Shanthi Sekaran, photo by Daniel Grisales

Shanthi Sekaran is the author of the novel “Lucky Boy”, about adoption, immigration and motherhood, in Berkeley, CA. Two mothers’ paths cross unexpectedly due to their love for this boy, Ignacio – the lucky boy. One mother is documented and one not and the immigration system has heart-wrenching impact on the lives of both families. This outstanding story follows their lives as they each parent this child and fight for him to the end.

We sat down together at Portland’s Literary Festival: Wordstock, in between readings and pop-up events. We chatted about what documentation and immigration really means and how these stories inspired her novel, navigating motherhood as women of color and writing from the perspective of a Latina mother. This interview aired for the November 29th episode of Intersections Radio. Check out the podcast!

**Read a transcript of the interview: 120817 Intersections with Shanthi Sekaran

FULL EPISODE (also featuring Celeste Ng): https://sarikadmehta.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/intersectionsradio_shanthiceleste.mp3