What Is & What If: Writing Fiction and Nonfiction for a Multicultural World

In this workshop I will offer my journey as an author of multicultural fiction and nonfiction, drawing upon my mixed background, blending fiction and nonfiction, 'the real' and the 'imagined.' Workshop participants will then have a chance to look closely at passages for themes and the applicable standards in classrooms.

Marina Budhos

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Marina is a prolific, award-winning author with worldwide reach. Her young adult novels include Tell Us We’re Home and Ask Me No Questions, which are taught in school districts throughout the country. Her adult novels include The Professor of Light and House of Waiting. A non-fiction book co-authored with her husband, Mark, is called Remix: Conversations with Immigrant Teenagers, which was a 2010 Los Angeles Times Book Award Finalist. Her books have been published in several countries. Her short stories, articles, essays, and book reviews have appeared in a plethora of publications such as The Daily Beast, The Awl, The Huffington Post, LitHub, The Kenyon Review, Ploughshares and more. Marina has been a Fulbright Scholar to India. Other honors include an Exceptional Merit Media Award (EMMA) and a Rona Jaffe Award for Women Writers. She has twice received a Fellowship from the New Jersey Council on the Arts and frequently gives talks throughout the country and abroad. A graduate of Cornell and Brown universities, Marina is a professor of English at William Paterson University in New Jersey. Her most recent book is called Watched, a sequel to Ask Me No Questions.