Members

Sehba Sarwar, is an author and speaker, inspirational artist, and a dynamic community and cultural activist, dedicated to creating connections between communities around the globe. Her work tackles immigration and border issues and has appeared in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, Creative Time Reports, and ASIA: Magazine of Asian Literature. Sarwar’s short stories are anthologized by Feminist Press, Akashic Books, and Harper Collins India. Her essays, fiction, and poems have appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, LA Parent, Houston Chronicle, Altadena Literary Review, Asia: Magazine of Asian Literature, and Callaloo. In 2019, a second edition of her novel, Black Wings, was released in the US. It is the story of a mother and daughter who struggle to meet across the continents, generations, cultures, and secrets that separate them. Born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan, Sehba spent the first half of her life in a home filled with artists, activists, and educators. She is based in Pasadena, and her papers are archived at the University of Houston.

Richard White is an historian of the United States specializing in the American West, the history of capitalism, environmental history, history and memory, and Native American history. His work has occasionally spilled over into Mexico, Canada, France, Australia and Ireland. He is a MacArthur Fellow and a recipient of the Mellon Distinguished Professor Award. White has won numerous academic prizes, and twice been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Who Killed Jane Stanford? penetrates the fog of corruption and cover-up still surrounding the murder of a Stanford University founder to establish who did it, how, and why. Deftly sifting the scattered evidence and conflicting stories of suspects and witnesses, Richard White gives us the first full account of Jane Stanford’s murder and its cover-up. Against a backdrop of the city’s machine politics, rogue policing, tong wars, and heated newspaper rivalries, White’s search for the murderer draws us into Jane Stanford’s imperious household and the academic enmities of the university.

First Woman Director of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop

In The Family Chao, three Chinese-American brothers in a small town, two immigrant Chinese parents, one Chinese restaurant, one murder, and a missing dog all add up to a kaleidoscopic, entertaining tale of family loyalty, the American dream, and cultural dislocation. The author of two other novels, Chang is the Director of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, the first woman and only Asian American to hold that position. She earned her BA from Yale, her MPA from Harvard, and her MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. The Family Chao was an Obama Summer Reading Pick. Chang lives in Iowa City, Iowa.

“An engrossing and darkly comedic take on The Brothers Karamazov.” – The New York Times Book Review. “Dostoevsky himself would surely approve.” – NPR

New York Times Bestselling Author

Nikki Erlick’s provocative debut novel, The Measure, opens on a day when every adult in the world awakens to a mysterious box holding “the measure of your life.” How do you measure a life?  If you knew how long your life would be, how would you live it? These are the questions that Erlick asks her characters and her readers in a sweeping story of hope and fate, family and friends.  An instant New York Times bestseller, The Measure is a #ReadWithJenna Book Club Pick, a Barnes & Noble Debut Discover Pick, and a national LibraryReads selection. Having received her BA from Harvard and her MA from Columbia University, Erlick now resides in Los Angeles and New York City.

“Erlick compellingly and captivatingly explores each facet of human nature, from hatred to heartbreak to hope.” – Library Journal. “No other book could ever measure up to what Erlick has done with this tender, original and gripping debut.” BookReporter.com.

Man Booker Prize Finalist and Bestselling Author

Booth, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize, is a new look at John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated Lincoln, by the author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves a Booker Prize finalist. Booth is a deep dive into the historical events and family dynamics surrounding Booth. It holds many surprises, including the fact that the Booth family was anti-slavery. Fowler’s 2004 novel, The Jane Austen Book Club, was on the New York Times bestsellers list for 13 weeks. Fowler earned her BA at UC Berkeley and her MFA at UC Davis. She lives in Santa Cruz, CA.

“Masterful . . . A dazzling blend of fact and fiction with piercing echoes to today . .´- San Francisco Chronicle.  “Exquisite …” – The Washington Post . “A massive achievement.” – Boston Globe

Winner of the National Book Award and finalist for the 2022 National Book Critics Circle Award

Tess Gunty earned an MFA in creative writing from NYU, where she was a Lillian Vernon Fellow. Her work has appeared in The Iowa Review, Joyland, Los Angeles Review of Books, No Tokens, Flash, and elsewhere. Published to widespread critical acclaim, the novel follows an odd assortment of residents who live in a crumbling apartment building in a dying town in the post-industrial Midwest. Set across one week and culminating in a shocking act of violence, The Rabbit Hutch chronicles a town on the brink, desperate for rebirth. Gunty was raised in South Bend, Indiana, and lives in Los Angeles.

Author of The Plot and You Should Have Known (Adapted by HBO as The Undoing)

The Latecomer is a compulsively readable and thought-provoking novel about triplets, who are desperate to escape each other and the upending of their family by an unexpected and life-changing event. In dazzling, dialogue-rich scenes that touch on politics, religion, race, privilege, and sexuality, Korelitz illuminates each character with jewel-like intensity. The author was born in New York City, and educated at Dartmouth and Clare College, Cambridge. She has published eight novels, including The Plot and You Should Have Known (adapted by HBO as The Undoing).

“…an immensely enjoyable sojourn with a truly memorable family.” – Washington Post. “The author of The Plot returns with a novel that skewers privilege and offers delights on every page.”―Oprah Daily

Bestselling Author, Chair of the Board of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation

Inspired by true events that shocked a nation, Take My Hand is the story of a Black nurse in post-segregation Alabama who blows the whistle on the terrible injustice of government-forced sterilization inflicted on her patients who are young girls and women of color. Perkins-Valdez earned her BA from Harvard and her PhD from UCLA. She is the Chair of the Board of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation and Associate Professor at American University. She lives in Washington, DC.

“Take My Hand reminds us that truly extraordinary fiction is rarely written merely to entertain.” – The Washington Post.  “This is an exceptional read.” – Library Journal. “This is the kind of story you want to build extra time into reading so you can explore the wealth of history it draws upon.” –Associated Press