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Everyone talks about falling in love, but falling in friendship can be just as captivating. When Neela Devaki's song is covered by internet-famous artist Rukmini, the two musicians meet and a transformative friendship begins.

But as Rukmini's star rises and Neela's stagnates, jealousy and self-doubt creep in. With a single tweet, their friendship implodes, one career is destroyed, and the two women find themselves at the center of an internet firestorm.

Celebrated multidisciplinary artist Vivek Shraya's second novel is a stirring examination of making art in the modern era, a love letter to brown women, an authentic glimpse into the music industry, and a nuanced exploration of the promise and peril of being seen.

Shraya is a writer, artist and musicianfrom Alberta. Her booksinclude the novelShe of the Mountains, the poetry collectioneven this page is white,the essayI'm Afraid of Menand the comic bookDeath Threat.

• Vivek Shraya on the power of unpacking pain and writing with urgency
• Vivek Shraya chronicles the pain and beauty of growing up outside gender norms
• Vivek Shraya & Ness Lee's Death Threat aims to spark conversations about online trolling and abuse
• Vivek Shraya on the necessary risks of queer writing
• With book I'm Afraid of Men, Vivek Shraya unpacks the fearlessness of living your truth
• 47 works of Canadian fiction to watch for in spring 2020
• 16 Canadian books to read for Pride Month
• The CBC Books 2020 summer reading list
• 18 books for the music fan this holiday season

Interviews with Vivek Shraya

More with Anna Maria Tremonti53:57Vivek Shraya is a Debbie Downer

Multi-artist Vivek Shraya has turned out some pretty grim-sounding titles. Her books Death Threat and Im Afraid of Men opened a lot of eyes to the trans experience. And her latest work is an autobiographical play called How to Fail as a Popstar. All of which, Vivek jokes, make her sound like a Debbie Downer. But when it comes to heavy topics like fear and hate which Vivek has experienced more than most she manages to infuse the conversation with humour and hope. Listen to her chat with Anna Maria Tremonti, and you may walk away knowing the difference between good fear and bad fear, and how to turn bad fear into something good.

Toronto Pride Grand Marshal Vivek Shraya opens up about her art and its inspiration

8 years ago

Duration 4:39

In this segment, artist Vivek Shraya discusses her relationship with her mother, masculinity, and Toronto Pride.