Purvi Shah Explained

Purvi Shah
Occupation:	writer and social justice activist
Notable Works:	Terrain Tracks Miracle Marks
Genre:	poetry

Purvi Shah is a writer and social justice activist, known for her work to enable language access and advocacy for immigrant survivors of violence.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Career

Shah is the author of three collections of poetry, Terrain Tracks (New Rivers Press, 2006), Dark Lip of the Beloved – Sound Your Fiery God-Praise (belladonna*, 2015), and Miracle Marks (Northwestern University Press, 2019).^{[4] [5] [6]} Her debut collection, Terrain Tracks, won the Many Voices Project prize and was nominated for the Asian American Writers’ Workshop Members’ Choice Award in 2007.^[7]

Of Miracle Marks, Seema Reza wrote for The Kenyon Review, "Shah traces the links of the chains that bound and continue to bind Indian women into submission and exclusion... Here the use of space is not only aesthetic, but political—the words spread like oil on water, the marks cannot be contained. The miracles compound and morph: woman in pursuit, woman as monster, woman as mark-maker and space-taker. And woman refusing: to offer herself as refuge, as sacrifice, as martyr."^[8] She has consulted with the Center for Court Innovation and the Mayor's Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, and authored the 2017 report, "Seeding Generations: New Strategies Towards Services for People who Abuse."^{[9] [10] [11]} During the 10th anniversary of 9/11, she directed Together We Are New York, a community-based poetry project to highlight Asian American voices.^[12] In addition to journals and anthologies, her work is part of public art in Iowa libraries including at Grinnell College.^{[13] [14]}

Awards

Her honors include winning the inaugural SONY South Asian Excellence Award for Social Service in 2008 for her work to end violence against women.

Education

Shah earned her B.A. in Anthropology and Comparative Literature from the University of Michigan, where she won the Virginia Voss Poetry Writing Award, and earned her M.A. in American Literature from Rutgers University.^{[15] [16]}

References

1. News: Study Finds Gaps in Aid for Non-English Speakers in State Civil Courts. The New York Times . 4 July 2009 . Schwartz . John .
2. Web site: Asylum from Domestic Violence.
3. Web site: Pakistani Rape Victim Comes to US to Speak Out for Women's Rights.
4. Web site: Terrain Tracks – New Rivers Press. www.newriverspress.com. January 2006 . en-US. 2018-05-27.
5. Web site: Chaplets B E L L A D O N N A *. www.belladonnaseries.org. en-US. 2018-05-27.
6. Web site: Staff Writer . Miracle Marks . nupress.northwestern.edu . Northwestern University Press . 23 July 2019.
7. Web site: 2006-01-01. Terrain Tracks New Rivers Press. 2021-05-26. en-US.
8. Web site: 2020-04-08. Poets on Poets: Celebrating New Collections (Part 2) « Kenyon Review Blog. 2021-05-26. The Kenyon Review. en.
9. Web site: Purvi Shah Center for Court Innovation. 2021-05-26. www.courtinnovation.org.
10. Web site: Seeding Generations: New Strategies Towards Services for People who Abuse Center for Court Innovation. 2021-05-26. www.courtinnovation.org.
11. Web site: 2018-05-02. First Lady Chirlane McCray Announces Groundbreaking City Initiative. 2021-05-26. The official website of the City of New York.
12. Web site: Together We Are NY. 2021-05-26. Kundiman. en-US.
13. Web site: Burling Participates in a Public Art Installation Project.
14. Web site: "Public Writing, Public Libraries".
15. Web site: 2007-03-25. NYC EVENT: Poetry Reading, Slide Show, and Book Signing with Purvi Shah, Apr 3, 2007 @ 12:30pm. 2021-05-26. Anil Kalhan. en-US.
16. Web site: Purvi Shah, Asian American Studies — Hunter College. 2021-05-26. www.hunter.cuny.edu.