SONALI
MISRA
Sonali Misra decided at a young age that if she was ever going to be stuck working at a desk, it would be for something she enjoyed. She mapped out her life accordingly (or at least she likes to think so), so that it would revolve around her passion for words and stories. She began writing at the age of eight and has now released her debut nonfiction book, 21 Fantastic Failures. She has also been published in British, Canadian and Indian anthologies.
Born and brought up in Delhi, India, Sonali studied BA (Honours) English at Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi, and worked in book publishing for four years in editorial and sales (product) roles at organisations such as Scholastic and Hachette. She then completed an MSc in Creative Writing from The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom. In the UK, she also co-founded an international literary magazine, The Selkie Publications CIC, which promotes and publishes underrepresented voices. She was on the Writers Advisory Group of Literature Alliance Scotland in 2021 and led the Society of Young Publishers (SYP) Scotland for two years as its Co-chair.
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Presently a resident of Edinburgh, Sonali is pursuing her PhD in Publishing Studies at the University of Stirling and working on her first novel. She is a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award 2023 winner in the Children and YA category for her novel. She was also awarded a spot on Gothenburg's UNESCO City of Literature one-month writing residency in 2022.