Tishani doshi biography of abraham lincoln

Tishani Doshi (born 9 December 1975) is an Indian poet, novelist, dancer, and journalist of Welsh-Gujarati descent, known for her explorations of identity, migration, ecology, and the female experience in her multifaceted work.^[1][2] Born in Madras (now Chennai), she grew up between cultures and pursued higher education in the United States, earning a BA from Queens College in North Carolina and a Master's in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins University.^[3][1] After working in advertising in London, she returned to India in 2001 and became the lead dancer with the innovative Chandralekha dance company in Madras for fifteen years, blending contemporary and classical Indian forms in performances that addressed social and environmental themes.^[1][4]Doshi's literary career gained prominence with her debut poetry collection, Countries of the Body (2006), which won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and the All India Poetry Prize, establishing her as a vital voice in postcolonial and feminist poetry.^[5][6] She has since published seven books across poetry and fiction, including the poetry volumes Everything Begins Elsewhere (2013), Girls Are Coming Out of the Woods (2018, shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award and Forward Prize), and A God at the Door (2021, shortlisted for the Forward Prize); and novels such as The Pleasure Seekers (2010, longlisted for the Orange Prize and shortlisted for the Hindu Literary Prize) and Small Days and Nights (2019, shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize, Ondaatje Prize, and Tata Literature Live!

Award for Fiction).^[1][7][8] Her essays and journalism, featured in outlets like The New York Times, Granta, and The Guardian, often delve into global issues, including climate change and human-animal relations, while her choreography continues to intersect with her writing. Poems like those addressing assault and environmental ruin blend raw emotion with ecological urgency, earning shortlisting for the Forward Prize for Best Collection (formerly Ted Hughes Award) for its fierce advocacy and poetic craft.^[45][46]Her fourth collection, A God at the Door, published in 2021 by Copper Canyon Press, spans time and space to explore marginalization, trauma, and empowerment, drawing on nature's minutiae and feminist archetypes.

Her latest collection of poems, published in 2017, is titled Girls Are Coming Out of the Woods.

A prominent writer with an important voice, Doshi’s essays, poems, and short stories have been widely anthologized.

On politics, she has critiqued the dangers faced by poets under authoritarian regimes, including in India, in a 2021 article.^[61] These journalistic explorations often overlap briefly with the reflective themes in her essays, providing timely insights into societal tensions. Their marriage produces three children—Pink, a free-spirited musician; Stanley, a pragmatic engineer; and Tilly, the family's emotional anchor—and the story unfolds over decades, weaving personal triumphs and tragedies against broader historical backdrops such as the Bhopal gas disaster and political upheavals in India.

This early recognition highlighted her potential as a vital new voice in contemporary poetry, providing financial assistance and validation at the outset of her literary career.^[33]In 2005, Doshi won the All India Poetry Prize, supported by the British Council, for her poem "The Day We Went to the Sea," which captures the devastation of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami through vivid, personal imagery.

The award marked a significant debut in Indian literary circles, affirming her ability to blend global events with intimate emotional landscapes and drawing attention to her bilingual cultural heritage.Doshi's debut poetry collection, Countries of the Body (2006), earned her the Forward Prize for Best First Collection, one of the most esteemed accolades in British poetry that celebrates innovative and impactful debut works.

Her non-fiction has been shortlisted for the Outlook/Picador India Non-Fiction Competition, and her columns have been widely read by New Indian Express readers. The narrative begins in August 1968 when Babo Patel, a young man from Madras (now Chennai), arrives in London to study and encounters the auburn-haired Siân Jones, sparking an instant, passionate romance that defies their cultural differences.

Her first novel, The Pleasure Seekers, was published by Bloomsbury in 2010 and was long-listed for the OrangePrize in 2011, and shortlisted for The Hindu Best FictionAward in 2010.

She writes a blog titled "Hit or Miss" on Cricinfo, a cricket-related website. For instance, her 2017 collection, Girls Are Coming Out of the Woods, explores the female body and boundaries and violence of women in India.

“The Immigrant’s Song” is a cornerstone to Doshi’s poetic works.

She is also collaborating with cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan on his biography, to be published when he retires.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Tishani Doshi height Not available right now. Her poetry was featured in the galas held at The Guardian’s sponsored Hay Festival of 2006 and the Cartagena Hay Festival of 2007.

The first poem, “The Day we went to the Sea”, was the winner of the British Council’s All India Poetry Competition; she also made it to the finals in the Non-Fiction Contest of Outlook-Picador.

