Dr. Sonali Pattnaik, a multi-talented individual with a PhD and an MPhil in English, is a distinguished poet, academic, educator, and visual artist hailing from Ahmedabad, India. Formerly a Permanent Lecturer in English at Kirori Mal College, Delhi University, she currently serves as a Visiting Professor of English and External Expert on the Board of Studies in English at St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad.
Her debut poetry book, “When the Flowers Begin to Speak,” published by Writers Workshop, has been lauded as “truly a milestone in Indian feminist writing” by scholar Sudha Rai and compared to Sylvia Plath’s poetry by poet Candice Louisa Daquin. Notably, it was featured in the “India Bibliography” of the prestigious Journal of Commonwealth Literature (Sage, 2022).
Dr. Pattnaik’s accolades include The Orange Flower Award for Poetry 2022, the WE Illumination Award 2023, the WE Gifted Poet Award 2023, and the International Excellence Award 2023. Her works have been featured in international anthologies and journals, including “Madness: An Anthology of World Poetry,” “The Kali Project,” and “Through the Looking Glass.”
As an academic, she has contributed extensively to the field, with research papers and book chapters published by esteemed publishers like Orient Black Swan and international journals such as Intersections and Fem Asia. Her critical work on the film “Omkara” has been included in the syllabus of Mahatma Gandhi University.
Born in Odisha and educated in prestigious institutions across the country, Dr. Pattnaik’s teaching career spans over twenty-two years, covering Literature, Gender studies, and Film Studies. She is actively involved in advocacy for gender equality and a gender-just society.
Currently, she is working on a book exploring Bollywood cinema and corporeal subjectivity, to be published by Orient Black Swan, and a novel inspired by her childhood experiences in post-independence Odisha. Balancing her roles as a writer, educator, artist, and parent, she remains dedicated to her pursuits and advocacy for equality.
