The Cheuse Center at the 2023 Annapolis Book Fair
Saturday, April 29, 2023 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM EDT
The Key School: 534 Hillsmere Dr, Annapolis, MD 21403
The Cheuse Center is thrilled to take part again in the 2026 Annapolis Book Festival on May 2 2026.
Where: Science Library Center, 101-102
When: 4pm
Festival Web site: https://www.keyschool.org/community/annapolis-book-festival/festival-panels
Manil Suri, author of numerous books of fiction and non fiction, including his latest memoir, 'A Room in Bombay' (WW Norton) will be in conversation with Cheuse Center Director, Leeya Mehta. Both writers grew up in Bombay and look forward to delving deep into 'A Room in Bombay'. Mehta's forthcoming novel, 'Extinction' (Simon and Schuster, October 2026) is set in Bombay and Washington.
A best-selling novelist turns to memoir in this compelling story of a son’s love, a mother’s obsession, and the malevolent grip of the past.
About 'A Room in Bombay':
Indian American author Manil Suri grew up in a large crumbling apartment in Bombay (now Mumbai) which his parents, who were Hindu, shared with three Muslim families. Their single room, at times a refuge from the religious and territorial tensions pervading the apartment, was also a prison that held them captive—his parents stuck in an unhappy marriage, the author unable to explore the dawning realization he might be gay. At age 20, Suri managed to break free and come to the US, where he finally found the freedom to embrace his sexuality and find a life partner. But the room, which still held his parents hostage, kept wrenching him back to Bombay.
By now real estate prices had risen so much that neighbors had begun conspiring to take over the room, causing Suri’s parents to dig in even more. Eventually it was only his mother, Prem, left, who had staked all her happiness on her son but was unable to escape the room’s hold on her. When a rash of mysterious incidents seemed to beset the room, Suri realized how little time he had left to convince Prem that a happier life might await beyond the four walls that both enthralled and imprisoned her.
This remarkable, gripping memoir explores how an abode can shape destiny, while delving into the difficult question of how much to prioritize our parents’ happiness over our own. Inspired by over 2,700 letters the author wrote home over three decades, it is ultimately a testament to the abiding, unbreakable bond tying a son to his mother.
About Manil Suri:
Manil Suri is the internationally acclaimed author of The Death of Vishnu and other books. His work has been translated into twenty-seven languages and received several honors, including winning the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize, and being longlisted for the Booker Prize. He is a distinguished professor of mathematics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and lives with his husband in Silver Spring, Maryland.
https://www.manilsuri.com
About Leeya Mehta:
Mehta’s novel, Extinction, is forthcoming with Simon and Schuster, India (October 6 2026). She is a prize-winning poet, fiction writer, podcaster and essayist, widely published in the US, India, UK, and Austria, including in the Times of India, Poetry London, the Beloit Poetry Journal, the Penguin Book of Modern Indian Poets and in Red Hen Press’s Future Work. Her poetry chapbook A Story of the World Before the Fence “is a lush, lyrical study of memory and history,” writes Tim Seibles. She graduated from Oxford and Georgetown, and is currently the Director of the Alan Cheuse International Writers Center at George Mason University, where she was honored with Faculty Member of the Year (2025), and the Faculty Civic Excellence Award (2024). Her collaborative project received American graphic design awards for their 13-month long Baldwin100 project, celebrating James Baldwin’s centennial. Mehta grew up in Bombay. After travels to Japan and the Arctic borderlands, she moved to Washington DC to work at the World Bank. https://leeyamehta.com/
From the festival website:
The Annapolis Book Festival offers a full day of author panels, family and children's activities, and live entertainment.
The Festival is free and open to all and attendees are encouraged to make a day of it. We're certain you'll find something to appeal to everyone. If you need help deciding where to go or what to do, we'll have dozens of volunteers on hand to answer questions and provide suggestions.
Food trucks will be on-site to provide refreshments. If you're in the market for some new reading materials, don't forget to browse our Scholastic and used book sales. And check out the raffle baskets for some incredible prizes!
This page will be updated in the near future with details about the Cheuse Center's panels. In the meantime, mark your calendars for a wonderful day of literature, fun, and community!
