EXPLORE YOUR HERITAGE with RAJ TAWNEY
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In-Person
In Colorful Palate, author Raj Tawney shares his coming-of-age memoir as a young man born into an Indian, Puerto Rican, and Italian-American family, his struggles with understanding his own identity, and the mouthwatering flavors of the melting pot from within his own childhood kitchen.
While the world outside can be cruel and unforgiving, it’s even more complicated for a mixed-race kid, unsure of his place in the world. Turning to his mother and grandmother for guidance, Tawney assists in the kitchen, providing intimate moments and candor as he listened to the tales behind each culinary delicacy and the women who perfected it. Each lovingly prepared meal offered another opportunity to learn more about his extraordinary heritage. The ability to create delicious fare with his family wasn’t just a duty for the grand ladies who raised him; it was a survival tactic for navigating new and unknown cultures, not always willing to accept them at first or even a hundredth glance. As Tawney examines both himself and his loved ones through the formative stages of his life, from boyhood through adulthood, he begins to realize, through all of the chaos and confusion, just how “American” he actually was.
Location: B-501 Lecture Hall
AUTHOR BIO:
Raj Tawney was born and raised in New York of multiracial decent. He has published nonfiction essays, journalism, and poetry to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, The Iowa Review, and over 80 publications around the globe. He has given lectures and talks at universities, libraries, and conferences around the country, including Columbia University, NYU, Boston University, Miami Dade College, New York Public Library, Peabody Institute Library of Danvers, and many other institutions.