The writer Deepa Rajagopalan discusses her debut short story collection Peacocks of Instagram (House of Anansi Press, 2024), with Joseph Planta.

Peacocks of Instagram by Deepa Rajagopalan (House of Anansi Press, 2024). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Peacocks of Instagram

Text of the introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

I’ve been reading the debut short story collection of Deepa Rajagopalan, Peacocks of Instagram, and though it has moments which it’s tough to read, it’s incredibly engaging, and often funny. Deepa joins me now to talk about this short story collection that features characters who are diasporic Indians, who contend with ideas of what it’s like to be safe, how to survive, and what to consider home. We have different characters who exemplify strength and ingenuity in the face of racism, overt or casual, and ones who have to weigh decisions for themselves considering family. I’ll ask Ms. Rajagopalan about the characters in this book, as well as what it was like to write them amid the situations they find themselves in. Deepa Rajagopalan won the 2021 RBC/PEN Canada New Voices Award. Her work has appeared in literary magazines and anthologies such as Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology, the New Quarterly, Room, the Malahat Review, Event, and Arc Poetry Magazine. She has an MFA in creative writing from the University of Guelph. Born to Indian parents in Saudi Arabia, she has lived in many cities across India, the United States, and Canada. The website for more is at www.deeparajagopalan.com. This new book is published by House of Anansi Press. We spoke this past Friday. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Deepa Rajagopalan; Ms. Rajagopalan, good morning.

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