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Aspen Words Writer-In-Residence Geeta Kothari Speaks Tonight

Aspen Words

Geeta Kothari is Aspen Words’ Writer In Residence this month.  She’ll read and discuss her work in Aspen Tuesday night.

 

In Kothari’s short story collection, “I Brake For Moose,” many characters are immigrants or first-generation American citizens. But they come from lots of different backgrounds.  Kothari said her interest in such diversity springs from her childhood apartment in New York.

"I grew up ten blocks south of the United Nations.  My mom worked there, a lot of our friends and neighbors worked there, they were all from different countries, they were all in transit," she said. 

During her residency this month, Kothari is turning her eye on her own past.  Her Indian-born mother lived in the US, but chose to die in her home country.

"You know, at that moment, I was so mad at her. And I was like, why can’t you just be a normal person and go into hospital where her family is?" she said.

For her upcoming book, Kothari wanted to understand this connection to India, and so she took a deep dive into her mother’s past.

"I became really intrigued by this notion of someone not giving up their original home," said Kothari.  

Kothari speaks at Hooch Craft Cocktail Bar at 5:30 p.m.

Contributor Christin Kay is passionate about the rich variety of arts, cultural experiences and stories in the Roaring Fork Valley. She has been a devotee of public radio her whole life. Christin is a veteran of Aspen Public Radio, serving as producer, reporter and interim news director.
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