Mary Anne Mohanraj is the author of “Aqua Erotica,” “Torn Shapes of Desire” and two adult books that allow readers to “choose their own adventure.”
She is also the product of a conservative Sri Lankan upbringing and the recipient of a Ph.D. from the University of Utah.
And as South Asian Student Alliance’s fall academic lecturer, she attempted to tackle the issue of her complicated identity in order to teach the audience about the “complexity she believes surrounds Asian culture” Tuesday night in University Hall.
“When people ask me what my identity is, I could say I’m Sri Lankan-American.” Mohanraj said. “I could say I was raised Catholic but now I’m agnostic. I could say I’ve been called a queer, because although I’ve been with a man the past 17 years, I’m bisexual.”
Mohanraj, a former writer in residence at Northwestern and author of 10 books, taught a class in the English department last year that SASA secretary Nisha Mehta took. After taking the class, Mehta said she knew Mohanraj would be a good choice for one of SASA’s two fall academic lectures.
“It was the first time in a classroom setting where I thought about my ethnicity, identity, life, and literature at a higher level,” said Mehta, a Weinberg junior.
The lecture, which about 30 people attended, was called “South Asian Sexuality, Ethnicity, Race, and Politics.” It covered everything from anecdotes of Mohanraj’s issues growing up with strict South Asian-American parents to her embracing of her ethnicity at the age of 30. She dove into South Asian stringency, describing difficulties having a white boyfriend and conferences of South Asian people where “70 percent were doctors who secretly wanted to be writers,” citing the pressure South Asians have to go pre-med.
Mohanraj went on to describe the beginning of her writing career, which began on the Internet, and the problems she first encountered writing “erotica” when she came from a restrictive culture.
“I started to feel a lot of damage was being done through this secrecy, through this silence,” she said. Mohanraj then discussed her journey from being a young 20-something writing stories exploring sexuality to an author on ethnicity, politics, and identity issues. Her most prominent book to date is “Bodies in Motion,” a collection of stories on Sri Lankan emigration and immigration. She has also written a cookbook and a children’s book.
“I spent a lot of time writing when I was really scared, scared about the things I was writing down.” Mohanraj said. “The reader can tell when you’re reaching for something difficult and honest. They respond to that.”
Reema Ghatnekar, a Weinberg sophomore, said the lecture was insightful.
“For someone to write about this, it’s important.” she said.
SASA will be hosting Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi as their fall speaker on Dec. 1. Tickets will be available by next week, Mehta said.
