Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is a novelist and poet whose work has helped bring South Asian American women’s experiences into the mainstream of American fiction. Writing across multiple genres including fiction, poetry, and children’s literature, she has become one of the most widely read Indian American authors of her generation. A two-time American Book Award winner for novels including The Mistress of Spices and The Palace of Illusions, she explores themes of immigration, identity, and myth reimagined through a diasporic lens. She also co-founded Maitri, the first West Coast helpline supporting South Asian survivors of domestic violence, extending her impact into community advocacy.
