Author Visits Middle School English Students

She shared how, as a budding author, she didn’t see Indian Americans like herself portrayed in books, movies, or commercials, and as a result, her own Indian American characters did not emerge in her writing until adulthood. In her writing workshop with the students, Supriya encouraged them to find their own voice by examining and incorporating rich details about their lives and culture into their work. Through the workshop, students shared their descriptions of themselves, noted their surroundings utilizing their five senses, and took time to reflect on how their unique perspective could be the basis for their writing. Supriya gave them a fun, creative framework where they could plug in specific details from their own lives to create a Mad Libs-like start to a story. Students even stayed beyond the allotted time to ask thoughtful questions and hear Supriya’s insightful answers about the writing and publishing process. Supriya’s first middle grade book Ahimsa won the New Visions award. Her second middle grade book, American as Paneer Pie is set to be released in June 2020 and a third is due out in the fall.