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SJ Sindu On Finding Her Voice Through Fiction
Manage episode 376924790 series 2793411
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My fourth guest for my South Asian author series is Sj Sindu.
As a genderqueer Sri Lankan American novelist and riveting short story writer, SJ Sindu is one of the most exciting young voices out there today. Her first novel, Marriage of a Thousand Lies, won the Publishing Triangle Edmund White Award for debut fiction and was named an American Library Association, Stonewall Honor Book. SJ’s upcoming book, The Goth House, is a collection of stories that focus on queer joy, as well as shocking cruelty. You know we love a good paradox. In today’s episode, we talk about her upbringing in Sri Lanka, her memories of the Sri Lankan war, and how much that trauma is incorporated into her writing. And I obviously couldn't resist asking her if she loves MIA as much as I do. Find out how she navigated the many intersections of ‘other” she found herself within, the hilarious last-ditch effort she made to throw her Brown parents off her trail, and what she hopes to inspire in younger generations through her work.
We talked about:
- How SJ came to know she was a writer (1:54)
- How SJ's search to find her voice and genre has shifted over time (6:30)
- SJ’s genius solution to appeasing her parents and inspiring a fantastic read (8:12)
- The meaning and inspiration behind her novel Blue Skin Gods (11:48)
- SJ's new chapter book coming out in October: Goth House (18:34)
- SJ’s relationship to Sri Lanka, its culture, and growing up there until age 7 (21:34)
- The first few explicit experiences of racism and discrimination that radicalized SJ (29:29)
- Telling queer stories and exploring the many possibilities within the marginalized experience (35:18)
- Dating as a queer South Asian (36:45)
- Life as an Assistant Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University (39:30)
- Rapid Fire Questions (42:09)
- SJ's bare bones for happiness (43:00)
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