Show Notes and Links to Chaya Bhuvaneswar’s Work and Allusions/Texts from Episode 57
On Episode 57, Pete welcomes Chaya Bhuvaneswar, the brilliant craftswoman of White Dancing Elephants, the award-winning short story collection. Pete and Chaya talk about inspiring writers, Chaya’s influences and great mentorship from legendary writers, her diverse and not-so diverse experiences growing up in Queens, the ways in which her writing has been informed by her knowledge of religious texts, themes in her short story collection, the power of second-person narration, and much more.
Chaya Bhuvaneswar is a practicing physician and writer whose story collection WHITE DANCING ELEPHANTS was a 2019 finalist for the PEN/ American Bingham Debut Fiction Prize. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Narrative Magazine, Tin House, Electric Lit, The Rumpus, The Millions, Michigan Quarterly Review, and elsewhere. Her poetry and prose juxtapose Hindu epics, other myths and histories, and the survival of sexual harassment and racialized sexual violence by diverse women of color. Her book received coverage on the LA Times books section front page, NPR and other national outlets, and is available for purchase at bookshop.org, Amazon,org or your local indie bookstore!
Buy Chaya Bhuvaneswar's White Dancing Elephants (Bookshop)
Buy Chaya Bhuvaneswar's White Dancing Elephants (Amazon)
NPR Article Reviewing Chaya’s White Dancing Elephants
Chaya Bhuvaneswar’s Website
Starred Review in Kirkus for White Dancing Elephants
At around 3:00, Chaya talks about her influences growing up-including her upbringing in Flushing, Queens, and its racial diversity that was in contrast to her high school’s lack thereof; she also talks about how growing up in an environment rich with exposure to Buddhism and Hinduism shaped her
At around 9:00, talks about the writers, including Min Jin Lee and Victor LaValle, who have explored the “distance” between growing up in racially and ethnically-diverse neighborhoods and attending schools lacking that diversity
At around 10:50, Chaya talks about how the religious texts she was exposed to as a kid informed her writing and worldview, and how the Amar Chitra Katha series of comics was influential in her future storytelling
At around 15:30, Chaya talks about the balance between enjoying the wonderful epics and tales of India, such as Kathasaritsagara, and avoiding them being used for nationalistic and discriminatory purposes
At around 17:10, Chaya talks about Edward Said’s Orientalism and its connection to the caste system of India, especially with regards to how the British “gave weight to ancient ideas” about India
At around 22:30, Chaya talks about her “ideal reader” as one of conscience and awareness
At around 23:25, Chaya talks about being multilingual and how her ability to read and/or write other languages have informed her reading and writing styles
At around 25:25, Chaya talks about her study of Sanskrit, and its connection to discussions around
At around 28:40, talks about the texts and writers who have given her “chills at will,” including Toni Morrison, Louise Erdrich, Italo Calvino, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jericho Brown, Diana Khoi Nguyen, Evie Shockley, Vanessa Angelica Villarreal, Nicole Sealey, and Maggie Smith (particularly for her “Good Bones”)
At around 34:00, Chaya reads an excerpt from “Good Bones”
At around 34:45, Chaya talks about her appreciation for Seamus Heaney
At around 36:45, Pete and Chaya exchange Louise Erdrich recommendations, including “The Painted Drum” and “The Red Convertible”
At around 38:45, Chaya talks about her medical background and how her outlook has changed through working as a psychiatrist, especially during this pandemic; she references another brilliant writer/medical professional, Nawal El Saadawi, and how her treatment in the press is emblematic of clumsiness in treatment of non-white women who are doctors and writers
At around 44:30, we have an ad from friends of The Chills at Will Podcast,Get Lit Podcast
