices from Kabir to Kalidasa, Andal to Tagore, and this evening will showcase what the new generation of Indian and diaspora writers are doing to stretch the bounds of poetic discourse and probe what it means to be brown in America today. Rejoice in the actuality of diversity in literature by supporting these disparate poets as they perform from their latest works and engage with the audience. We are excited to welcome to the stage such diverse writers as

– The Green Rose Prize in Poetry winner Jaswinder Bolina who is the author of three full-length collections of poetry. His first collection of essays, Of Color, is being released in March 2020.

– The poet laureate of Suffolk County, Long Island, Pramila Venkateswaran. An award winning poet, she has performed poetry internationally, including at the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival and the Festival Internacional De Poesia De Granada. She is also the 2011 Walt Whitman Birthplace Association Long Island Poet of the Year.

– Kirun Kapur, named by NBCNews on their 2015 list of Asian-American Poets to Watch. Her work has appeared in AGNI, Poetry International, FIELD, Prairie Schooner and many other journals.

– The first non-Irishman to win the Patrack Kavanaugh Prize, Kashmiri-born Rafiq Kathwari has an MFA from Columbia University and divides his time between New York, Dublin and Kashmir.

– Former editor at PEN America, Guernica, and A Public Space, Diane Mehta’s debut poetry collection, Forest with Castanets, came out in March 2019. She is currently finishing a historical novel set in 1946 India and a collection of essays.

– Yale art historian and winner of the (Great) Indian Poetry Collective’s Emerging Poets Prize, Subhashini Kaligotla whose work has appeared in such journals as The Caravan, diode, LUMINA, New England Review, and The Literary Review. In 2018, Subhashini published her first book of poems Bird of the Indian Subcontinent, which owes its existence to New York City.

– Poet and novelist and winner of the Kathryn A. Morton Poetry Prize Monica Ferrell. An author of three books, her poetry collection You Darling Thing was named a New & Noteworthy selection by The New York Times.

– Poet, teacher and publisher of Yuganta Press, Ralph Nazareth is the author of four books of poems and lists his years doing poetry with ten-year olds in Stamford schools as among his most memorable.

– Tsering Wangmo Dhompa, raised in exile from Tibet in India is the author of a memoir published by Penguin India, and multiple poetry collections including the finalist for the Northern California Independent Bookseller’s Book of the Year Award for 2012.

– Poet/diplomat Indran Amirthanayagam who writes, translates, and publishes poetry and essays in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole. He has published sixteen collections thus far, including the Elephants of Reckoning which won the 1994 Paterson Prize in the United States.

– Pushcart prize winning poet, translator and professor Ravi Shankar has published, edited or has forthcoming over fifteen books, including the Muse India award-winning translations of 9th century Tamil poet/saint, Andal. He founded one of the world’s oldest electronic journals of the arts, Drunken Boat and has taught and performed around the world. His collaborative chapbook, ‘A Field Guide to Southern China’ written with T.S. Eliot Prize winner George Szirtes was just published in the UK August 2019.

The Children’s literature festival will run on both days – October 19 and 20th. We aim to create a space where children of bi-cultural heritage (ages 3-16) can access stories that will inform and inspire them by reflecting aspects of their identity and enrich them through the powers of imagination and experience. The festival not only serves to expand the world that they live in but will also provoke conversation by stretching the boundaries of imagination and story telling. The children’s program’s stellar line up of authors includes:

• Veera Hiranandani – whose book The Night Diary is a 2019 Newbery Honor Award Winner and was named a 2018 Best Book of Year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Amazon, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and The Chicago Public Library, among others.
• Roopa Pai – One of India’s best-known authors for children with many national bestsellers including the 8-part Taranauts, India’s first original fantasy-adventure series for children in English and the award winning The Gita For Children, listed by Amazon among its list of ‘100 Indian Books To Read In A Lifetime’. Roopa will have an interactive session with adults and children on the ‘10 powerful ideas from ancient India’.
• Sheetal Sheth – acclaimed actress who will be there with her first children’s book, Always Anjali which won the 2019 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Grand Prize.
• Mona Sehgal – Presents her first book, Under the African Sky, the story of Krishna, an Indian-American boy who struggles to reconcile his Indian heritage with American childhood. Set against the backdrop of the African wilderness, it highlights themes of natural and environmental harmony and conflict.
• Kavita Bafana will read from Namaste Jaipur, part of the Namaste Series of books, a 6-part series that will bring the cities of India to children all around the world through well-written text and beautiful images. Her interactive session will include a musical journey that brings young children to Jaipur using music, imagination and play.
• Raakhee Mirchandani: Award-winning writer, editor and pediatric cancer crusader whose work has appeared in Elle, Glamour, Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, New York Post, Redbook and HuffPo. Super Satya Saves the Day is her first book and is inspired by her own fiery daughter Satya.

