Sheila James

South Asia Tales: On Tuesday, January 26th, Ottawa author Sheila James (In the Wake of Loss, published by Ronsdale Press) and Ashok Mathur (author of A Little Distillery in Nowgong, published by Arsenal Pulp Press) will be reading at the Ottawa Public Library’s main branch at 120 Metcalfe St. The event ... (more)begins at 7pm in the Main Library Auditorium (lower level). For more information, contact the library at 613-580-2945 or check their website: www.biblioottawalibrary.ca.

This debut collection of short stories focuses on the conflicts and challenges experienced by diasporic South Asian characters who struggle to face truths about intimate relationships. They include characters include Rajani, a mail-order-bride who opens a lingerie shop only to find herself and her sister ... (more)implicated in the trial of a serial killer; Nilika, an elderly and lower-caste woman, living in poverty with her two sons, one cruel, the other kind; Miriam, a Muslim lesbian who escapes her family and the feminist community and sets up a bed and breakfast with her lover; and Rajan, a refugee and former member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who concocts a playboy image to escape memories of the brutal war in Sri Lanka. Sheila James was born in the UK, grew up in Nova Scotia and presently lives in Ottawa. She has trained in the arts in India, England and Canada and completed a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Theatre from the University of British Columbia. Sheila has worked as a writer, director and performer in music, theatre and media arts. Her videos, including the award winning Unmapping Desire, have been screened extensively around the world. Her poetry and short fiction have been published in Canadian anthologies and journals.