Books by Sweta Srivastava Vikram

Saris and a Single Malt is a moving collection of poems written by a daughter for and about her mother. The book spans the time from when the poet receives a phone call in New York City that her mother is in a hospital in New Delhi, to the time she carries out her mother's last rites. The poems chronicle the author's physical and emotional journey as she flies to India, tries to fight the inevitable, and succumbs to the grief of living in a motherless world. This collection will move you, astound you, and make you hug your loved ones. "e;There are few books like Saris and a Single Malt in which the loss of a mother, a homeland, and the self come together in a sustained elegy."e; --Justen Ahren, Director Noepe Center, Author of A Strange Catechism "e;In life, as in poetry, one must come from the heart. Sweta Vikram has done both with touching eloquence. Her work resonates deeply within one's deepest emotional sacristy."e; --Sharon Kapp, Owner & Founder, Houston Yoga & Ayurvedic Wellness Center "e;Saris and a Single Malt is a fitting and delightful tribute of a writer daughter to her affectionate mother which goes deep into the minds of all children who love their moms."e; --K. V. Dominic, English language poet, critic, short-story writer, and editor from Kerala, India Sweta Srivastava Vikram, featured by Asian Fusion as "e;one of the most influential Asians of our time,"e; is an award-winning writer, Pushcart Prize nominee, author of ten books, and a wellness practitioner. A graduate of Columbia University, Sweta performs her work, teaches creative writing workshops, and gives talks at universities and schools across the globe. Learn more at www.swetavikram.com From the World Voices Series at Modern History Press www.ModernHistoryPress.com POE005060 POETRY / American / Asian American

"e;Sweta Vikram captures bold raw passion, poignant reality and crafts a powerful voice for the voiceless."e; --Kate Campbell Stevenson, Actor & Producer Wet Silence bears moving accounts of Hindu widows in India. The book raises concern about the treatment of widowed women by society; lends their stories a voice; shares their unheard tales about marriage; reveals the heavy hand of patriarchy; and, addresses the lack of companionship and sensuality in their lives. This collection of poems covers a myriad of social evils such as misogyny, infidelity, gender inequality, and celibacy amongst other things. The poems in the collection are bold, unapologetic, and visceral. The collection will haunt you. "e;Nothing short of sacred genius, Wet Silence reads with a sensual and dangerous grace. It is a body of work that ushers presence into absence and love into a world that has all but done away with the word."e; --Slash Coleman, author of The Bohemian Love Diaries and blogger for Psychology Today. "e;Sweta's poems did a powerful job at highlighting the mental and sexual abuse, violence, loneliness and the pain experienced by millions of widows in India. Why I ask, is being a widow a crime?"e; --Shruti Kapoor, Founder of Sayfty, an organization that helps women protect themselves against violence "e;In a gorgeous choir of reclaimed voices, Sweta Srivastava Vikram tells the stories of women forgotten and passed over, women silenced and without choices, women who 'don't exist'--Hindu widows. Through the magical breath of her poetry Vikram not only animates these women's hopes, sorrows, dreams, and defeats, she lovingly restores them to honor."e; --Melissa Studdard, award-winning author of I Ate the Cosmos for Breakfast. Learn more at www.SwetaVikram.com From the World Voices series at Modern History Press POE005060 Poetry : American - Asian American SOC028000 Social Science : Women's Studies - General FAM001000 Family & Relationships : Abuse - General

About the AuthorSweta Srivastava Vikram is a multi-genre writer and marketing professional living in New York City. She is the author of Because All Is Not Lost from Modern History Press and the co-author of Whispering Woes of Ganges & Zambezi (Cyberwit 2010). Her work has appeared in six countries across three continents. Sweta has held recent artist residencies and workshops in Portugal, Ireland, and several within USA. She is a graduate of Columbia University."In this innovative series, Sweta Srivastava Vikram re-appropriates color. Cultures and mythologies collide along the way, and the result is a chapbook that feels like a quest. In the end, the colors are a map to identity. The child's pink tonsils or the bride's red sari are notsymbols, but rather mile markers. Like Vikram's poems, they lead toward understanding" --Erica Wright, Senior Poetry Editor, GuernicaAbout the ChapbookThe book delves into the implication and philosophy of colors from a Hindu woman's point of view, from birth until death. The color she adorns herself with almost depicts the story of her life. Expressed through different poetic and verbal forms, each color in the book has its own tone and is specific to different age groups.Learn more at www.SwetaVikram.comFrom the World Voices Series at Modern History Press www.ModernHistoryPress.com