“Tanuja had some fantastic stories to share about her experiences at public readings, which include being asked to sing on the spot, acting out other peoples’ works, and forging what can only be described as a psychic connection with THE ENGLISH PATIENT author Michael Ondaatje.”
2021 EVENTS
BOOKS FOR HOPE AUCTION FOR COVID RELIEF IN INDIA. All proceeds to Unicef’s Covid relief efforts in India. 300+ authors; amazing donations. BIDDING OPEN May 7 noon ET-May 9 11:59 pm ET.
Other resources for helping India: http://thisistanuja.com/blog/
2020 EVENTS
[all events worldwide/virtual due to the pandemic]
USA
*Everywhere*
December 19 (11 am-1230 pm PST):
HappyChai Events Presents: #BornConfused virtual bookclub.
Tanuja guest-appears at this free/open bookclub to discuss Born Confused & the Dimple Lala series. There will be a giveaway during the event for a personalized copy of the sequel Bombay Blues.
Tanuja Desai Hidier captured energy and life in Born Confused. Join ChaiMommasxhapperHER, and Tanuja herself, on December 19th, 11am PST / 1pm CST to discuss meditation of love, family and homecoming. This book describes Dimple’s relationship with herself, her parents, best friend and possibly a suitable young lad — all through a camera lens. Dimple has just turned 17 and suddenly finds herself in the midst of an identity crisis — this instantly brings us back to our high school years! We’ve connected with Dimple’s upbringing and love the metaphorical use of Dimple’s camera, which she considers to be her third eye, allowing her to express what she can’t in words. This story is compelling, witty and gives voice to generations of Indian-Americans.
NYC & everywhere
December 8 onwards
The Woke Desi presents: Tales With Tanuja
Author Tanuja Desai Hidier, the critically acclaimed author of the first young adult novel with a South Asian-American protagonist, Born Confused (and its sequel Bombay Blues), speaks with the ladies of TWD about South Asian identity, her groundbreaking work, reader responses across the globe as their lives were changed by seeing themselves in writing, her writing process, and New York-London-Paris love. Music credits for this episode: BORN TWO [the Born Confused theme] from WHEN WE WERE TWINS (songs based on the novel Born Confused) written/performed by Tanuja, Jeff Cohen, & Mike Shimshack [aka Unsuitable Girl]. DEEP BLUE SHE from BOMBAY SPLEEN (songs based on the sequel, Bombay Blues) written/performed by by Tanuja & Marie Tueje.
Giveaway alert: signed copies of both books + booktrack albums.
Seattle, WA
October 25 (10:50 am PST):
Tasveer South Asian Literary Festival/#TSAL2020
Not Just ABCD: A New Generation in Young Adult Literature:
This panel continues Tasveer’s exploration of literature for our junior audiences with three South Asian diaspora authors who have written young adult fiction for American audiences. We can’t wait to hear more about their books and their thoughts on the importance of South Asian representation in the field of young adult literature.
Featuring Nisha Sharma, Sheba Karim, & Tanuja. Moderated by Ishita Suri. [Part 1/Children’s Lit featuring Meera Sriram & Rukhsana Khan, moderated by Zahra.]
Madison, WI
October 2, 2020 (6:00 PM – 7:30 PM EDT)
The Carl Brandon Society: Literary Mothers: Influence & Inspiration
Join authors Tanaz Bhathena (Hunted by the Sky), Prerna Pickett (If You Only Knew), Karuna Riazi (The Battle), Swati Teerdhala (The Archer At Dawn), Shveta Thakrar (Star Daughter), & Tanuja for an evening salon celebrating the books, music, art, and people that inspired and influenced their work. Moderated by K Tempest Bradford. All proceeds to the Carl Brandon Society and support our major programs, including the Octavia E. Butler Scholarship for writers of color attending the Clarion and Clarion West writing workshops.
NYC
September 30 (430 PM PST; 730 PM EST): UNTOLD: Defining Moments of the Uprooted anthology (Mango & Marigold Press) book reading + author Q&A with contributors Subrina Singh, Meera Estrada, Chandra Coats, Brown Girl Magazine CEO Trisha Sakhuja-Walia, editors Kamini Ramdeen & Gabrielle Deonath, & author of the foreword, Tanuja.
2017 EVENTS
HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY DIMPLE LALA/BORN CONFUSED!