At around 47:40, Chaya talks about how she caught the writing bug and how she learned that she was a skilled writer; she also talks about inspiration from the great Ved Mehta, whom she recently wrote about for LitHub, Seamus Heaney, Salman Rushdie, and Wole Soyinka
At around 54:00, Chaya talks about “to agent” or “not to agent” and the success of Deeshaw Philyaw as a possible harbinger of change in the pub world’s view of small presses; Philyaw’s debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, won the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
At around 55:30, Chaya talks about her short-story collection, White Dancing Elephants, and the ordering of the 17 stories, with great help from her wonderful editor, Michelle Dotter
At around 58:00, Chaya talks about the significance and genesis of the title of her title story from White Dancing Elephants, including its connection to the Buddha and his mother
At around 1:04:40, Pete and Chaya discuss stories within stories from her collection, and Chaya describes her thought process in writing “The Story of the Woman Who Fell in Love with Death"
At around 1:07:15, Chaya discusses the story “Talinda,” including some self-doubt that crept up when she was writing it
At around 1:15:00, Chaya reads from “Talinda”
At around 1:21:00, Chaya talks about how aftermath comes into play in her story collection and the importance of “twisty endings” and “sticking the ending”-”Heitor” and “Talinda” are used as examples
At around 1:22:40, Chaya discusses the story “Bhopal, 1984” and its historical basis
At around 1:25:00, Chaya discusses her use of second-person in some of her writing
At around 1:26:40, Pete highlights some standout writing from Chaya, and Chaya describes “invisible prose”
At around 1:29:35, Chaya discusses the story “Adristakama” and its connection to multiple meanings that can be derived
At around 1:33:00, Chaya reads another excerpt from “Talinda”
At around 1:35:00, Chaya discusses upcoming projects, including an adult novel, a young adult novel, and a memoir that she is working on
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Episode 40 with Brandon Hobson, Author of Exquisite and Thought-Provoking Fiction, Including 2021 Blockbuster, The Removed
Episode 39 with Outstanding Prose Poet and Surrealist, Jose Hernandez Diaz
Episode 38: A Conversation with the Reflective, Dynamic, Profound Educator and Poet, F. Douglas Brown
Episode 37 with Multi-Talented Writer of Sports and Fitness and Fatherhood, Jon Finkel
Episode 36 with the Well-Read Author of Coconut Versus and Los Angeles City College Professor Extraordinaire, Daniel Jose Ruiz
Episode 35 with The Brilliant, Best-Selling, and Award-Winning (and Obama-Accolade-Getting) Jess Walter
Episode 34 with Writers and Illustrators Jorge and Megan Lacera,Creators of Zombies Don't Eat Veggies!
Bonus Episode! Addendum to Episode 32, Using Jean Guerrero's Crux and Simon and Garfunkel's "I am a Rock"
Episode 33: An Interview with Renowned Sports Writer and All-Around Cool Guy, Jeff Pearlman
Episode 32: "Extended Metaphor in Music," Featuring Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Marley, andCommon
Episode 31: A Conversation with Intellectually-Curious Writer and Author of From Hang Time to Prime Time, Pete Croatto
Episode 30: Interview with the Artsy and Multitalented Kai Adia, Writer, Poet, Visual Artist, and Founder of Bee Infinite Publishing
Episode 29: The Brilliant Teacher, Writer, of Books in Spanish, and Comprehensible Input Innovator, A.C. Quintero
Episode 28: Magnificent Writer Christian Kiefer Teaches a Master Class on Writing (PART TWO)
Episode 28: Magnificent Writer Christian Kiefer Teaches a Master Class on Writing (PART ONE)
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Episode 26: An Interview with Huda Al-Marashi, Fabulous Writer of First Comes Marriage: My Not-So-Typical American Love Story, "A Birthday at the Cemetery," and More..
Episode 25: The Power of Flashback, Featuring The Godfather, Part II, and Sleepers and Safe Place by Lorenzo Carcaterra
Episode 24: An Interview with the Brilliant Camden Ostrander, Teacher, Writer, and Co-Creator of Season Seven of the Dissect Podcast-Because the Internet by Childish Gambino (Spotify-Friendly)
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