Sita Brahmachari

Sita Brahmachari (born March 13, 1966 in Derby, England) is a British author known for her work in children's and young adult literature. Her novels often explore themes of identity, family, and social issues. Among many other awards and industry recognition, she has had five nominations for the Carnegie Medal. She lives in North London with her husband and three children.
==Early life==
Brahmachari was born in Derby on March 13, 1966, the second of four children. She is of English and Indian heritage. She was schooled in East Yorkshire, Cumbria, and Shropshire. After completing her A-levels, Brahmachari moved to Paris, where she attended Le Cours Florent Drama College. Upon returning to England, she studied English Literature at Bristol University (1985-88) and later completed a Master of Arts in arts education from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
==Career==
In 1991, Brahmachari took a role in community theatre at The Royal Court Young People’s Theatre, mentoring local youngsters to develop their writing. She went on to create education programmes for other theatre companies, including Talawa (the UK's first black theatre company), Tamasha, and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Brahmachari's debut novel, Artichoke Hearts, which was later published as Mira in the Present Tense, was published by Macmillan in 2011. It won the 2011 Waterstones Children's Book Prize.
The following year, Brahmachari took on the position of Writer-in-Residence at the Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants. The same year, she became Patron of Reading at Fortismere School.
In 2015, Brahmachari became the writer-in-residence with Book Trust.
In September 2021, Brahmachari became a fellow of the Royal Literary Fund tutoring post-graduate students at The Courtauld Institute of Art, then, a year later, was invited onto the editorial board of Writer's Mosaic. In January 2023, she became an Associate Lecturer at Goldsmiths University, teaching in the university's Creative Writing and Education master's programme.
Brahmachari states that "work in communities and with young people has always been central to [her] research and storytelling". This has been facilitated via her additional work within education and the community, including her role as a human rights ambassador for Amnesty International. 
==Awards and recognitions==
In 2018, Tender Earth was on the IBBY honour list for writing. In 2019, Where the River Runs Gold was selected as the Waterstone's Children’s Book of the Month. In 2020, When Secrets Set Sail was selected as a Blackwell’s Children’s Book of the Month. In 2021, When Shadows Fall was named one of the best children's books of the year by The Guardian, The Times, and Five Books.
Awards for Brahmachari's writing
Year	Title 	Award 	Result 	Ref.
2011	Artichoke Hearts 	Waterstones Children's Books Prize 	Winner 	
2012	Artichoke Hearts 	Redbridge Children's Book Award 	Winner 	
2012	Artichoke Hearts 	Romantic Novel of the Year for Young Adult	Nominee 	
2012	Artichoke Hearts 	Carnegie Medal 	Nominee 	
2013	Jasmine Skies 	Carnegie Medal 	Longlist 	
2016	Red Leaves 	Carnegie Medal 	Nominee 	
2018	Tender Earth 	Little Rebels Award 	Shortlist	
2018	Worry Angels 	Jhalak Prize 	Longlist 	
2023	When Shadows Fall	Carnegie Medal 	Shortlist	
==Publications==
===Novels===
====Standalone books====
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====Mira Levin series====
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===Novellas===
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===Plays===
* Based on the original illustrated novel by Shaun Tan. 
===Contributions===
* Re-Imagine India-UK Cultural Relations in the 21st Century (Bloomsbury 2014)
* I'll Be Home for Christmas (Little Tiger 2016)
* Here I Stand (Walker Books 2016)
* A Country of Refuge (Unbound 2016)
* A Country to Call Home (Unbound 2018)
* Diverse Shorts (The English and Media Centre 2018)
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* The Book of Hopes (Bloomsbury Children's Books 2020)
* Iridescent Adolescent (The English and Media Centre 2020)
* Letters From Lockdown (Hodder & Stoughtonhttps://littletiger.co.uk/ 2021)
* Poems for Schools (Magma Poetry 2023)
Category:1966 births
Category:People from Derby
Category:British people	
Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol
Category:Author