The first ever South Asian American coming-of-age/YA novel (as well as the first to feature LGBTQ+ characters in this realm) turns 15 this year, as does Born Confused/Bombay Blues heroine Dimple Lala.Stay tuned for some birthday events news.#hbdDimple #BornConfused15 #DimpleLalathe1st
NEW ZEALAND (via Skype)
September 14: Live class discussion on Born Confused with Tanuja and Wellington Girls College.
USA
NEW JERSEY (via Skype)
September 22: Live class discussion on Born Confused with Tanuja, Professor Nicole Melleby, and students at Kean University, for her Young Adult Literature course.
UK
LONDON
Sunday, June 15 [4 pm]: Unity in the Community event for survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire. Acoustic set by Tanuja and Marie Tueje in their incarnation as Angels With Whips. Maxila Social Club, 2 Maxilla Walk, London W10 6NQ, UK.
Zee/Jaipur Literature Festival at The British Library
Sunday, May 21: Live conversation with Nerm for FirstPost India.
USA
NEW YORK CITY
Friday, July 14 [time TBC]: Born Confused reading by Mitali Bel Desai at New York University.
FAIRFIELD, CT (via Skype)
Monday, October 17, 2016 [time TBC]: Live class discussion on Born Confused with Professor Nidhi Shrivastava, Tanuja, and students for “Experiencing Literature” course at Sacred Heart University.
2016 EVENTS
USA
FAIRFIELD, CT (via Skype)
Monday, October 17, 2016 [time TBC]: Live class discussion on Born Confused with Professor Nidhi Shrivastava, Tanuja, and students for “Experiencing Literature” course at Sacred Heart University.
MADISON, WI
Born Confused discussion with Professor Lalita du Perron for “Civilizations of India – Modern Period” course at University of Madison, Wisconsin.
KALAMAZOO, MI (via Skype)
Thursday, April 14 (11 am-12 pm): South Asia Book Award discussion and interview with winners Tanuja and Paula Yoo, moderated by Head Librarian of Kalamazoo Public Library, Kevin King.
NEW YORK CITY [& DETROIT]
Saturday, April 2 (3 pm): South Asia Book Club NYC branch meet (with Detroit branch Skyping in). Tanuja will be present to discuss Bombay Blues (April’s Book Club choice). Plus “Heptanesia” music video screening. Books and albums will be available for sale/signing. Space limited; members only unless by special request.
UNITED KINGDOM
LONDON
Tuesday, March 1 (1030 am): Bombay Blues Breakfast: Tanuja gave a talk to a full house on her writing/musical path at The Library, Covent Garden. Plus “Heptanesia” music video screening. Books and albums available for sale/signing. 112 St Martin’s Lane; coffee & croissants available for sale at the bar. Request to be on Free List.
2015 EVENTS
BOMBAY BLUES is the winner of the 2015 South Asia Book Award! Tanuja will receive the award at The 2015 South Asia Book Award Ceremony, held in conjunction with the 44th Annual Conference on South Asia.
USA
MADISON, WI (October 22-25 2015)
Friday, October 23, 2015 (7-8.30 pm): Tanuja will receive the award at The 2015 South Asia Book Award Ceremony, held in conjunction with the 44th Annual Conference on South Asia. All-conference Dinner│Madison Concourse Hotel & Governor’s Club in the Capitol Ballroom, 2nd floor, 1 W Dayton St., Madison, WI 53703. (A dinner ticket is required to attend the award ceremony.)
Friday, October 23, 2015 (9-11 pm): DJ Rekha & Tanuja Dance Party + Screening/Musical Reading
Screening of the “Heptanesia” music video from Tanuja’s album Bombay Spleen followed by Words + Music: Reading/song by Tanuja from Bombay Blues with live mix by DJ Rekha, and then DJ Rekha bhangra dance party. (Madison Concourse Hotel & Governor’s Club Ballroom, 1 W Dayton St., Madison, WI 53703. Free and open to the public).
Saturday, October 24, 2015 (9.30 – 11 am): 2015 SABA Author Panel Roundtable discussion + book signing with Tanuja, Paula Yoo, Padma Venkatraman, Vivek Shraya. Moderated by Kevin King. (Madison Concourse Hotel & Governor’s Club in the Assembly Room, 1st floor 1 W Dayton St., Madison, WI 53703. Free and open to the public).
