Dr Sonali Pattnaik (Phd) is a poet, academic, educator and visual artist from India. She was formerly Lecturer in English (Permanent) at Kirori Mal College, Delhi University and currently Visiting Professor of English and Outside Expert, Board of Studies at St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad.
Her debut book of poetry when the flowers begin to speak published by Writers Workshop has been described by writer and scholar Sudha Rai as “truly a milestone in Indian feminist writing” and as reminiscent of Sylvia Plath’s poetry by renowned poet Candice Louisa Daquin and was featured in the “India Bibliography” of the prestigious Journal of Commonwealth Literature.
She is the recipient of The Orange Flower Award for Poetry 2022, the WE Illumination Award 2023, the WE Gifted Poet Award 2023 and the International Excellence Award, 2023. Her poetry and art have been published in several international anthologies including Madness: An Anthology of World Poetry, The Kali Project and Of Brave Hearts and Dry Tongues and journals including, Dissident Voice, Muse India, Yugen Quest Review, Parcham, Cafe Dissensus, Setu Bilingual, Fem Asia, The Bombay Review and The Indian Express. She has been shortlisted for the Orange Flower Award for Writing with Social Impact 2022, the Orange Flower Award for Writing on Parenting, 2021 and the Wordweavers Poetry Award, 2021. She is a well published academic with several book chapters and international journal publications to her credit and her research paper on the film Omkara was recently republished by Worldview for students of Delhi University. Her critical work has been published as book chapters by Orient Black Swan, Primus, Worldview and in prestigious journals such as Intersections, FemAsia and Tehelka.
Born in Odisha, she has lived and worked in various cities of the country and abroad. An alumna of Woodstock School, Lady Shri Ram College (BA English), St. Stephen’s College (MA English), Faculty of Arts University of Delhi (MPhil English) and University of Mumbai (PhD English) she has taught Literature, Gender studies and Film to students of several prestigious universities of India for over twenty two years. Her book, based on her work on Bollywood cinema and corporeal subjectivity is forthcoming from Orient Black Swan, India.