Join novelist Mala Kumar, author of the novel, What It Meant to Survive, and interdisciplinary artist Pree Rehal, for a conversation about writing, social impact, LGBTQ rights, women's empowerment, American gun violence and more. Hear select readings from Mala. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Masks mandatory and provided.
Featuring strong queer female protagonists who must navigate class, race, religion, language, and nationality, Mala Kumar’s What It Meant to Survive is a poignant and heartbreaking commentary on modern-day America and Nigeria. Written by a singularly talented, wildly imaginative novelist, What It Meant to Survive is a powerful and bracing work of fiction inspired by the true event, the Virginia Tech Massacre, and the author’s real experience navigating its long-term social and emotional impacts.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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 as a director at GitHub, a Microsoft-owned software company. Mala lives in New York City with her wife. Visit https://malakumar.com for more information about her writing and work.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR
Pree (they/them) is an interdisciplinary artist based in Tkaronto by way of Tiohtiake, with Panjabi ancestry. Their art style is inspired by community care, cultural heritage and storybook illustrations. Pree's creative alias is @stickymangos. Their art has been featured in Luminato Arts Festival, Design TO festival, Toronto Pride and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Their shop has been featured in CBC, Daily Hive, Xtra magazine, and BlogTo. Pree is the creator of CRIP COLLAB and DigiZine, both of which create paid opportunities for artists who belong to: Disabled, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
Pree has been public speaking and teaching for almost 10 years. They are a philomathic artist and work in textile, zines, watercolours, ceramics, printmaking, mural painting, illustration, installation art and digital art. They have been maintaining their arts practise for 5 years.
Pree has been a podcast guest and spoken about creating art as a research method, accessible futures, and access intimacy.
Selected Awards: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre's Queer Emerging Artist award, 2020. Nominated and awarded Peer Artist Award from Art Gallery of Ontario, 2020. Toronto Metropolitan University's Creativity Everything Connection Fellowship recipient, 2021.
ABOUT AQUA
AQUA (Asian Queer Alliance) is a space created by and for queer Asians of marginalized genders in Tkaronto. We work with and for our community to create connections, foster friendships, provide social support, host events and workshops, and serve our community!
www.asianqueeralliance.ca | www.instagram.com/asianqueeralliance
