RAJI WRITES

Reading and writing (and sometimes re-writing!)

Hiking and walking, of this and that talking,

Movies and theater, music, oh jazz,

These are a few of my favorite things...

 

Kindness and laughter, and loyalty to friends

Discussing poetry or political trends,

Seeing my plants grow and gardens in bloom,

These are a few of my favorite things...

 

Those who are gracious, and those who are tenacious,

Keen sense of humor, kindness to strangers,

Eating new things and then learning to cook 'em

These are a few of my favorite things....

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I wrote these lines, dear Reader, in 2003.  It all remains true, even today. Nature, words and music are what inspire and sustain me.  Not to forget food! Preparing, eating and serving it.

 

My literary pursuits have been the dream deferred for many years.  On International Women's Day, March 8, 2017, I took the plunge to launch my website and post my writings.

 

My short story Kite was published in Gold Man Review in November 2024.  Currently, I am working on more short stories and a novel.

 

I am a literature and theater critic for San Francisco Bay Area South Asian news outlets. A book review I wrote of Abraham Verghese’s Covenant of Water for India Currents received a 2023 Journalism Award from California News Publishers Association.

 

Through Silicon Valley Reads, I've had the privilege of speaking with authors and literary figures about their books, and you can check out some of the recordings.

 

Oh, I recently narrated my first audiobook now out on Spotify, iTunes, and soon on Audible and various other places. 

 

In a parallel life, I work as a scientist and medical affairs advisor.   (Because as much as I would love to devote much, much more time to literary pursuits, the pesky bills keep coming and must be paid.)

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Thank you for reading, as much or as little as you wish of these pages.