Books

Writer and musician Vivek Shraya to explore impulse to reinvent ourselves in new book

People Change will be published on Jan. 4, 2022. See the cover now!

People Change will be published on Jan. 4, 2022

People Change is a book by Vivek Shraya. (Penguin Canada, Ariane Laezza)

Vivek Shraya's next book, People Change, will be a nonfiction book about "the secrets to a life of reinvention."

The book is due on Jan. 4, 2022.

Shraya is a celebrated Canadian artist whose work in music, writing and visual art often transcends and overlaps with one another. Her books include the novel The Subtweetthe bestselling long-form essay I'm Afraid of Men and graphic novel Death Threat.

In People Change, Shraya explores the human impulse to reinvent ourselves. She goes back to her childhood love for Madonna and her roots in Hinduism to find answers for her ever-present desire for change.

The book is getting early praise, with actor Elliot Page describing it as "a deeply generous and honest gift to the world."

Toronto Pride Grand Marshal Vivek Shraya opens up about her art and its inspiration

8 years ago
Duration 4:39
In this segment, artist Vivek Shraya discusses her relationship with her mother, masculinity, and Toronto Pride.

As a multi-disciplinary artist, Shraya has accumulated honours and nominations across the many fields she's works in, including a Polaris Prize nomination for the album Part-Time Woman and seven Lambda Literary Award nominations.

Shraya is the founder of the imprint VS Books and an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of Calgary. She's currently working with the support of CBC to adapt her one-woman show, How to Fail As a Popstar, into a television series.

"Every time I'm creating work, I'm always sort of thinking about how to make sure I'm doing the things that I'm doing in ways that are aligned with my vision. But that is also, hopefully, in service of my communities," said Shraya in a recent interview with CBC Books.

"It's a difficult balance because communities are not a monolith. It's also having to reconcile the fact that you might piss people off."

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