*Tanuja will also be presenting at Victor Jew’s Asian-American literature course at the University of Madison WI, Eric Piotrowski’s creative writing workshops at Sun Prairie High School. She will also be doing a TV interview with Lynn Montague for “Library Connect”.
NEW YORK CITY
Saturday April 4: SAWCC (South Asian Women’s Creative Collective) 7th Annual Literary Festival: Emerge: New Mediums, New Voices (Bluestockings, 172 Allen Street, NYC 7-9:30 pm):
Tanuja will be giving the keynote / closing night speech, reading from Born Confused/Bombay Blues, and performing an acoustic set from her ‘booktrack’ albums Bombay Spleen/When We Were Twins with collaborator on both albums, NYC-based musician/filmmaker/writer Atom Fellows. Books/albums will be available for sale/signing. Event free and open to the public.
Friday, March 27: The Herricks High School English Scholars Program 2015 Conference and Retreat (Hofstra University, Hagedorn Hall, Long Island, NYC, 9-3 pm)
Tanuja will be reading from Born Confused/Bombay Blues, leading two fiction-writing workshops (Lights, Character, Action! Illuminate your characters–Activate your story), followed by a Q&A/Panel Discussion and signing. Other writers/presenters: Meera Nair (fiction), Dan Waber and Timothy Liu (poetry), Meghan Daum (nonfiction), Elizabeth Ziman (lyric and songwriting). Organized by Alan Semerdijian.
Sunday, March 22: No-Foolin’ Mega-Signing at Books of Wonder (Books of Wonder, 18 W 18th St, NYC 1-4pm; Tanuja’s slot will be 2:00-2:30 pm). Come get your books/albums signed!
http://nyctaf.com/events/
Friday March 20: Barnes & Noble Reader’s Theater/Signing (Union Square B&N, 33 E 17th St, NYC 7-8:30pm). With Born Confused/Bombay Blues editor David Levithan and Cathleen Bell, Holly Black, Heather Demetrios, Kevin Emerson, Kathryn Holmes, Scott Westerfeld. Authors group to read/act out scripts of each other’s work, followed by a signing; a highlight of NYCTAF.
http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/86731
http://nyctaf.com/events/
INDIA BOOK/ALBUM 2015 LAUNCH EVENTS
BOMBAY/MUMBAI, INDIA
Sat, 31 Jan: Tanuja at Crosswords Bookstore/Kemps Corner. Bombay Blues/Born Confused reading/signing and screening of “Heptanesia” music video from her accompanying album Bombay Spleen.
Thurs, 29 Jan: The official Mumbai/Bombay book/album launch party for Bombay Blues & Bombay Spleen was held. The full-house event was a Mumbai Mirror pick of the day (“Watch words & music mix”) as well as featured in Mid-Day.
The Solo Session Presents: The BOMBAY BLUES Official Book/Album Launch Party @ Café Zoe (Connecting Music, Art & Literature)
Come celebrate the India release of Bombay Blues and accompanying ‘booktrack’ album Bombay Spleen–in the very city that inspired both!
5:30 pm: Welcome drinks.
6:00 pm-7:30 pm: Reading from Bombay Blues/Screening of Tanuja’s “Heptanesia” music video & Panel Discussion on love, art, music, identity, moderated by award-winning author and journalist Naresh Fernandes with muralist, artist and co-founder of Kulture Shop Jas Charanjiva, veteran music journalist, DJ, and cofounder of the District Fifty house & techno label Kenneth Lobo, and Tanuja. Followed by a Bombay Spleen acoustic set from Tanuja with album contributor Gaurav Vaz of The Raghu Dixit Project.
8.30 PM -1:00 AM: Live Music/DJ Sets: Music mixmaster DJ Uri joins forces with keyboardist Karan Joseph and True School of Music guitarist Sean Richie for a set of funk/soul, followed by a few Bombay Spleen songs from Tanuja and Gaurav Vaz, and a DJ set from LoboCop (AKA Kenneth Lobo).
Visuals will be in part stills taken by Tanuja during her research trips to Bombay for the book and album—a reflection of the rich tapestry and textures of the city–as well as the video for “Heptanesia” from Bombay Spleen.
*Café Zoe: Todi/Mathurdas Mills,N.M Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai. Free and open to the public.*
Tues, Jan 27: Tanuja was a Visiting Author at SM Shetty School (Powai) and Bombay Scottish School (Mahim).
