My students from my year-long fellowship teaching writing and literature in Singapore often asked me: “Where are you from?”
It’s not an easy question to answer. My parents were born and raised in Maharashtra, India, where all of my mom’s side of the family still lives. I was born in Newfoundland, Canada, and moved to Southern California as a kid. I went to UC Berkeley and then moved back to Los Angeles and edited a magazine about Asia. I spent one year in Singapore, teaching, writing, traveling and learning Chinese (tones are difficult!). Now I’m back in California (sometimes), writing and learning about things nearby and far away.
So I’m not sure where I am from. I do know that I’m interested in the world, though. And lucky for me, I was born in a generation that has Internet access, VOIP and budget airlines. These are the tools that allow me to work as a writer and editor on issues related to the broad topics of politics and culture, particularly as they collide with Asia and globalization. Currently, I am a freelance journalist, editor and blogger. I serve as the community manager at ReportingonHealth.org, the social site of the USC Annenberg California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowships, and as a consulting editor to the Journal of Asian Studies. I am also the co-editor of a book of narratives essays about China, forthcoming from UC Press.
If you’re looking for a resume, you can find out more about my work on LinkedIn and read some of my writing in my Portfolio.
You can contact me by commenting here. Or via email or Skype:
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