In her luminous debut Unbelonging, Gayatri Sethi deftly interweaves verse, memoir, and a bold call to action as she recounts her experience searching for home in the diaspora.
We chat with Gayatri all about her hybrid memoir in the non-fiction genre Unbelonging, along with writing, book recommendations, and more.
Hi, Gayatri! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I am a diasporic South Asian with roots in Punjab who was born in the Lake Victoria region of Tanzania and raised in Gaborone, Botswana during apartheid times. I now reside in the Atlanta area (the sacred lands of the Muscogee Creek people). I am a parent to multiracial Black youth. I used to teach college level courses in Global and Gender Studies. I also speak several languages. I am a debut author at the age of almost fifty. I see myself as a lifelong learner who is constantly recreating herself.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
My first memory of realizing that I loved writing came alongside my discovery of reading in seventh grade. My family had moved from Dar es Salaam to Gaborone mid academic year, and in some ways, my reading comprehension in English was not on par with those of my peers at the new school. My teacher, Penny Vinen, realized that I had potential. She offered me reading packets and writing assignments that I soaked up voraciously. Soon afterwards, I began to develop confidence in my abilities to write and read. I haven’t looked back since. I owe a debt of thanks to the teachers who cultivated my reading and writing abilities. I grew up to be an educator and proponent of reading thanks to them.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. I mentioned this text because I grew up on the African continent, and this was the first school assigned text by an African writer I recall reading. Now, my son is reading this text for his World Literature high school class. This rereading of Achebe feels like a meaningful full circle moment.
Your new nonfiction young adult book, Unbelonging, is out this month! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
I invited early readers of the book to help me answer this question. The words most of them use consistently (that I happen to concur with) are: unapologetic, radical, honest, unexpected, and thought-provoking.
What can readers expect?
An early reader remarked after reading this book that it took her on an unexpected journey but at the end, it felt like being released from an embrace. This book is unusual and aims to defy genre. Even as I included memoir-like elements of my lived experiences, I invite readers to reflect on their own sense of self by offering reflection prompts throughout. As an educator, I could not resist including research tips for looking up academic terminology that might enhance comprehension of the contents. It is written as a learning and teaching tool for college-aged folks and their educators. In some ways, the book is refreshing and in other ways, it is discomforting. I challenge readers to rethink what we believe about ourselves and each other. I invoke activists and revolutionaries to help us imagine new possibilities for those who are plagued by systemic oppressions and marginalization, as I have been.
Where did the inspiration for Unbelonging come from?
Where are you from? What are you? Where is home for you? How do you identify?
I have never been able to give a neat short answer to routine questions about my origins and identities.
I often check “other” on census and demographic forms. Often, there are assumptions built into these inquiries about a single place of origin or one primary identity. I have spent much of my life dancing around these conversations. I even taught courses that invited learners to interrogate notions of identity and place. As I began to combine my academic understanding and lived experiences, I wrote in journal entry-like free flowing style. I was enamored and inspired by poets of color who write for young adults like Nikita Gill, Jasmin Kaur, Zetta Elliott and Mahogany L. Browne. I also sought out spoken word and storytelling practices from Punjab. My own musings, reflections and verses on these themes evolved into what is now a book called Unbelonging.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
I imagined the kind of book I had yet to encounter. One of the primary challenges in writing this work is that I did not find a mentor text to emulate. Questions about identity and belonging often defy convention. I was attempting to convey slippery ideas that defy the kind of linearity or certitude that writers are asked to muster. I struggled with form until I realized that I could be experimental. I gave myself permission to be creative and try new approaches even if I had not seen any published work like this before. I drew on elements of memoir, narrative poetry, feminist workbooks and academic non-fiction. I created a tapestry-like writing style in my book that may be unusual to many readers.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
This is a non-fiction text for young adults on themes of identity and belonging with explorations of colonialism, racism and sexism. I rarely answer questions about favorites with certainty. That said, I especially love the unique typesetting of Unbelonging. If you page through the book, there is an artistic and multi-dimensional experience to the book. I worked collaboratively with Annika Sarin, the book designer, to create impressionable ways to set the words on pages. What we accomplished hopefully invites readers in while creating a layered artistic effect. We even include typography in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu that may be unexpected for some readers unfamiliar with those scripts. A friend, when she held the book for the first time, remarked that the placement of the words on the page gives the book the feel of an artifact. This is precisely the impression I was hoping to create.
What do you hope readers take away from Unbelonging?
I hope this book moves folks while reassuring them. Towards the end of the book, I share what I hope readers might take away:
May other humans grant me the grace & acceptance I grant them.
May there be space & place for us all to be humanly human.
Sometimes, we read books passively with disconnection. I made some intentional choices such as including blank pages with journaling prompts, to invite readers to engage with the content. I earnestly hope that readers will interact with this work. If they read with open hearts, there might be a mind shifting that occurs. They might learn new terminology, concepts and ideas. Perhaps, they might also reflect on the emotional landscapes of belonging, and be moved by invitations to action offered in these pages.
What’s next for you?
I hope to continue to write, teach and create anti-racist content for young readers and educators. I dream of collaborating with writers and creatives across the South Asian diaspora to tell new and expansive stories about ourselves that the world has yet to learn about. I envision a middle grade anthology of expansive stories from the South Asian diaspora.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
I absolutely relish being asked this question. When I am not reading and writing, I often curate reading recommendations on my bookstagram page (@desibookaunty).
There, I share recommendations for readings by minoritized authors, especially for children and young adults. I am drawn to social justice oriented non-fiction books, novels in verse, memoirs, and poetry collections, of course.
Four books by authors of South Asian descent I have recommended repeatedly in recent days as they pair well with Unbelonging are:
- If I Tell You the Truth by Jasmin Kaur: This is a novel in verse for young adults on themes of immigration, intergenerational trauma and healing centering a Punjabi family.
- Southbound: Essays on Identity, Inheritance, and Social Change by Anjali Enjeti: This is a thoughtful essay collection that I consider required reading for South Asians and southerners of all ages.
- Antiman: A Hybrid Memoir by Rajiv Mohabir: This is a breathtaking memoir of a Guyanese Indian immigrant in Florida offering the kinds of nuanced understandings of diaspora we need.
- Where Hope Comes From: Poems of Resilience, Healing, and Light by Nikita Gill: This poetry collection has been a treasure I revisit often to brave the ongoing challenges of a global pandemic.
