Dr. Sonali Pattnaik is an academic, poet and visual artist. She is the author of a volume of poetry, when the flowers begin to speak by Writers Workshop, India and is the recipient of the Orange Flower Award for Poetry in English. She is visiting faculty and External Expert, Board of Studies in English at St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad. She was formerly Lecturer in English at Delhi University’s Kirori Mal College and has taught literature and film at several institutions in Delhi and Mumbai. Her poetry and art were published most recently in several print anthologies including Of Dry Tongues and Brave Hearts (eds) Reema Ahmad and Semeen Ali, Red River, Through the Looking Glass Indie Blu(e) Publishing Anthology, USA and The Kali Project: Invoking the Goddess Within, (eds.) Candice Louisa Daquin and Megha Sood, Indie Blu(e), USA. Previously they have appeared in journals and books including, The Yugen Quest Review, Muse India, Cafe Dissensus, The Indian Express newspaper, Wordgathering, Writer’s Asylum, The Shout Network and Journeys, (eds.) Anne Cockitt and Kavita Walia, Sampad, UK, 2010.

Since her years as a student in Delhi University, Sonali has been a regular participant in feminist and human rights activism. She has been invited to read her poetry on several occasions and has been a member of Women Empowered India, a literary organisation since 2021.