Events

  Join the Central Library for a visit from novelist Shilpi Somaya Gowda, who will discuss and sign copies of her debut novel Secret Daughter. In a tiny hut in rural India, Kavita gives birth to Asha. Unable to afford the “luxury” of raising a daughter, her husband forces Kavita to give the baby up – a decision that will haunt them both for the rest of their lives. Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own. When her husband Krishnan shows her a photo of baby Asha sent to him from a Mumbai orphanage, she falls instantly in love. As she waited for the adoption to be finalized, she knew her life would change. But she was convinced that the love she already felt would overcome all obstacles. Shilpi Somaya Gowda was born and raised in Toronto to parents who migrated there from Mumbai. She holds an MBA from Stanford University and a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1991, she spent a summer as a volunteer in an Indian orphanage. She currently lives in Dallas with her husband and two daughters. Book sale by Brazos Bookstore to precede the reading. Learn more about the Houston Public Library's Author Series. 

  Featuring Usha Akella, Poet Steve Gorn, Flute   Poet Usha Akella will read from her most recent book of poems, accompanied by the internationally-renowned musician Steve Gorn. The poetry celebrates the Sufi spirit with poems of devotion, love, and yearning for the divine. The work resonates with the sanctity and dignity of the Rothko Chapel's mission and is universal in its spiritual message of love and harmony. A signing and booksale by Brazos will follow the program. Akella's book, A Face That Does Not Bear the Footprints of the World, will be available. Visit the Rothko Chapel online for more information.