Short Story Hybrid Book Discussion with Author: White Dancing Elephants by Chaya Bhuvaneswar

White Dancing Elephants by Chaya Bhuvaneswar

Author Chaya Bhuvaneswar will visit the Harry Bennett Branch for a special book club discussion of her collection of short stories.

In her collection, a woman grieves a miscarriage, haunted by the Buddha's birth. An artist with schizophrenia tries to survive hatred and indifference in small-town India by turning to the beauty of sculpture and dance. Orphans in India get pulled into a strange “rescue” mission aimed at stripping their mysterious powers. A brief but intense affair between two women culminates in regret and betrayal. A boy seeks memories of his sister in the legend of a woman who weds death. And fragments of history, from child brickmakers to slaves in Renaissance Portugal, are held up in brief fictions, burnished and made dazzling and unforgettable.

In 17 stories, Bhuvaneswar spotlights diverse women of color—cunning, bold, and resolute—facing sexual harassment and racial violence, and occasionally inflicting that violence on each other. Winner of the 2017 Dzanc Short Story Collection Prize, White Dancing Elephants marks the emergence of a new and original voice in fiction and explores feminist, queer, religious and immigrant stories with precision, drama and compassion.

Also available via Microsoft Teams; log in here at the scheduled time.

Registration required.