From Bombay to Birmingham

 

Former BJ reporter and famous author Thrity Umbrigar will be one of the speakers at Southern Voices in Birmingham, Alabama on Feb. 28.

Thrity wrote:

“As a student and teacher of African-American literature, my impressions of Birmingham, Alabama, are jaded, from the bad old days when it used to be called Bombingham.

“And so, it gives me great pleasure to note that I will be one of the speakers at Southern Voices on Sat. Feb. 28 at 10:30 a.m. and again at 1:30 p.m. at nearby Hoover Library (in Birmingham).

Thrity Umrigar

“I go with an open heart and a sense of wonder at how much our country has self-corrected itself, even while knowing the work ahead of us. If any of you happen to be in Alabama at the time, please come say hi. I would be thrilled to meet you.”

Others participating in the Southern Voices are Wally Lamb (“We Are Water”), Karen Abbott (“Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy”), Amy Greene (“Bloodroot), James Scott (“The Kept), Jon Sealy (“The Whiskey Baron”), Meg Wolitzer (her work was made into two movies, “This Is My Life” and “Surrender, Dorothy,” which starred Diane Keaton) and Chelsea Cain (Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell thrillers).

Thrity has been teaching creative writing at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland since 2002. The Babe from Bombay’s 6^th novel and 7^th book is “The Story Hour.”

Previous novels are “Bombay Time” (2002), “The Space Between Us” (2007), “If Today be Sweet” (2008), “The Weight of Heaven” (2010) and “The World We Found” (2012). Her memoir is “First Darling of the Morning”  (2008).

Thrity left India at the age of 21 to attend Ohio State University.

Thrity began her reporting career with The Lorain Journal. Two years later, in 1987, she came to the BJ.

She left the Beacon to attend Harvard on a Nieman Fellowship, wrote “Bombay Time” and her author career took off.