About this item
"Commands your attention from the first page to the last word." - Morgan Jerkins When Neema Avashia tells people where she's from, their response is nearly always a disbelieving "There are Indian people in West Virginia?" A queer Asian American teacher and writer, Avashia fits few Appalachian stereotypes. But the lessons she learned in childhood about race and class, gender and sexuality continue to inform the way she moves through the world today: how she loves, how she teaches, how she advocates, how she struggles. Another Appalachia examines both the roots and the resonance of Avashia's identity as a queer desi Appalachian woman, while encouraging readers to envision more complex versions of both Appalachia and the nation as a whole.
About the Author
Neema Avashia is the daughter of Indian immigrants, and was born and raised in southern West Virginia. She has been an educator and activist in the Boston Public Schools since 2003, and was named a City of Boston Educator of the Year in 2013. Her first book, Another Appalachia: Coming Up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place, was published by West Virginia University Press in March. It has been called "A timely collection that begins to fill the gap in literature focused mainly on the white male experience" by Ms. Magazine, and "A graceful exploration of identity, community, and contradictions," by Scalawag. The book was named Best LGBTQ Memoir of 2022 by BookRiot, and was one of the New York Public Library's Best Books of 2022. She lives in Boston with her partner, Laura, and her daughter, Kahani.
