Monona wali biography examples
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If he were to open it, the searing heat would scorch all of creation.
One autumn night Shiva slips into the bedroom of 32-year old Anjali Mehta, and triggers an erotic and dangerous dissembling of her marriage and her life. She is the co-director of the documentary film Maria’s Story about a peasant woman from El Salvador who became a leader in the FMLN.
Born in Benares, India, she lives in Los Angeles.
Today we’d like to introduce you to Monona Wali.
Monona Wali
Hi Monona, so excited to have you with us today.
They keep me on my toes.
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Image Credits
Maya Wali Richardson
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He believed in my writing from day one, and basically I learned everything I know about writing from him. It is not easy to be a young person today, and I am always learning from them. He is terrifying and he is benevolent. She fought (and continues to fight) for the betterment of her people.
“Grey Area” was my student thesis film at UCLA Film School and is included in the LA Rebellion, a series curated by the UCLA Film and Television Archives that highlights the work of BIPOC filmmakers from UCLA in the 70’s and 80’s.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Jim Krusoe, poet, novelist, and teacher, has been a huge influence on my life.
He is an incredibly generous teacher and mentor. As we confront the upheaval brought on by climate change and biodiversity loss, we are challenged to use the power of grief to seek renewal in the natural world. Jim was also instrumental in my getting my first teaching job – and I have modeled my teaching practices largely on his example.
I count many friends as cheerleaders – the artist Alexandra Wiesenfeld and writers Janice Shapiro and Grace Singh Smith.
One was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. My work does not fit into neat categories, and so I hit a lot of walls when trying to find an agent or publisher. I believe the more stories we can get out in the world, the better off we all are.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I struggled for years to get films made, so letting go of my dreams of being a feature filmmaker was very hard.
The publishing world has also had some of the same challenges – although I get tons of validation and praise for my writing, I also get a lot of rejections.
What can you tell us about your story?
My life as a writer of fiction was born the day I stepped into Jim Krusoe’s writing workshop at Santa Monica College. She is deeply rooted in the Los Angeles literary community through several workshops, as well as a former teacher of adult students through Santa Monica Emeritus College, incarcerated juveniles through the InsideOut Writers Program, and veterans at the VA.
She also taught at Antioch University in the Undergraduate Program. His writing class at Santa Monica College is what opened the door for me to the great rewards of a writing life. A biography of the Mojave desert, illuminating her long history of transformation, told through her own voices, can feed our hunger and longing for connection to her complex and beautiful landscape.
About
Monona Wali is an award-winning novelist, short story writer and filmmaker.
I have relied on their faith in me and my writing.
Andrew Tonkovich, who edits the Santa Monica Review has published many of my short stories – the review is my literary home – and I’m so grateful to him for his stewardship of the journal. I come from a family of scientists, intellectuals, social activists, and artists.
It won the Independent Publishers Gold Award for multicultural literature. They read multiple drafts of my work and always offer honest and insightful feedback.