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(Hayward, Calif., August 22, 2022) - Empowering her students through reading and writing, Chabot College’s Professor of English Samantha Rajaram seeks to promote equity in education and publishing, including mentoring an author that has been grabbing headlines and the attention of media mogul Oprah Winfrey.
Being a published author herself, Rajaram’s passion for enhancing the voices of LGBTQ+ and writers of color led her to guide and collaborate with Leila Mottley, the youngest ever author in Oprah’s Book Club. At just 20 years of age, Mottley is a New York Times bestseller and Booker Prize nominee with her first publication, “Nightcrawling.”
In 2019, Rajaram became a first-time mentor for Pitch Wars, a volunteer program where published and agented authors, editors or industry interns choose one writer to advise. Rajaram singled out Mottley’s manuscript “Nightcrawling” through the application process, expressing her love for both the lead character and the setting in Oakland, Calif.
For four months, Rajaram worked with Mottley to refine her manuscript, mainly assisting her with the plot structuring, pitch, and query letter used to attract multiple agents to her work. Finally, the hard work paid off as Mottley signed with New York-based boutique literary firm, The Friedrich Agency.
Rajaram called mentoring Mottley a delight.
“Lelia’s unique voice immediately took my attention, and her characters felt entirely real and fully formed,” said Rajaram. “But what I most admire about Leila is her perseverance and dedication to the deep work of writing. Writing is never easy, and she took her deadlines and goals seriously. As with all my mentees, it was a great pleasure to work with and learn from her.”
Mottley’s novel “Nightcrawling” can be found here.
Rajaram is currently working on a second and third novel following the successful launch of her first historical book, “The Company Daughters,” which won the Golden Crown Literary award for a debut novel and was a finalist for the Bisexual Book Awards. In addition, she is thrilled to be teaching a new Asian-American literature class at Chabot this fall and continuing her work with the college's Asian Pacific Islander community, all while raising three teenagers at home.
Rajaram’s novel “The Company Daughters” can be found here.
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