Diane Mehta

Diane Mehta was born in Frankfurt, grew up in Bombay and New Jersey, studied in Boston, and now makes her home in New York City. She is the author of the forthcoming novel Leaving Malabar Hill, set in India during Partition (OR Books, 2024), and the essay collection Happier Far (University of Georgia Press 2024-25). She also published a debut poetry collection, Forest with Castanets (Four Way, 2019), and a poetics and style guide, How to Write Poetry (Barnes & Noble Books, 2005). Her work has been recognized by the Peter Heinegg Literary Award, the Café Royal Cultural Foundation, a Kirby-Mewshaw fellowship at Civitella Ranieri, and a fellowship at Yaddo. She was the founding managing editor of A Public Space, launched and edited Glossolalia for PEN America to publish writing from traditionally underrepresented languages, and was executive nonfiction editor for Guernica.