Writers in Conversation #1 with Shankari Chandran

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The Institute for Australian and Asian Arts and Culture (IAC), in collaboration with the Writing and Society Research Centre (WSRC) at Western Sydney University, is thrilled to welcome Shankari Chandran—winner of the 2023 Miles Franklin Literary Award for her highly acclaimed novel Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens—as the inaugural guest in the Writers in Conversation series.

Shankari Chandran was born in London to Sri Lankan Tamil parents and grew up in Canberra. She studied law at the University of New South Wales and has worked as a lawyer in the social justice field for two decades. Her literary career began in 2017 with the publication of her first two novels, Song of the Sun God and The Barrier. In 2022, she published Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens, which won the 2023 Miles Franklin Award, Australia’s most prestigious literary honour. In 2024, she published two more novels: Safe Haven and Unfinished Business.

Chandran’s works explore complex themes including race, trauma, dispossession, displacement, structural inequality, and systemic injustice. Critics have praised her remarkable ability to weave intricate narratives that challenge readers to confront uncomfortable truths while also opening their hearts and minds. Her Miles Franklin Award-winning novel, Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens, is set in a nursing home in Western Sydney founded by Sri Lankan Tamil refugees. The novel intertwines present-day narratives with flashbacks to the Sri Lankan civil war, telling a beautiful, moving, and heartbreaking story that also offers hope and warmth through its depiction of friendship and family. It has been widely acclaimed for its compelling storytelling and its unflinching examination of Australia’s cultural and racial dynamics, marking a significant contribution to contemporary Australian literature.

Chandran sees storytelling as a powerful tool for preserving cultural identity and truth-telling—giving voice to marginalised communities and uncovering hidden histories.

In this conversation, Shankari Chandran will share insights into the themes she explores in her work, her writing process, and why literary creation matters to her.

The conversation will be led by Professor Jing Han, Director of the Institute for Australian and Asian Arts and Culture and professor of translation studies. Jing completed her PhD in Modernism and Modern Australian Fiction at the University of Sydney in 1995. She is also an accomplished literary translator, having translated the modern Chinese classic Educated Youth by Ye Xin, the Miles Franklin Award-winning novel Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko, and the literary thriller Where They Lie by Claire Coughlan. She is currently translating Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens.

The conversation will also include participation from writing students at the Writing and Society Research Centre.

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