Throughout the festival, children are also encouraged to participate in entertaining and interactive workshops about cultural identity, empowerment and even folklore. Kulture Khazana will engage young ones in an interactive session about cultural identity and empowerment. Packed with their imaginations, music and imagery, Little Ustaads will transport young audiences to a far off magical place reminiscent of the Old Pink City of Jaipur. Not-to-be missed is The Culture Tree’s performance of Ramleela, the story of Ram & Sita, through the art of puppeteering.

The festival will conclude with the Expressions Contest Awards where kids of Indian heritage aged 4-16 had participated in a literary contest to express and interpret their heritage and experiences of growing up as bi-cultural kids in America. Awards will be presented by Office of the Mayor of New York City, Consul General of India in New York Sandeep Chakravorty and actor Anupam Kher.

ABOUT INDO-AMERICAN ARTS COUNCIL:
The Indo-American Arts Council supports all the artistic disciplines in classical, fusion, folk and innovative forms influenced by the arts of India. We work cooperatively with colleagues around the United States to broaden our collective audiences and to create a network for shared information, resources and funding. Our focus is to help artists and art organizations in North America as well as to facilitate artists from India to exhibit, perform and produce their work here.

About The Culture Tree:
The Culture Tree promotes cultural literacy about South Asia through educational and cultural programs for children and their families to instill a deeper connection with their heritage and the world around them. For information please visit: www.theculturetree.com

URL: http://www.stewardshipreport.com/wonderlandiaac-literary-festival-opens-this-weekend/

The Indo-American Arts Council announces the 5th Annual Literature Festival, this year aptly themed, ‘Wonderland@IAAC’. One of the premier celebrations of works influenced by the Indian sub continent, this year, the festival is larger than ever with not only a stellar adult literature lineup but also the first children’s literature program and a wide selection of poetry.

Nearly 30 authors and participants from across a spectrum of genres and topics will come together with hundreds of book enthusiasts on Saturday October 19 from 10 am-6:30 pm and Sunday October 20 from 10 am–6:45 pm at the Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies, New York University, 255 Sullivan Street, New York, NY 10012.

The IAAC Literary Festival is one of New York’s premier celebrations of Indian-American literature. With two days of book talks, book signings, lively cultural shows, activities, private receptions and more, the program is sure to satisfy book enthusiasts across topics, interests and genres including literary fiction, non- fiction, mysteries, thrillers, fantasy, adventure, memoirs, poetry, food writing and children’s books. Cultural identity, immigrant stories and challenging cultural norms is a theme that will be explored in both the children’s and adult literature line up and will engage young readers who are searching for their place in the world.

Internationally acclaimed emcee, poet, translator and professor Ravi Shankar, acclaimed as “ One of America’s finest younger poets” by the late CT State Poet Laureate Dick Allen and called “a diaspora icon as well as bête noir” in The Hindu, will introduce an array of extraordinary South Asian voices that will resonate long into the reception featuring wine and cheese, and book signings.

The first ever children’s lineup at the Indo-American Art Council’s Literature Festival is being presented in partnership with The Culture Tree whose founder Anu Sehgal noted “We all know there is a huge diversity gap in children’s books. Through Wonderland our vision is to create a platform where children’s books by authors from the Indian diaspora get the visibility they deserve. Additionally, we want Indian-American children to see themselves and their lives in literature. This will instill a deep sense of confidence and curiosity about their culture. Through festivals like this, we also offer cross-cultural exposure that can help develop knowledgeable, open-minded and respectful individuals.”

IAAC Vice Chairman Rakesh Kaul said of the festival “Adbhuta Rasa is the rasa of mystery and wonderment. Descartes stated that Wonder is the first passion. It is in that spirit that we are excited to welcome our talented and globally recognized cast of writers. They will evoke a sense of surprise, wonder and pleasure in you through their literary creations.”

