Shastri Akella, THE SEA ELEPHANTS

Zibby interviews debut author Shastri Akella about The Sea Elephants, an utterly immersive and spellbinding queer coming-of-age novel set in 1990s India, about a young man who joins a traveling street theater troupe as he tries to outrun the dark secrets of his past. Shastri shares how this novel suddenly became a queer love story (thanks to his professor!) and helped him come out in real life. He also shares his challenges with unsupportive family members and his decision not to return to India, where Hindu conversion therapy is prevalent. Finally, he shares how he got here, from working in tech at Google to MFA, teaching refugee art classes, and publishing this beautiful book.Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/3EJhla8Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!** If you enjoy recommending things you love and even earning from it, you have to become a creator on ShopMy! You'll be able to see that your recommendations matter. Click my referral code here to learn more! ***** Want another secret podcast? If you sign up for my Z.I.P. Membership program, you'll get access to an exclusive podcast called Zibby's Show Notes, the behind-the-scenes of everything! Head to zibbyowens.com/subscribe to sign up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.