The Common Press is proud to host Mala Kumar's new book What It Meant to Survive on 28th November from 7 pm to 9 pm. Mala Kumar, an international author from New York City, presents a powerful work featuring strong queer protagonists navigating issues of class, race, religion, language, and nationality. What It Meant to Survive offers a poignant and heartbreaking commentary on life in modern-day America and Nigeria.
The evening will be hosted by Sharan Dhaliwal, a writer and editor. In 2016, Dhaliwal founded the British South Asian cultural magazine Burnt Roti and is also the founding director of Middlesex Pride.
About the book
Ramya and Juliet begin to uplift each other and heal the moment they match on Tinder. For nearly a decade, Ramya, an American of Indian origin from Virginia, has grappled with her survivor’s guilt from a devastating mass shooting that occurred during her last year of university. Halfway around the world in Nigeria, Juliet has survived family tragedies, economic downturns, and an oppressive patriarchy. With a one-chance swipe on their phones in a foreign country, the two women begin a remarkable romantic relationship that most fairy tales wouldn’t dare to depict.
But can they hold onto each other?
About Mala Kumar
Mala Kumar is the author of the 2014 novel, The Paths of Marriage. What it Meant to Survive is her second novel. Her op-eds, interviews, and essays have appeared in The Guardian US, The Advocate, TechCrunch, USA Today, India Abroad, The Aerogram, and Brown Girl Magazine. In her professional life, Mala is a global leader in tech for social good, having worked extensively for the United Nations and at GitHub, a Microsoft-owned software company. She is currently the Director of Program Management, AI Safety at MLCommons. Mala lives in New York City with her wife Cybel. Visit https://malakumar.com for more information about her writing and work.
About Sharan Dhaliwal
Sharan Dhaliwal founded the UK’s leading South Asian culture magazine Burnt Roti, which is a platform for young creatives to showcase their talent, find safe spaces and destigmatise topics around mental health and sexuality, amongst others.
She is also the Founder and co-Director of Middlesex Pride, an annual free family-friendly event centering and celebrating the unheard LGBTQIA+ community in the largley immigrant Middlesex area.
- Doors open at 7pm
- Discussion & Q&A starts at 7:15 pm
- Event ends at 9pm
*The Common Press is wheelchair accessible.