JAIPUR, INDIA
ZEE JAIPUR LITERATURE FESTIVAL
Thurs, 22 Jan (8 pm): Tanuja and album contributor Gaurav Vaz (of the Raghu Dixit Project) performed a Bombay Spleen acoustic set as part of a lineup including Narcopolis author Jeet Thayil’s band Still Dirty (which featured Tanuja as vocalist on two live numbers), and Transglobal Underground in collaboration with Fanfara Tirana and R. Bharat Brass Band. – http://jaipurliteraturefestival.org/music-program-2015
Event review: “Dare I say the best music night of the #ZeeJLF?”
Bombay Spleen acoustic set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh986IhhlpY
Wed, 21 Jan (2:15-3:15 p.m.): Tanuja was in conversation with author Monisha Rajesh: “From Born Confused to Bombay Blues: New York to a new Mumbai”.
Watch it here (including a little accapella sample from Bombay Spleen track “Chor Bazaar”):
UNITED KINGDOM
January 4, 2015 (Wroxton Abbey, Wroxton, England):
Tanuja was Visiting Writer for the Fairleigh Dickinson University MFA program. The day/evening included a live interview with author Eliot Schrefer, a reading from Born Confused/Bombay Blues, and Q&A. YA faculty: Eliot Schrefer, Donna Freitas. Poetry: H.L. Hix, David Daniel. Fiction: David Grand, Thomas E. Kennedy, Walter Cummins, Rebecca Chace, Ellen Akins, and program head René Steinke. Creative Nonfiction: Minna Proctor.
2014 EVENTS
USA
Reading / Presenting at the NCTE Annual Convention’s ALAN Conference
November 2014, Washington D.C
Theme: Outsider Culture as a Connection: Struggling to Find One’s Place
Potomac High School /Bookworm Central Book Club Event: Born Confused
Friday, November 21, 10 a.m./Washington D.C. area
Tanuja will be reading from Born Confused and discussing the process of writing/getting published.
*Potomac High School students/book club only.
NCTE Scholastic booth signing
Saturday, November 22/ Washington D.C
*NCTE conference attendees only.
Politics & Prose Bookstore panel with David Levithan, Rainbow Rowell, Coe Booth, & Bill Konigsberg
Monday, November 24, Washington D.C
Tanuja will be reading/in conversation with Born Confused/Bombay Blues editor David Levithan, as well as authors Rainbow Rowell, Coe Booth, and Bill Konigsberg at Politics & Prose Bookstore (5015 Connecticut Ave. NW). Free and open to the public.
NCTE panel and signing
Tuesday, November 25/Baltimore, MD
Outsider Culture as a Connection: Struggling to Find One’s Place, with Atia Abawi, Patricia Dunn, James Klise. Moderated by Deborah Taylor.
Enoch Pratt Free Library (10:40am – 11:15am).
*NCTE conference attendees only.
Bombay Blues / Bombay Spleen USA Launch Party
September 4, New York City
The Bombay Blues / Bombay Spleen Launch Party was held at (le) Poisson Rouge in NYC, hosted by DJ Rekha. Tanuja did a book reading and live acoustic set.
National Book Festival
August 30, Washington DC
Reading/presentation. The event was chaired by President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama and organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress.
SLJ online author panel event (“International Authors, International Stories”)
July 24, 2014, Online
2013 EVENTS
UNITED KINGDOM
Rock-n-Reading: SAWCC’s Celebration of International Women’s Month
March 2013, London
Book readings plus live acoustic set with Marie Tueje (Tanuja’s Angels With Whips bandmate) and Jeff Cohen (her Unsuitable Girl bandmate) at Rich Mix, London. The trio debuted songs from Tanuja’s album Bombay Spleen, an accompaniment to her novel, Bombay Blues.
PAST EVENTS
TANUJA has also performed at Joe’s Pub, NYC; the Hammersmith Palais, London; BookSlam, London; Borders Books; The Bitter End, NYC; Mercury Lounge; CBGBs; the Elbow Room; the Zeitgeist; amongst many other venues.
Notes from the Slushpile: “The Neither-Here-Nor-There Reader” by Candy Gourlay (from the 11th Annual NCRCL/British IBBY Children’s Literature Conference on the theme East Meets West in Children’s Literature, 13 November 2004, Roehampton University, London)