Headlining the Adult Literature Program will be:

• Kanchan Koya who is the founder of Spice Spice Baby, a platform dedicated to shedding light on the healing potential of spices, demystifying them for a global audience, and inspiring their use in food for the whole family. She has a doctorate in Molecular Biology from Harvard Medical School and is part of the Creators Program at Buzzfeed.
• A renowned curator and scholar, John Guy has published widely on South Asian art and curated a number of ground-breaking exhibitions at The Met, most recently Encountering Vishnu: The Lion Avatar in Indian Temple Performance (2016), Y.G. Srimati and the Indian Style (2017) and Vajra Masters: Ritual Art of Nepal (2018). Previously, he served as senior curator of Indian art at the Victoria and Albert Museum London for 22 years.
• Anjali Sachdeva’s debut short story collection, All the Names They Used for God, is the winner of the 2019 Chautauqua Prize, was longlisted for the 2018 Story Prize, and was selected as a best book of 2018 by NPR. The New York Times Book Review called the collection “strange and wonderful.”.
• Jennifer Acker is founder and editor in chief of The Common, and author of the debut novel The Limits of the World. Her short stories, essays, translations, and reviews have appeared in Amazon Original Stories, Washington Post and The Yale Review among other places.
• Author of the bestseller The Last Queen of Kashmir, Rakesh Kaul, notably, after a several years hunt, recovered the Tengapura Durga, the oldest continuously worshipped Durga in the world from the German government for India. He served as Co-Chairman of The Arts of Kashmir Exhibition at Asia Society NY. He is a noted speaker and writer on the arts, culture and history of Kashmir.
• Susham Bedi currently teaches Modern Indian Literature at City University of New York and previously taught at Columbia University. She is the author of nine major Hindi language novels as well as 4 short story collections and poetry. Her works are thus located squarely in the South Asian diaspora and immigrant experience.
• Maya Lang, novelist and author of the forthcoming memoir What We Carry, is the first-generation daughter of Indian immigrants and the author of The Sixteenth of June.
• Simrita Dhir is a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Standard Awardee and a recipient of the Chancellor’s Medal for Academic Excellence in Post Graduate Studies. She has contributed to leading national newspapers including The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Tribune. She lectures on Writing, Diversity and Imagination at the University of California, Art Institute of California, among others.
• BAFTA award nominee, Padma Shree and Padma Bhushan National awards winner, Actor Anupam Kher is one of the lead actors on NBC’s hit TV show New Amsterdam. He has acted in over 500 films and 100 plays in under 35 years, many of them blockbuster films. He has featured in Hollywood films such as Silver Linings Playbook, Hotel Mumbai, The Big Sick and has worked with directors Ang Lee, David O Russell, Woody Allen, Gurinder Chaddha and The Wachowskis. As an author he was ranked 17th amongst top 200 best global authors for his best-selling inspirational book The Best thing About You Is You which has been translated in 6 languages and is in its 20th edition.
• Anuradha Bhagwati is a writer, activist, yoga and meditation teacher, and Marine Corps veteran. She is a regular media commentator on issues related to national security, women’s rights, civil rights, and mental health, and is the recipient of numerous awards. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, Foreign Affairs, and The New Republic.

Celebrate the perfect end to the inaugural day of the Festival, on Saturday Oct 19 4:30pm, by enjoying some poetry from around the subcontinent and joining us for refreshments, conversation, book signings and photo opportunities. The rich poetry tradition of the Indian subcontinent stretches back for centuries and includes such crucial voices from Kabir to Kalidasa, Andal to Tagore, and this evening will showcase what the new generation of Indian and diaspora writers are doing to stretch the bounds of poetic discourse and probe what it means to be brown in America today. Rejoice in the actuality of diversity in literature by supporting these disparate poets as they perform from their latest works and engage with the audience.

On stage will be diverse writers such as:

– The Green Rose Prize in Poetry winner Jaswinder Bolina who is the author of three full-length collections of poetry. His first collection of essays, Of Color, is being released in March 2020.

– The poet laureate of Suffolk County, Long Island, Pramila Venkateswaran. An award winning poet, she has performed poetry internationally, including at the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival and the Festival Internacional De Poesia De Granada. She is also the 2011 Walt Whitman Birthplace Association Long Island Poet of the Year.

– Kirun Kapur, named by NBCNews on their 2015 list of Asian-American Poets to Watch. Her work has appeared in AGNI, Poetry International, FIELD, Prairie Schooner and many other journals.

– The first non-Irishman to win the Patrack Kavanaugh Prize, Kashmiri-born Rafiq Kathwari has an MFA from Columbia University and divides his time between New York, Dublin and Kashmir.

