Description
About the Author

Part travelogue, part memoir, and part commentary, Writer’s Postcards is a collection of essays that examine imagination and culture through the lens of geography. A flaneuse and person of the world, Dipika Mukherjee takes readers through various encounters from her highly mobile life: the lugubrious literature of Brazil; the linguistic diversity in China and Tibet; and meeting the Dalai Lama while travelling as a lone woman through New Delhi. She examines the political unrest in Myanmar after the brief international reach of Burmese books; weighs in on Chicago’s literary landmarks and famous writers; reminisces on the languid feasting of Diwali celebrations at Port Dickson by the Malaysian-Bengali community; and finds new notions of home, identity, and belonging in the Netherlands-among many others.

Thought-provoking and unabashed in its entirety, this is a collection of essays that goes beyond the personal and communal to examine issues of international concern.
Dipika Mukherjee is an internationally acclaimed writer and sociolinguist with a passion for Southeast Asian literature. With over two decades of experience, she has mentored aspiring writers in the region and founded the prestigious D.K Dutt Award for Literary Excellence in Malaysia in 2015. Mukherjee has edited five anthologies of Southeast Asian fiction, including the notable titles Endings and Beginnings and Bitter Root Sweet Fruit.
Her literary achievements include being longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize with her debut novel, Ode to Broken Things, and winning the UK Virginia Prize for Fiction with her second novel, Shambala Junction. She has also authored the captivating short story collection Rules of Desire and several poetry collections, such as Dialect of Distant Harbors and The Third Glass of Wine.
In addition to her writing, Mukherjee is a dedicated educator. She teaches at the Graham School at the University of Chicago and StoryStudio, leveraging her expertise and a Ph.D. in English (Sociolinguistics) from Texas A&M University.
Mukherjee's exceptional work has been recognized through numerous grants and fellowships, including the Esteemed Artist Award from the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. She has also been honored with prestigious awards like the Quill and Ink Poetry Prize and the Fay Khoo Award for Food+Drink Writing. Through her teaching engagements and creative writing workshops held in various cities worldwide, including Chicago, Amsterdam, New Delhi, Kolkata, Penang, and Kuala Lumpur, she continues to inspire and nurture aspiring writers.

Authors

Writer's Postcards