Uma Krishnaswami

Uma Krishnaswami is an Indian author of picture books and novels for children, and a writing teacher. She is "recognized as a major voice in the expanding of international and multicultural young adult fiction and children's literature."[1]

Uma Krishnaswami
reading at the 2014 Gaithersburg Book Festival
Born	1956
Occupation	Writer, writing teacher
Period	1990s–present
Genre	Children's literature, picture books, non-fiction
Website
umakrishnaswami.org

Biography

Uma Krishnaswami was born in 1956 in New Delhi, India. She received a degree in Political Science, and a master's degree in Social Work from the University of Delhi in India.[2] In 1979, she and her husband moved to the United States where she received an additional graduate degree.[2][3] They have one son [4] and live in Aztec, New Mexico.

Her first published story appeared in Children's World, a magazine published in India, when she was thirteen. Her stories and poems have been published in Cricket, Highlights and Cicada.[1] Her books, which include picture books, collections of stories of India, non-fiction books and novels, are published in English, Spanish, Hindi, Tamil and six other languages.[5][6]

Chachaji's Cup, one of Krishnaswami's picture books, was adapted into a musical and performed in several theaters in both New York City and California in 2010.[7]

Krishnaswami was a founding co-director of the Bisti Writing Project, a site of the National Writing Project in New Mexico.[3] She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and a nonresident member of The Children's Book Guild of Washington DC.[8] She has taught writing to adults and children for years, and for over ten years she was the writer in residence at the Aztec Ruins National Monument.[9][10] During that time she also taught writing classes online through Writers on the Net.[11] She currently teaches in the MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College of Fine Arts.[12]

Awards

• 1997 Scientific American Young Readers Award for The Broken Tusk: Stories of the Hindu God Ganesha[13]
• 2005 Notable Book For a Global Society (International Reading Association) for Naming Maya[14]
• 2013 Crossword Book Award (Children's Literature) for Book Uncle and Me[15]
• 2011 Scholastic Asian Book Award for Book Uncle and Me[16]
• 2017-2018 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature for Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh[17]

Bibliography

Novels

• Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh (2017)
• The Grand Plan to Fix Everything (2011)
• Naming Maya (2004)

Picture books

• Out of the Way! Out of the Way! (2010)
• Remembering Grandpa (2007)
• Bringing Asha Home (2006)
• The Closet Ghosts (2006)
• The Happiest Tree (2005)
• Monsoon (2003)
• Chachaji's Cup (2003)

Easy readers

• Holi (2003)
• Hello Flower (2002)
• Yoga Class (2001)

Retold story collections

• The Broken Tusk: Stories of the Hindu God Ganesha (2006, 1996)
• Shower of Gold: Girls and Women in the Stories of India (1999)
• Stories of the Flood (1994)

Short fiction

• "The Gift," in Period Pieces (2003)
• "Going to Kashi," in Soul Searching (2002)

Nonfiction

• Beyond the Field Trip : Teaching and Learning in Public Places (2002)

Co-authored

• Many Windows : Six Kids, Five Faiths, One Community. Written with Rukhsana Khan and Elisa Lynn Carbone (2008)

References

1. "Uma Krishnaswami and International Imaginings." Journal of Children's Literature. Fall 2006. p 60-65. Frederick Luis Aldama.
2. http://www.childrenslit.com/childrenslit/mai_krishnaswami_uma.html
3. http://www.papertigers.org/interviews/archived_interviews/UKrishnaswami.html
4. Acknowledgements in The Broken Tusk: Stories of the Hindu God Ganesha Broken Tusk, 2006
5. http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n2001-147500
6. http://www.tulikabooks.com/picbooks29.htm
7. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6714481.html?nid=2413&source=link&rid=17067804
8. http://www.childrensbookguild.org/about-our-members/member-pages
9. http://www.writers.com/krishnaswami.html
10. http://www.nps.gov/archive/azru/program2.htm
11. http://www.vermontcollege.edu/node/196
12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 March 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
13. http://www.childrensbookguild.org/krishnaswami.htm
14. http://www.tcnj.edu/~childlit/proj/nbgs/nbgs-lists/nbgs2005.html
15. "'Popular choice' ruled at book awards". Times of India. 7 December 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
16. "Grand Prize Winner".
17. "2017-2018 Awards Winners".

Interviews

• Appelt, Kathi. "Uma Krishnaswami- 'Out of the Way! Out of the Way!' " Calloo Callay. Aug 1, 2010.
• Courtot, Marilyn. “Meet Authors and Illustrators Q&A with Uma Krishnaswami.” Children’s Literature, Independent Information and Reviews. 2009.
• Blevis, Mark. "Interview with Uma Krishnaswami." Just One More Book. Jan 1, 2007.
• Aldama, Frederick Luis. "Uma Krishnaswami and International Imaginings." Journal of Children's Literature. Fall 2006. Volume 32, issue 2. p 60-65.
• Pereira, Aline. “Interview with Uma Krishnaswami.” PaperTigers.org, A Pacific Rim Voices Project. May 2006.
• Leitich Smith, Cynthia. “Author Update: Uma Krishnaswami.” Cynsations. Sep 18 2005.
• Leitich Smith, Cynthia. “Interview with Children’s Book Author, Uma Krishnaswami.” Children’s and YA Literature Resources.
• Courtot, Marilyn. Meet Authors and Illustrators: Uma Krishnaswami. Children’s Literature, Independent Information and Reviews. 1999.

External links

• Works by Uma Krishnaswami in libraries (WorldCat catalog) at http://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n2001-147500
• Uma Krishnaswami's blog