Chandra Prasad

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Chandra Prasad is a writer and editor with an established track record in both fiction and nonfiction. She is the author, most recently, of On Borrowed Wings, a novel set in Depression-era Connecticut.

A graduate of Yale, Prasad is the originator and editor of, and a contributor to, Mixed: An Anthology of Short Fiction on the Multiracial Experience, which was published to international acclaim by W.W. Norton in 2006. A combination of Indian, Italian, Swedish, and English, Prasad drew inspiration from her own multiracial identity in assembling the book, which includes material by Danzy Senna, Rebecca Walker, Ruth Ozeki, and Mat Johnson, among other prominent and emerging writers. Bliss Broyard calls the anthology "nuanced, thoughtful, and deeply human."

Always interested in issues of identity, Prasad decided that the circus, with its motley cast and meritocratic pecking order, would be the perfect setting for another one of her books: Death of a Circus. Before writing Prasad spent months researching traveling shows of the early twentieth century and speaking with circus historians and present-day performers. The result, says Tom Perrotta, is a work of fiction brimming with "Dickensian verve, a keen eye for historical detail, and lots of heart."

Prasad is also the author of the popular career guide Outwitting the Job Market and scores of articles on diversity and the workplace. Her works have appeared in The New York Times Magazine and The Wall Street Journal, among others. In addition, her short stories have been printed in numerous literary forums, including Faultline, the University of California at Irvine's Pushcart prize-winning journal.

Prasad is currently at work on a new novel.