Hummingbird Global Writers' Circle

The Hummingbird Global Writers’ Circle was started by Dr. Debotri Dhar in 2017. This traveling literary and cultural diplomacy initiative brings writers and communities together, in/from different parts of the world, to foster a love of books and writing, and to promote people-to-people connections, cross-cultural dialogue and global understanding. The name was inspired by that smallest of birds, the hummingbird. As Debotri wrote in a newspaper column, “tiny wings are better than none at all.” The writer as a hummingbird flies in search of home, building nests with just a few drops of nectar, a root here, a leaf there, and a little bit of sky.  (Read 'A Hummingbird-Inspired Writers' Circle,' Hindustan Times, New Delhi.) 'Hum,' the first syllable of hummingbird, means 'WE,' us, as Indians - Hum Hindustani - as some members of India's public had noticed and as the 2017 article  mentions, so this writers' circle also creatively connects India and the global Indian diaspora with the world.

Dr. Dhar floated the idea during her book reading on a winter evening in Manhattan, and it was greeted with enthusiasm by friends and fellow-writers who had gathered around a cozy fireplace, in the beautifully book-bound Tribeca home of Dr. Josephine Diamond. Later, a fun logo was contributed by California-based celebrity designer David Alcorn. Literary meets of the Hummingbird circle have been held in New York, Michigan, California, Wisconsin, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, Georgia (Atlanta), and Mumbai. The diverse venues have included heritage homes, colleges and universities such as the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at the University of Michigan and the Vermont College of Fine Arts; indie bookstores such as Portland’s Broadway Books, Corte Madera’s Book Passage, and Atlanta's A Capella Books; literary and educational non-profits such as Write on, Door County in Wisconsin; five-star hotels such as the Fairmont; and even outdoors, against a natural backdrop of the majestic Sierra Nevada mountains. (Also read 'Writer as Hummingbird: Write On Hosts Hummingbird Global Writers' Circle' by Celeste Benzschawel, Peninsula Pulse  https://doorcountypulse.com/writer-as-hummingbird/

Talented authors who have participated in Hummingbird meets include the Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, American Academy of Arts and Letters and Guggenheim Awardee Dr. Linda Gregerson, New York Times bestselling novelist David James Poissant, novelist and Pacific Northwest Writers Association Awardee Dan Berne, Whiting Award winner and Professor of Fiction Dr. John Holman, Oregon Literary Fellowship, Ohio Arts Council, and University of Wisconsin-Madison Fellow Dr. Danielle Deulen, Emory University Creative Writing Fellow and Northwestern artist-in-residence Maya Marshall, NYU instructor Maureen Brady who leads the fantastic New York Writers Workshop, winner of the Utah Book Award for Nonfiction and New Mexico-Arizona Book Award Sean Prentiss, Oregon book awardee Deborah Reed, YA novelist and beloved writing coach Jen Violi, publisher of the acclaimed Forest Avenue Press Laura Stanfill, Commonwealth Writers Prize and Horatio Nelson Fiction Prize finalist Murzban Shroff, New Delhi-based writer and journalist Parvati Sharma (Read Sharma's poignant essay on the overturning of Article 377 by the Indian Supreme Court in Outlook World Top Pick and Firstpost Pick Love Is Not a Word: The Culture and Politics of Desire by Debotri Dhar | Goodreads), and numerous others, all of whom Hummingbird is honored to have hosted.

The Circle’s events are free, and strive to bridge university-community and local-global divides. Each literary meet consists of guided conversations around a theme (e.g. ‘Writing Gender,’ ‘Work), with established and emerging writers reading from their books, discussing interpretations of the theme, and sharing tips related to craft and the writing life. e.g. The Vermont theme was 'Myth,' where Debotri read from her story 'A Flute Called Radha' (Penguin Random House), while the Dallas theme of 'Home,' with Lopa Bannerjee and Joe Milazzo, included a discussion on immigrant literature. (Read 'A Sense of Belonging' by Debotri, https://openthemagazine.com/lounge/books/bharati-mukherjee-a-sense-of-belonging  

As an effort in cultural diplomacy, food features prominently in-person meets, venue permitting - imagine samosas, paneer pakoras and dhania chutney, Indian favorites for a rainy evening,  alongside other tasty culinary tidbits from different regions. But the most important part of Hummingbird is the forging of friendships across borders and boundaries. 

