[
{
"name": "500x250 Ad",
"insertPoint": "5",
"component": "15667920",
"parentWrapperClass": "",
"requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
}
]
Age: 51
Hometown: Brighton
Current residence: Henrietta
Occupation: Writer; writing teacher
From the highest point on Cobbs Hill, it’s easy to pinpoint where the trees turn into blue skies. Sun bounces off the terracotta tile; the columns feel like Greece or Rome, or just that time in American history where architects became obsessed with the revival of both. Looking down past the undulating stone steps, it feels like the center of the world.
“We were there in every season,” wrote Brighton native Sejal Shah in her latest collection, “How to Make Your Mother Cry: Fictions,” about this spot. “Watching the birders, the butterflies, the lovers… We sat and talked; sometimes we kissed. This was all I needed for a while: a hill, a view.”
While the entire literary collection is not exclusively about Rochester, the city is a pulse in the book, a touchstone to which the narrator returns. Desires to leave, anxieties about returning — and its ability to glom onto one.
It makes sense, considering the author was raised in Brighton, where serious high school publications like “Trapezoid” and “Galaxy” buoyed and built a community that was recently displayed at a Rochester Roots event hosted by Shah and Writers & Books. At the event, five Brighton alums read their work to standing ovations from the crowd.
“I think it was more than we could have hoped for,” Shah said. “I loved being in community with and being able to hear these other writers.”
Since moving back to the area in 2012, Shah has become a beloved name in both the local and international literary scene. Her essay, “Even If You Can’t See It: Invisible Disability and Neurodiversity” — which was not the start of her disability advocacy and activism through writing, nor its end — was published by “The Kenyon Review” and went viral in 2019. Shah’s debut, a collection of essays titled “This Is One Way to Dance,” was named a Best Book of 2020 by NPR. Its followup, which was released in May 2024, plays with form, incorporating fiction, poetry, letters, and photography.
“She’s able to tell her story and use her unique voice in a way that benefits the narrative,” says K.E. Semmel, who served as director of Writers & Books when Shah taught there. “She’s a writer first and foremost, and a very good one.”
To celebrate its release, she held a packed launch party at the Rochester Contemporary Arts Center.
“I think of my book, in some ways, as being a love letter to Rochester and New York City,” Shah said. “Our area is worthy of being written about. Sometimes a place just gets under your skin.”
Shah is not the only writer to be enamored with, or take inspiration from, the city. And yet, local writers often remain hidden from each other. Albert Abonado, a local poet who hosts open mics at Equal Grounds and has a collection forthcoming with Beacon Press, met Shah for the first time at a literary conference in Boston.
“The literary community sadly remains largely invisible, and for one reason or another fails to receive the same attention as other mediums,” he said via email. “Our writing is part of a larger conversation, and Sejal's work widens that conversation, not only in the content and style of her work, but in her relationships.”
Events like the book launch and Rochester Roots, shouldn’t feel rare in a place with such a literary legacy and pulsing contemporary talent — but they do. So Shah, for years, has been championing spaces where this isn’t the case, where slowly but surely local authors are seen and heard.
“(Writing) is a solitary task and journey,” Shah said. “There’s more joy in community. (Build) the table, make space at the table. It’s there.” — JESSICA L. PAVIA
Hometown: Brighton
Current residence: Henrietta
Occupation: Writer; writing teacher
From the highest point on Cobbs Hill, it’s easy to pinpoint where the trees turn into blue skies. Sun bounces off the terracotta tile; the columns feel like Greece or Rome, or just that time in American history where architects became obsessed with the revival of both. Looking down past the undulating stone steps, it feels like the center of the world.
“We were there in every season,” wrote Brighton native Sejal Shah in her latest collection, “How to Make Your Mother Cry: Fictions,” about this spot. “Watching the birders, the butterflies, the lovers… We sat and talked; sometimes we kissed. This was all I needed for a while: a hill, a view.”
While the entire literary collection is not exclusively about Rochester, the city is a pulse in the book, a touchstone to which the narrator returns. Desires to leave, anxieties about returning — and its ability to glom onto one.
It makes sense, considering the author was raised in Brighton, where serious high school publications like “Trapezoid” and “Galaxy” buoyed and built a community that was recently displayed at a Rochester Roots event hosted by Shah and Writers & Books. At the event, five Brighton alums read their work to standing ovations from the crowd.
“I think it was more than we could have hoped for,” Shah said. “I loved being in community with and being able to hear these other writers.”
Since moving back to the area in 2012, Shah has become a beloved name in both the local and international literary scene. Her essay, “Even If You Can’t See It: Invisible Disability and Neurodiversity” — which was not the start of her disability advocacy and activism through writing, nor its end — was published by “The Kenyon Review” and went viral in 2019. Shah’s debut, a collection of essays titled “This Is One Way to Dance,” was named a Best Book of 2020 by NPR. Its followup, which was released in May 2024, plays with form, incorporating fiction, poetry, letters, and photography.
“She’s able to tell her story and use her unique voice in a way that benefits the narrative,” says K.E. Semmel, who served as director of Writers & Books when Shah taught there. “She’s a writer first and foremost, and a very good one.”
To celebrate its release, she held a packed launch party at the Rochester Contemporary Arts Center.
“I think of my book, in some ways, as being a love letter to Rochester and New York City,” Shah said. “Our area is worthy of being written about. Sometimes a place just gets under your skin.”
Shah is not the only writer to be enamored with, or take inspiration from, the city. And yet, local writers often remain hidden from each other. Albert Abonado, a local poet who hosts open mics at Equal Grounds and has a collection forthcoming with Beacon Press, met Shah for the first time at a literary conference in Boston.
“The literary community sadly remains largely invisible, and for one reason or another fails to receive the same attention as other mediums,” he said via email. “Our writing is part of a larger conversation, and Sejal's work widens that conversation, not only in the content and style of her work, but in her relationships.”
Events like the book launch and Rochester Roots, shouldn’t feel rare in a place with such a literary legacy and pulsing contemporary talent — but they do. So Shah, for years, has been championing spaces where this isn’t the case, where slowly but surely local authors are seen and heard.
“(Writing) is a solitary task and journey,” Shah said. “There’s more joy in community. (Build) the table, make space at the table. It’s there.” — JESSICA L. PAVIA
Latest in Culture
-
Acme Bar & Pizza closes after 26 years
Aug 29, 2024 -
Spice of life
Aug 16, 2024 -
ROCHESTER TEN
Aug 12, 2024 - More »