She writes a blog titled “Hit or Miss” on Cricinfo, a cricket-related website. The family listened to a wide range of music, including Abba, the Beatles, jazz, and blues, and she learned to play the piano while also practicing Indian dance forms.^[12] She attended an English-medium school and excelled in sports, particularly tennis.^[12] Additionally, the family made regular trips to north Wales every two to three years to visit her mother's relatives, exposing her to Welsh landscapes and traditions during her formative years.^[13] These experiences, including family travels and the diverse cultural elements in her home, fostered her early fascination with literature and performance, shaping her bicultural identity and artistic inclinations.^[12]

Education

In 1993, Doshi won a scholarship to study in the United States.^[12] Tishani Doshi pursued her undergraduate education at Queens College in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and Communications in 1997.^[3][14][15] During her time there, she enrolled in a creative writing course that sparked her interest in poetry, marking a pivotal shift from her initial academic focus and introducing her to contemporary American poets such as Mary Oliver, Mark Doty, and James Tate.^[14]Following her undergraduate studies, Doshi obtained a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University in 1999.^[16][17] The program's workshop-based curriculum provided intensive mentorship, emphasizing peer critique and faculty guidance in poetry and prose, while immersing her in American literary traditions through readings and discussions.^[18] This exposure deepened her engagement with diverse poetic forms and voices, fostering her development as a writer attuned to cross-cultural themes.These academic experiences honed Doshi's skills in poetry and prose, laying the foundation for her early professional recognition, including the Eric Gregory Award in 2001 for poets under 30.^[3] The structured training at both institutions equipped her to blend personal narrative with broader literary influences, propelling her toward subsequent publications and awards.^[12]

Career

Literary career

Tishani Doshi began her literary career as a freelance journalist in the early 2000s, contributing articles to prominent outlets such as The Guardian, Outlook, The National, The Hindu, and The New Indian Express, where she developed a regular column.^[3][19] Her early recognition in poetry came in 2005, when her poem "The Day We Went to the Sea" won the All India Poetry Competition, marking a pivotal moment that highlighted her emerging voice in blending personal introspection with broader social observations.^[20][21]Following this breakthrough, Doshi transitioned to longer-form works after 2006, expanding into poetry collections, novels, and essays that interweave personal narratives with political and ecological concerns, often drawing from her experiences in India and abroad.^[3] Her thematic focus on environmental degradation, colonial legacies, and human vulnerability has positioned her as a distinctive contributor to contemporary literature.

Her poetry collection Girls Are Coming Out of the Woods (2018) was shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry in 2018.^[34] Her subsequent collection A God at the Door (2021) was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection in the same year.^[35] In fiction, her debut novelThe Pleasure Seekers (2010) was longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2011 and shortlisted for the Hindu Literary Prize in 2010.^[36][37] Her second novel, Small Days and Nights (2019), was shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize in 2020, as well as the HinduFiction Prize and the Tata Literature Live!

‘The Deliverer’ by Tishani Doshi speaks on the prevalence of female infanticide in rural India and the lives of the women who help to commit it. Since then, Doshi has pursued a career in dance, performing internationally with the Chandralekha group.

Doshi is also an accomplished journalist, freelance writer, and creative writer.

In the blog, which she started writing in April 2009, Tishani Doshi makes observations and commentaries as a television viewer of the second season of the Indian Premier League. Published in her 2013 collection, Everything Begins Elsewhere, “The Immigrant’s Song” represents an important voice for refugees and immigrants all around the world.

Poet Biography

Tishani Doshi (1975-) was born in Madras, India where she spent her early life raised by her Welsh mother and Gujarati father.

Upon arriving in a new country, the poem explores the silencing immigrants often experience coming from a vastly different culture and world. Book of the Year (Fiction).^[38][10][39]Beyond these shortlistings, Doshi's poem "Egrets, While War" was selected for inclusion in The Best American Poetry 2025 anthology, edited by Terence Winch.^[40] She has also been invited as an honored poet to international literary festivals, including the All About Women Festival at the Sydney Opera House and the Sharjah International Book Fair.^[41]In terms of fellowships, Doshi was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2023.^[10] She has additionally held residencies and fellowships supporting her writing, including those from the UK Arts Council, Art OMI, and the Santa Maddalena Foundation, which have facilitated her explorations of ecological and personal themes.^[9] These honors complement her major award wins, such as the Forward Prize for Best First Collection for Countries of the Body (2006).^[3]

Bibliography

Poetry collections

Tishani Doshi's poetry collections are renowned for their lyrical exploration of identity, displacement, and the intersections of personal and global histories.Her debut collection, Countries of the Body, published in 2006 by Aark Arts, marks a significant entry into contemporary poetry with its focus on the body as a site of migration, desire, and cultural negotiation.