SJ Sindu is a Tamil diaspora author of two literary novels (Marriage of a Thousand Lies, which won the Publishing Triangle Edmund White Award; and Blue-Skinned Gods, which was an Indie Next Pick and a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award), two hybrid chapbooks (I Once Met You But You Were Dead, which won the Split Lip Turnbuckle Chapbook Contest; and Dominant Genes, which won the Black Lawrence Press Black River Chapbook Contest), two forthcoming graphic novels (Shakti and Tall Water), and one forthcoming collection of short stories (The Goth House Experiment). Sindu holds a PhD in Creative Writing from Florida State University and teaches at Virginia Commonwealth University and Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Tell us about your inspiration for becoming a writer. Is writing something you always wanted to do?
When I was young, I wanted to have a career in either comics or animation. What I didn’t realize then was that what I really wanted to do what tell stories. I learned English through stories that we’d read in my ESL class and that I’d read on my own at my local library. I was a shy, reserved kid without a lot of friends, so I spent a lot of time reading, drawing, and writing. Unfortunately, despite obsessively practicing, I couldn’t develop the visual arts skills for illustration, but what I did discover was that I was really good at writing. I didn’t get serious about it, though, until I took a creative writing class in college, and then I was hooked. It was only as an adult that I really dreamed of being a writer.
What life experiences have shaped your writing the most?
I was born in Sri Lanka during a civil war, and lived there in my early childhood. Those experiences, and my family’s subsequent immigration to the U.S. shaped my writing in fundamental ways. I’ve always been an outsider—whether as a brown person in the US, or as a queer person in a straight world, or a nonbinary person in a cis world—and I tend to write a lot about outsider characters approaching the world in unique and interesting ways.
It’s important to me to reflect an anti-casteist, anti-racist worldview, to both show the world as it is, and as it could (should) be.
What is important to you when depicting South Asian characters and cultures in children's books? Are there things you notice differently as a writer versus as a reader?
I take the ethics and responsibilities of representation very seriously, and I’m much more careful about my approach as a writer than as a reader. What that means is that I spend a lot of time thinking about the politics of colorism, casteism, Indo-centrism, and Hindu-centrism when I’m writing, especially for children. I want my work to not just be a mirror, but also aspirational. It’s important to me to reflect an anti-casteist, anti-racist worldview, to both show the world as it is, and as it could (should) be.
Your work regularly features diverse families and dynamics. What inspired the relationship between Shakti and her two mothers?
When I was young, my parents were in graduate school, and one of their colleagues was a woman named Rita. Rita and her partner Terri were the first queer couple I ever knew. I wanted to honor them in the naming of Shakti’s moms. I always knew she’d have two moms, and I also wanted to show a loving family dynamic like that of many of my queer friends who have kids.
It was also really rewarding to give early copies of Shakti to friends’ kids and see them connect with the characters and stories.
Shakti is your first time writing for a middle grade audience. What was it like writing for a younger audience compared to your adult literature? Did you find any part of that process particularly difficult or rewarding?
I found it incredibly freeing to write for a younger audience. I didn’t have to think about pretense or seriousness. I could just have fun. The sense of play was phenomenal to feel. It was also really rewarding to give early copies of Shakti to friends’ kids and see them connect with the characters and stories.
Shakti is also your first foray into graphic novels, with illustrations by Nabi H. Ali. What was it like working with him? How did it feel to see your work come to life in a visual medium?
I remember stumbling across Nabi’s Twitter profile years ago and immediately loving his style—the saturated jewel tones, the imaginative depictions of mythology. So when my editor asked me who I wanted to illustrate Shakti, I suggested Nabi. I never imagined he’d actually say yes! It’s been such a dream to work with another queer Tamil artist. I didn’t have to explain anything…Nabi just had the cultural knowledge and background to bring my characters to life.
What was your favorite childhood book?
I loved The Magic School Bus books, the Cam Jansen series, and the Sideways Stories from Wayside School books. As a teenager, I got hooked on Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar series, which was my first introduction to high fantasy.
Your website mentions that you’re working on other projects. What can you tell us about these? What’s next for you?
I have a short story collection (for adults) coming out in October. It’s called The Goth House Experiment, and will be coming from Soho Press. I don’t have a cover to share yet, but that’ll be soon.
I also have a YA graphic novel coming out in 2024 called Tall Water, about a teenage girl who travels to Sri Lanka to connect with her birth mother only to get caught in the 2004 tsunami.
As a queer Tamil refugee of war, there are so many ways in which my voice could have been silenced and ignored...
Is there anything else you would like to share?
Only that I’m so grateful to be able to share my weird stories with the world. As a queer Tamil refugee of war, there are so many ways in which my voice could have been silenced and ignored, so I’m grateful for the mentors, teachers, professors, agents, editors, and friends who championed my work.
Diverse BookFinder would like to thank SJ Sindu for their time and input.
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