Mohini Dasari is an Indian American writer and surgeon who grew up in New England but also spent two years as a teenager going to school in India. She trained in Bharatanatyam, the oldest Indian classical dance form, for almost a decade before performing her arangetram, or debut performance, at age nineteen. Mohini has always felt like she was straddling two cultures, growing up in America but identifying with a lot of the cultural and mythological aspects of India and Hinduism. Her study and love of Indian dance, and the stories that are heavily represented in it, inspired many aspects of her debut novel, Shaila’s Dance (2026, Girl Friday Productions). Her literary work (poetry & prose) has appeared in The Write Launch, Crack the Spine, and Literary Liniment. Her opinion pieces have appeared in The Seattle Times, Doximity and KevinMD. She enjoys advocating for change in medical culture by sharing her own experiences as a physician and trainee. She lives in Washington state with her family, including her moody 9-pound dog and spirit animal, Hamilton. To learn more, visit her website or find her on Instagram @modawrites