Author: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an award-winning author, poet, activist and teacher. She is the author of 21 books including Mistress of Spices, Sister of My Heart, Oleander Girl, Before We Visit the Goddess and Palace of Illusions. Her latest novels are The Forest of Enchantments, a feminist retelling of the epic The Ramayana in the voice of Sita, and The Last Queen, the story of Maharani Jindan, the indomitable queen regent of Punjab who fought the British in many ingenious ways.  Her newest novel, Independence, depicts the experiences of three sisters in strife-torn Calcutta as India frees itself from the British yoke. Divakaruni often writes about contemporary life in America and India, women’s experiences, immigration, history, magical realism and mythology. She writes for adults and children.

Moderator: Immigration Attorney and Philanthropist Sheela Murthy is a lawyer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and speaker, perhaps best known as founder and president of the Owings Mills, Maryland based Murthy Law Firm, which has been ranked as one of the world’s leading U.S. immigration law firms. A native of India, Murthy and her husband, photographer and media specialist Vasant Nayak, established the MurthyNAYAK Foundation to channel their philanthropic contributions to nonprofits that serve the needs of women, children, and immigrants, particularly in education and health care.