Living Writers Series welcomes award-winning author Sejal Shah
Award-winning author Sejal Shah is the next featured guest in SUNY Oswego’s Living Writers Series, appearing at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30, in the Marano Campus Center auditorium (room 132).
Shah is the author of the debut short story collection “How to Make Your Mother Cry.” Her essay collection “This Is One Way to Dance” was selected by NPR as one of the Best Books of 2020 and will be the focus of her visit.
Her work has appeared in Brevity, Conjunctions, The Guardian, The Kenyon Review and Literary Hub, among others. In 2021, the Rochester resident was named an influential AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) Leader by ABC's “Good Morning America.”
"I always look forward to NPRs end of the year book list," said Sari Fordham, the curator of this year's Living Writers Series. "I'm thrilled that Shah, whose book ‘This is One Way to Dance’ was featured in it, will be joining us."
Shah’s appearance continues this year’s Living Writers Series theme of A/I, which explores the tension between Artistic Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence. Shah brings a strong perspective on the impact of AI on writers and intellectual property.
“I try to pretend AI is not there, but I can't,” Shah said. “When someone plagiarizes, you can point it out. With AI, it's theft without being able to point out how exactly it's being done and how it will be used.”
She notes that writers’ works, including her own, have been used to train AI models without permission.
Shah will discuss her writing career and the ways writers navigate questions of creativity, ownership and technology in an evolving literary landscape.
The event is free and open to the campus and wider community. A book signing will be held after the Q&A. This Living Writers Series event is sponsored by ARTSwego and the Department of English and Creative Writing.
Parking: During Living Writers Series events, the community may park for free in lots E-10 and E-17 beyond Marano Campus Center (no pass required). Visit oswego.edu/parking for parking and campus maps.
Accessibility: For assistance in attending an event, contact Accessibility Resources at 315.312.3358 or [email protected].
— Submitted by the Living Writers Series