This free event is a partnership between Interlochen and National Writers Series. 

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We are inviting Friends of the National Writers Series to a special event on Wednesday, April 8 in partnership with Interlochen at the Alluvion. That's when author Parul Kapur will be presented with the Pattis Family Foundation Creative Arts Book Award, and a $25,000 check for her stunning novel, Inside the Mirror. This complimentary event is our way of expressing our sincere gratitude for your generous support over the past year. Doors open at 6:15 p.m., with appetizers and refreshments served prior to the ceremony beginning at 7:00 p.m.

About the Book

In 1950s Bombay, Jaya Malhotra studies medicine at the direction of her father, a champion of women’s education who assumes the right to choose his daughters’ vocations. A talented painter drawn to the city’s dynamic new modern art movement, Jaya is driven by her desire to express both the pain and extraordinary force of life of a nation rising from the devastation of British rule. Her twin sister, Kamlesh, a passionate student of Bharata Natyam dance, complies with her father’s decision that she become a schoolteacher while secretly pursuing forbidden dreams of dancing onstage and in the movies.

When Jaya moves out of her family home to live with a woman mentor, she suffers grievous consequences as a rare woman in the men’s domain of art. Not only does her departure from home threaten her family’s standing and crush her reputation; Jaya loses a vital connection to Kamlesh.

Award Ceremony

Kapur will be honored at this special event and join New York Times bestselling author Doug Stanton for an onstage conversation. Stanton is a co-founder of NWS and a graduate of the Interlochen’s Creative Writing program.

About The Pattis Family Foundation

With a history originating from book and magazine publishing, The Pattis Family Foundation of Highland Park, Illinois, actively supports programs that elevate the value of the written word and intellectual inquiry. In addition to The Pattis Family Foundation Creative Arts Book Award at Interlochen, The Pattis Family Foundation Chicago Book Award is awarded annually with The Newberry Library and The Pattis Family Foundation Global Cities Award is awarded in association with Metropolis in Barcelona, Spain. Similar book awards in partnership with other leading organizations and other subject areas will be announced in the future. The Pattis Family Foundation also supports various health, educational, and cultural initiatives as well as programs that help bridge the opportunity gap for talented students with limited financial resources.