Explore themes of identity, belonging, resilience, and self-discovery in Midnight’s Daughter, Sarita Sarvate’s debut memoir and winner of the 2025 International Voices in Creative Nonfiction Competition. Crossing continents and cultures, the memoir traces one woman’s search for her voice while examining racism, colonialism, motherhood, and the patriarchal forces that shape women’s lives, including the hidden roots of her mother’s mental illness. Rooted & Written co-director Sabina Khan-Ibarra interviews Sarvate about the memoir and her writing journey. Book sales and signing follow the event, courtesy of Noe Valley Books.
Sarita Sarvate is the winner of the 2025 International Voices in Creative Nonfiction Competition. Her writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Oakland Tribune, San Jose Mercury News, Salon, NPR, KQED, and New America Media. She wrote the Last Word column for India Currents for 25 years. Sarvate is an alumna of the Hedgebrook Writers Residency and a member of the San Francisco Writers Grotto.
Sabina Khan-Ibarra is a writer and educator based in Northern California. She holds an MFA from San Francisco State University and is a fellow of the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing and VONA. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in AGNI, Anomaly, SWWIM Every Day, Rising Phoenix Review, and iO Literary Journal, and has been recognized by CRAFT and the SmokeLong Quarterly Smokey Award. She teaches creative writing and directs Rooted & Written, a tuition-free fellowship for BIPOC writers.
Curated by Janine Kovac of The Writers Grotto, a community of working writers and narrative artists who connect in physical and virtual space, pooling their talents to support each other, mentor and teach others, and engage the wider world. The Grotto fosters a literary culture that is generous in spirit and deeply inclusive, elevating writers of all backgrounds.
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This program is part of Grotto Nights at the Library.