– Former editor at PEN America, Guernica, and A Public Space, Diane Mehta’s debut poetry collection, Forest with Castanets, came out in March 2019. She is currently finishing a historical novel set in 1946 India and a collection of essays.

– Yale art historian and winner of the (Great) Indian Poetry Collective’s Emerging Poets Prize, Subhashini Kaligotla whose work has appeared in such journals as The Caravan, diode, LUMINA, New England Review, and The Literary Review. In 2018, Subhashini published her first book of poems Bird of the Indian Subcontinent, which owes its existence to New York City.

– Poet and novelist and winner of the Kathryn A. Morton Poetry Prize Monica Ferrell. An author of three books, her poetry collection You Darling Thing was named a New & Noteworthy selection by The New York Times.

– Poet, teacher and publisher of Yuganta Press, Ralph Nazareth is the author of four books of poems and lists his years doing poetry with ten-year olds in Stamford schools as among his most memorable.

– Tsering Wangmo Dhompa, raised in exile from Tibet in India is the author of a memoir published by Penguin India, and multiple poetry collections including the finalist for the Northern California Independent Bookseller’s Book of the Year Award for 2012.

– Poet/diplomat Indran Amirthanayagam who writes, translates, and publishes poetry and essays in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole. He has published sixteen collections thus far, including the Elephants of Reckoning which won the 1994 Paterson Prize in the United States.

– Pushcart prize winning poet, translator and professor Ravi Shankar has published, edited or has forthcoming over fifteen books, including the Muse India award-winning translations of 9th century Tamil poet/saint, Andal. He founded one of the world’s oldest electronic journals of the arts, Drunken Boat and has taught and performed around the world. His collaborative chapbook, ‘A Field Guide to Southern China’ written with T.S. Eliot Prize winner George Szirtes was just published in the UK August 2019.

The Children’s literature festival will run on both days – October 19 and 20th. We aim to create a space where children of bi-cultural heritage (ages 3-16) can access stories that will inform and inspire them by reflecting aspects of their identity and enrich them through the powers of imagination and experience. The festival not only serves to expand the world that they live in but will also provoke conversation by stretching the boundaries of imagination and story telling. The children’s program’s stellar line up of authors includes:

• Veera Hiranandani – whose book The Night Diary is a 2019 Newbery Honor Award Winner and was named a 2018 Best Book of Year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, Amazon, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and The Chicago Public Library, among others.
• Roopa Pai – One of India’s best-known authors for children with many national bestsellers including the 8-part Taranauts, India’s first original fantasy-adventure series for children in English and the award winning The Gita For Children, listed by Amazon among its list of ‘100 Indian Books To Read In A Lifetime’. Roopa will have an interactive session with adults and children on the '10 powerful ideas from ancient India'.
• Sheetal Sheth – acclaimed actress who will be there with her first children’s book, Always Anjali which won the 2019 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Grand Prize.
• Mona Sehgal – Presents her first book, Under the African Sky, the story of Krishna, an Indian-American boy who struggles to reconcile his Indian heritage with American childhood. Set against the backdrop of the African wilderness, it highlights themes of natural and environmental harmony and conflict.
• Kavita Bafana will read from Namaste Jaipur, part of the Namaste Series of books, a 6-part series that will bring the cities of India to children all around the world through well-written text and beautiful images. Her interactive session will include a musical journey that brings young children to Jaipur using music, imagination and play.
• Raakhee Mirchandani: Award-winning writer, editor and pediatric cancer crusader whose work has appeared in Elle, Glamour, Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, New York Post, Redbook and HuffPo. Super Satya Saves the Day is her first book and is inspired by her own fiery daughter Satya.

Throughout the festival, children are also encouraged to participate in entertaining and interactive workshops about cultural identity, empowerment and even folklore. Kulture Khazana will engage young ones in an interactive session about cultural identity and empowerment. Packed with their imaginations, music and imagery, Little Ustaads will transport young audiences to a far off magical place reminiscent of the Old Pink City of Jaipur. Not-to-be missed is The Culture Tree’s performance of Ramleela, the story of Ram & Sita, through the art of puppeteering.

The festival will conclude with the Expressions Contest, where kids of Indian heritage aged 4-16 will participate in a literary contest where they will express and interpret their heritage and experiences of growing up as bi-cultural kids in America. Enjoy delicious Indian Food and desserts such as Kulfi as a perfect ending to the festival!

URL: https://www.dissdash.com/2019/10/14/wonderlandiaac-literature-fest-this-weekend-13/