Author Interview: Padma Venkatraman on Poetry, Publishing & Diverse Verse

By Mitu Malhotra

One chilly morning at the New England SCBWI conference Padma Venkatraman met me with warmth and included me in her conversation because I was one of the few people of color in that room. Many years later, in 2024, I attended a Highlights Foundation retreat on Writing through Trauma and Grief to Empower Readers where she was guest faculty—this time we chatted over cups of tea and shared our love of poetry.

Today, I am excited to welcome Padma to Cynsations to talk about her new ...