Author Maulik Pancholy Speaks to Students

Author and actor Maulik Pancholy recently spoke to members of the fourth- and fifth-grade book club and the Middle School’s GSA Just Be You! Club via Zoom. Pancholy discussed his background as an actor and his debut middle-grade novel, “The Best At It,” which tells the story of Rahul Kapoor, a gay, Indian American boy coming into his own in small-town Indiana. Pancholy, who, like his character Rahul, is gay and Indian American, said when he was younger, he loved to read. As he read, he didn’t see characters that looked like him in books. Pancholy said he began to think about what it would have been like as a 12-year-old to see himself in stories. “This story didn’t exist,” he said of “The Best At It.” “ If you have a story to tell, don’t wait for someone else to write it.” Students enjoyed Pancholy’s visit and had an opportunity to ask him questions. “This visit was made possible by a pilot program of Lambda Literary: LGBTQ Writers in Schools to extend the reach of their authors,” said Lotspeich librarian Lori Suffield.