Vivek Shraya

Vivek Shraya
Born (1981-02-15) February 15, 1981
Edmonton, Alberta
Genres Electro, dance, rock
Occupation(s) Musician, Writer, Visual Artist
Labels Skinsongs
Website www.vivekshraya.com

Vivek Shraya (born February 15, 1981 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian musician, writer, and visual artist. She currently lives in Calgary, Alberta,[1] where she is an assistant professor in the creative writing program at University of Calgary.[2]

Career

Music

Shraya began writing songs at the age of 13 and released her first album, THROAT, in 2002. Since then, she has released a dozen solo albums in a range of genres and two albums with her band, Too Attached, which she and her brother, Shamik Bilgi, formed in 2015. Shraya has toured extensively in North America, both as a solo artist and with Too Attached, sharing the stage with Tegan and Sara,[3] Dragonette, Melanie C, Team Dresch, Melissa Ferrick, Brian Byrne, Greg MacPherson and Bonjay.[4]

Shraya’s 2017 album, Part-Time Woman, a collaboration with the Queer Songbook Orchestra, was named one of the 17 best Canadian albums of 2017 by CBC Arts[5] and longlisted for the 2018 Polaris Music Prize.[6]

Writing

In 2010, Shraya published her first book, God Loves Hair,[7] an illustrated collection of twenty-one linked short stories about a brown, genderqueer child growing up in immigrant family in Alberta. God Loves Hair was nominated for a 2011 Lambda Literary Award in the Children's/Young Adult category. Shraya's second book, She of the Mountains, a lyrical novel consisting of two intertwined love stories, was named one of The Globe and Mail's Best 100 Books of 2014,[8] and nominated for a 2015 Lambda Literary Award. Shraya was awarded the Honour of Distinction at the 2015 Dayne Ogilvie Awards.[9]

In 2016, Shraya released her debut poetry collection, even this page is white, an incisive exploration of the effects of everyday racism and colonialism in Canada[10] that won a 2017 Publishing Triangle award[11] and was longlisted for CBC's Canada Reads.[12] The Boy & The Bindi, a children’s picture book about a young boy’s fascination with the dot on his mother’s forehead, was also published in 2016. Shraya's first non-fiction book, I’m Afraid of Men, was released in August 2018.[13]

In 2017, Shraya partnered with Arsenal Pulp Press to create an imprint, VS Books.[14] Through VS Books, Shraya supports young writers of colour by providing mentorship though the writing and editing processes and publishing a book by a different emerging artist every year.

Media and Visual Arts

Shraya has created five short films that have screened at festivals across Canada and internationally.[15][16] In 2016, she released a photo series, Trisha, featuring old photos of her mother displayed alongside contemporary re-creations of the images with Shraya herself as the subject.[17][18] This project has been shown in galleries across North America[19] and a digital version of Trisha has circulated internationally.

Personal life

On February 15, 2016 Shraya came out as trans[20] and announced via her Facebook account that she is now using the pronouns she and her.

Discography

  • Samsara: The Sketches (2002)
  • THROAT EP (2003)
  • A Composite of Straight Lines (2005)
  • If We're Not Talking (2007)
  • If We're Not Talking Single (2008)
  • Keys & Machines (2009)
  • Part Time Woman (2017)

Books

References

  1. ↑ "Joy and rage meet in Anger, the second EP of sibling duo Too Attached". Calgary Herald. 2018-03-01. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  2. ↑ "Working It: Canada's best dressed 2018". Retrieved 2018-04-01.
  3. ↑ "Vive Le Shraya". SEE Magazine, August 24, 2006.
  4. ↑ "Bonjay and Too Attached on the limits of 'diversity'". Now, May 23, 2018.
  5. ↑ "The 17 best Canadian albums of 2017". CBC Music. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  6. ↑ "2018 Long List - Polaris Music Prize". Polaris Music Prize. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  7. ↑ "Vivek Shraya launches his first collection of short stories". Xtra!, May 5, 2010.
  8. ↑ "The Globe 100: The best books of 2014". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  9. ↑ "Alex Leslie wins 2015 Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBT Emerging Writers". Quill & Quire, June 8, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Review: Vivek Shraya's even this page is white".
  11. ↑ "Vivek Shraya wins Publishing Triangle Award | Quill and Quire". Quill and Quire. 2017-04-28. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  12. ↑ Taunton, Paul (Dec 19, 2016). "CBC Canada Reads 2017 announces longlist, including Katherena Vermette, Vivek Shraya, André Alexis". National Post. Retrieved Feb 2, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Vivek Shraya's new book I'm Afraid of Men set for fall 2018 | The Star". thestar.com. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  14. ↑ "Vivek Shraya gives writers a path through barriers with VS. Books – Broken Pencil Magazine". brokenpencil.com. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  15. ↑ "Toronto artist Vivek Shraya asks an important question in 'What I Love About Being Queer' | NIGHTLIFE.CA". Nightlife.ca. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  16. ↑ "Screening: Canadian Shorts". OUTeast Film Festival. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  17. ↑ "Why this trans artist is recreating photos of her mother | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  18. ↑ "On Becoming My Mother". Canadian Art. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  19. ↑ "Vivek Shraya's "Trisha" Blurs the Past and the Present". Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  20. ↑ "Girl, It's Your Time: Trans Artist Vivek Shraya On Finding Freedom and Wholeness". Autostraddle. 2016-05-19. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
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