Rhode Island
...The Atlantic I grew up with lacks the color and warmth of the Caribbean, the grandeur of the Pacific, the romance of the Mediterranean. It is generally cold, and full of rust- colored seaweed. Still, I prefer it. The waters of Rhode Island, as much a part of the state's character, if not more, as the land, never asked us questions, never raised a brow. Thanks to its very lack of welcome, its unwavering indifference, the ocean always made me feel accepted, and to my dying day, the seaside is the only place where I can feel truly and recklessly happy....
Indian American short story writer and novelist. Lahiri was born in London to Bengali Indian immigrant parents who, when she was three years old, moved the family to the United States and settled in Kingston, Rhode Island. She earned her B.A. from Barnard College; at Boston University she earned three master's degrees and a Ph.D. in Renaissance Studies. After her short stories were rejected for publication they were collected in The Interpreter of Maladies (1999), a winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize. In her novel The Namesake (2003) and her second story collection, Unaccustomed Earth (2008), Lahiri continues to focus on the experience of Indian immigrants and their children. See also randomhouse.com/kvpa/jhumpalahiri. 