Quick Info→
Age: 49 Years
Nationality: Indian American
Marital Status: Divorced
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Profession(s) | • Poet • Editor • Former Literature Professor |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Grey |
| Career | |
| Notable Works | Anthology (co-writer): A Field Guide to Southern China (2019)  Anthology (Poet): Instrumentality (2004) |
| Awards | • 2009: University-level Trustees Research Award as a faculty member at CSUS • 2009: A fellowship award from The Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism • 2011: National Poetry Review Prize for his book Deepening Groove (2011) • 2014: Glenna Luschei Award from Prairie Schooner • 2017: Muse India Translation Award • 2017: Rhode Island State Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship • Pushcart Prize |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 13 January 1975 (Monday) |
| Age (as of 2024) | 49 Years |
| Birthplace | Washington, DC, USA |
| Zodiac sign | Capricorn |
| Nationality | American |
| School | • MAK Convent School, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| College/University | • University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States • Columbia University, New York City, United States |
| Educational Qualification(s) | • Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia (1992-1996) • An MFA from Columbia University (1997-2000) • A PhD in Media and Communication from the University of Sydney (2021) |
| Religion | Hinduism  |
| Food Habit | Non-Vegetarian |
| Controversy | Promoted while in prison In 2014, while Ravi Shankar was serving a two-week portion of a 90-day-long pre-trial jail sentence for credit card fraud and drunk driving, he was promoted to the rank of full-time professor by Connecticut's Board of Regents for Higher Education as he worked at Central Connecticut State University, Connecticut, as a poet resident and associate English professor. The news spread and all the local media covered the incident with the same headline "Poet Professor promoted while in prison." The person in-charge of the promotion, CCSU President Dr. Jack Miller, was blamed for the mishap; however, through an official statement, he revealed that he did not have any idea about Ravi Shankar's incarceration until after the promotion was finalised. He said, "This is a very complex situation, but the simple answer is, it was my responsibility to inform the Board of Regents and I did not. At the time of the Board action I was not aware that Professor Shankar had been incarcerated. I have asked my staff to conduct a full investigation of all of the legal actions, when we knew of them, and the various processes involved.” After he was free from prison, Ravi Shankar filed a complaint against the public university system of Central Connecticut. He won a settlement of $60,409, which was paid by the college authority in exchange for his resignation. check sources CT Mirror |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Divorced |
| Affairs/Girlfriends | Julie (writer) (2018-present)  |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Parker (Divorced) |
| Children | Son- None Daughter(s)- 2 • Samara Shankar  • Talia Shankar  |
| Parents | Father- K.H. Shankar (Engineer) Mother- Rajeswari Krishnan (Homemaker)  |
| Siblings | Brother- None Sister- 2 (Names Not Known)  |
| Favourites | |
| Food | Pav Bhaaji |
Ravi Shankar was born in Washington, DC, USA, but later moved to Virginia, United States.
At the age of 9, Ravi Shankar, along with his family, moved to India. He stayed in India for a year and a half before he moved back to Virginia, United States.
Ravi Shankar’s childhood picture
He scored 1480 marks on the GRE in 1999.
In 1999, Ravi Shankar started an electronic journal titled Drunken Boat.
Ravi Shankar has published more than 15 books and chapbooks of poetry, including “Many Uses of Mint: New and Selected Poems: 1998-2018,” What Else Could It Be, and A Field Guide to Southern China (2019).
Ravi Shankar’s literary work has appeared in many renowned newspapers and magazines including Paris Review, Fulcrum, McSweeney’s, the AWP Writer’s Chronicle, and Scribner’s Best American Erotic Poems.
His Literary work has been translated into more than 12 languages including French, German, Spanish, Hindi, Italian, and Bengali.
Ravi Shankar has edited many literary works including Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from Asia, the Middle East & Beyond (2008), Radha Says: Final Poems of Reetika Vazirani (2010), and The Golden Shovel Anthology: New Poems Honoring Gwendolyn Brooks (2017).
In 2004, Ravi Shankar published Instrumentality, which became a finalist for the 2005 Connecticut Book Awards.
In 2009, he received the Summer Literary Seminars fellowship in Kenya.
In 2010, Ravi Shankar won a settlement worth $15,000 against the New York Police Department. Ravi Shankar filed a case against the NYPD after he was stopped while he was driving in New York City in 2008 and was put in jail for 72 hours. Shankar later shared his story with the National Public Radio in America and won the settlement.
In 2011, Ravi Shankar was appointed as the Chairman of the Connecticut Young Writers Trust.
In 2016, he was appointed as a permanent faculty member of the New York Writers Workshop.
In 2016, Ravi Shankar translated the works of Tamil poet/saint Andal in English along with the Indian poet Priya Sarukkai Chabria for which he won the 2016/2017 Muse India Translation Award at the Hyderabad Literary Festival. check sources First Post
In 2018, The Hindu featured him in an article and named him the “diaspora icon.” check sources The Hindu
In 2018, he appeared as a guest speaker at the Jaipur Literature Festival.
Ravi Shankar has received fellowships from numerous institutes including the Corporation of Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, the Jentel Foundation, the Atlantic Center for the Arts, and the Blue Mountain Center.
In 2021, Ravi received the International Research Fellowship to research the Puritanical roots and racial demographics of mass incarceration in the United States of America from the University of Sydney.
In 2021, he wrote a memoir titled “Correctional,” which included incidents from his life. It includes incidents like his parents’ immigration from South India to the United States and his own experience of facing racism and going to prison in the United States.
An American historian and scholar H. Bruce Franklin described Ravi Shankar’s memoir as a brave voyage of discovery and said,
A brave voyage of discovery, Correctional is a real odyssey, barely making it home after navigating treacherous cultural and psychological waters. Thanks to Shankar’s brilliant writing and admirable honesty, we relive his harrowing, but eventually inspiring, personal saga. And his deep insights into our justice system are alone worth the price of admission.”
Ravi Shankar holding the book Correctional
Ravi Shankar is also the chairman of the Asia Pacific Writers & Translators (APWT).
Ravi Shankar at Asia Pacific Writers & Translators
Ravi Shankar has taught at many institutes across the globe including Wesleyan University Summer Writing Conference, City University of Hong Kong, Eastern Mediterranean University in Cyprus, and Sun Yat-Sen University in China.
In March 2023, Ravi Shankar appeared at a TEDx Talk event at Tufts University, Massachusetts.
Ravi Shankar at TUFTS University
During an interview, Ravi Shankar talked about being a diasporic writer and said that he is an ABCD (American Born Confused Desi). He said,
In the common parlance, I’m ABCD, an American Born Confused Desi, someone whose very displacement is a source of parody.”
Ravi Shankar enjoys travelling and has visited many countries including Singapore, Italy, India, and Myanmar.
Ravi Shankar loves dogs and owns two pet dogs named Annie, and Rishi, and he often uploads their pictures on his social media accounts.
A screenshot of Ravi Shankar’s Instagram post about his dog
Ravi Shankar loves adventure sports and has done many including Ziplining and skydiving .
Ravi Shankar skydiving in New Zealand in 2018
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In 2014, while Ravi Shankar was serving a two-week portion of a 90-day jail sentence, he was promoted to full-time professor by Connecticut's Board of Regents for Higher Education. The promotion occurred without the knowledge of his incarceration, leading to a settlement and his resignation.
In 2010, Ravi Shankar won a $15,000 settlement against the New York Police Department after being wrongfully detained for 72 hours in 2008.
Ravi Shankar earned a PhD in Media and Communication from the University of Sydney in 2021.
