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Lycoming College will welcome author Zara Chowdhary to its third annual Lycoming College Undergraduate Research Conference for a reading from her debut memoir, “The Lucky Ones.” The event is slated for Saturday, April 5, at 5 p.m. in the Trogner Presentation Room in Krapf Gateway center on the Lycoming campus. The event is open to the public and free of charge.
Less than a year after her book’s release and subsequent praise from "NPR," "TIME," "Esquire," "Amazon Book Review "and more, Chowdhary will share excerpts and entertain questions about her moving tale of survival of anti-Muslim violence in India. Her personal story entwines lost histories across a subcontinent, examines forgotten myths, prods at family secrets, and gazes unflinchingly back at a country rushing to move past the biggest pogrom in its modern history.
“With stunning clarity, we witness the violence through Zara’s teenage eyes, and how she and her family struggle through while locked down in their home for months. Zara also weaves in her present-day perspective as she uncovers what really happened across Gujarat in those horrific weeks and tells the stories of victims—stories that have become legendary among Indian Muslims even as they’ve been suppressed by Hindu nationalist political forces.”
"Zara Chowdhary's lyrical prose and moving depictions will remind those in attendance of the power of telling your story in moments of political crisis."
"Zara Chowdhary's lyrical prose and moving depictions will remind those in attendance of the power of telling your story in moments of political crisis," said Phoebe Wagner, Ph.D., assistant professor of English at Lycoming College.
“We are thrilled to have Zara Chowdhary joining us as the keynote speaker for this year’s conference. The tremendous critical acclaim her memoir has received speaks to the power of both her story and her storytelling,” said Andrew Leiter, Ph.D., professor of English and director of the College’s Humanities Research Center and of the conference. “With so many of our students presenting research on literature, history, religion, gender, politics, and postcolonial studies, her address will be a fitting culmination to the day’s events.”
Chowdhary is a writer and lecturer at the University of Wisconsin. She earned an M.F.A in creative writing and environment from Iowa State University and a master's degree in writing for performance from the University of Leeds. She previously wrote for documentary television, advertising, and film. Chowdhary lives in Madison, Wis., with her partner, child, and two cats.
Preceding Chowdhary’s keynote address, Lycoming will honor select students who presented research at the event. More than 70 students from over 30 institutions submitted their work for consideration at the third annual conference.
The Lycoming College Undergraduate Humanities Research Conference is a gathering and celebration of the region’s bright minds who are dedicated to furthering the humanities through high-level research. The Humanities Research Center at Lycoming College bolsters educational opportunities for those majoring or minoring in the humanities by supporting joint student-faculty research, internships, guided scholarship, digital humanities, graduate school placement, and fellowships. Select proceedings of the conference are featured in the Mid-Atlantic Humanities Review. More information about the Conference can be found online.