For photos of past events, please see gallery below. To learn more details about the circle’s past and future activities, or to participate in our free community events, please follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/The-Hummingbird-Global-Writers-Circle-291948757937161/?fref=mentions&pnref=story

The Hummingbird Global Leaders Forum is Debotri Dhar's initiative to promote policy leadership across sectors, engage with global debates in gender and diversity, and highlight India's efforts and achievements. The forum's vision is shaped by Dr. Dhar's research, policy engagements, and decade-plus experience as an educator.  HGLF has 4 key areas of dialogue: and discussion.

Democracy, culture, and rights; 

Education, entrepreneurship, and economic innovation;

Health, human security, and sustainable development;

 Peace, foreign policy, and diplomacy

Dr. Dhar also writes on these topics in scholarly and popular publications, such as her newspaper column on global affairs in the Deccan Chronicle and the Asian Age.  For books, please see Debotri Dhar ed. Education and Gender, Bloomsbury London, New York, for chapters on education policy pertaining to gender issues in the UK by Mike Younger, University of Cambridge; on US policies on women's participation in STEM fields by Harvard-trained economist Yana Rodgers; and non-profit practices for promoting girls' education and well-being in rural Kenya by Katie Orlemanski and Brandeis Dean Dorothy Hodgson etc. For a South Asia and Indo-Pacific focus, see H Letchamanan and D Dhar coed. Education in South Asia and the Indian Ocean Islands, Bloomsbury, for chapters on education and health in humanitarian settings, gender and ICTs in Bangladesh, culture and education in Bhutan, educational trajectories in India, higher education in Nepal and Sri Lanka; education aid, and inclusive growth.

 Research goes hand-in-hand with real-world policy engagements.  Dr. Dhar's policy work has been interdisciplinary and intersectoral, such as consulting on education and inclusion programs for a UN-supported rural development non-profit; researching how to tackle gender violence faced by immigrants for a nonprofit series through the US Department of Justice's Office of Violence Against Women; volunteering with local individuals and communities through a state counseling center in north India; providing insights on financial policy and socially-conscious investing; providing pro-bono legal advice for a court proceeding in Michigan; and leading a university team for a policy research project on gender-based violence, as a part of a public diplomacy initiative by the US government's Office of Global Collaborations.

Dr. Dhar has taught numerous interdisciplinary courses at American universities and colleges, combining her research, how it shapes and is shaped by insights from across the humanities and social sciences, and applied experience across sectors. e.g. her leadership courses explore questions such as: What is the relationship between knowledge and power? How do thought leaders cultivate self-awareness, communicate vision, set actionable goals, collaborate, and measure impact? What are the strengths and limitations of diverse leadership styles?  How do traumatic experiences such as gender violence and workplace bullying impact our health and capacity to lead or be led? How can women leaders maximize individual well-being, organizational success, and systemic change? How do global policy leaders navigate difficult dialogues among economies, polities, and societies? Since today's students are tomorrow's leaders, Debotri has organized seminars and panels, and designed practicums as well as a leadership series where, for more than a decade, inspiring women leaders across sectors visited her classes to talk informally about their journeys, obstacles, accomplishments, and share advice.

Past distinguished speakers included Dr. Mohini Giri, ex-Chairperson, National Commission of Women, India (Policies for South Asian Women's Empowerment); Singapore-based literary entrepreneur Zafar Anjum (Diversity in Publishing); Ex-Foreign Secretary and Indian Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao (Women, diplomacy, Indo-US Relations, and achievements of Indian foreign policy). Panels included 'Sexual Violence and Insecurity in South Asia,' Ford School of Public Policy, with Dr. Nayanika Mookherjee (Durham Global Security Institute), Elizabeth Threlkeld (Stimson Center, Washington DC), Dr. Naima Mohammadi (University of Pittsburgh); and on witch-hunting and policy solutions, with author and public historian Dr. Shashank Sinha and writer-editor Chinki Sinha.