Photographer: Alison Sheehy
,Jyoti Rajan Gopal is an award-winning picture book author, mom and forever kindergarten teacher. Her books have received starred reviews in Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, School and Library Journal, Book List, and Book Page and are on the Bank Street, NYPL and SLJ Best Books lists. She is the recipient of an ALA 2024 Stonewall Book Honor Award and a finalist for the 2023 Neev Literature Award.
Jyoti writes stories - fiction and nonfiction - of identity, community and belonging, themes that speak to her heart, that reflect her multiple identities.
Growing up, she lived in Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, India and China. She now lives in New York with her husband, where they raised their two daughters.
When not writing or teaching, she loves to read - a lot! - work in her garden, dance and explore the many New York State Park trails.
Ten fun facts about Jyoti:
1. She appeared in an ad for Super Mi (a ramen brand in Indonesia) when she was in elementary school.
2. She knows way too much about worms - like really, way too much. Hey, they're fabulous decomposers...
3. She can speak several languages - some really well, some meh.
4. Her favorite dessert is tiramisu - but also, laddoos are super yum.
5. She went swimming with whale sharks in Tanzania - it was very cool!
6. She loves to snorkel but you won't catch her trying to scuba dive, nope, no thank you.
7. She wants to learn how to drive a scooter - and yes, one day, she will.
8. She has to travel a lot by planes but she hates flying - ugh.
9. Kayaking is super fun. Cruise ships, pass.
10. She loves meeting readers and getting fan mail - so reach out to her and say hello!
You can find her on Blusky, Instagram, Facebook and Linked In. Or connect with her through the Contact page of this site.
She is represented by Wendi Gu of HG Literary.
Jyoti writes stories - fiction and nonfiction - of identity, community and belonging, themes that speak to her heart, that reflect her multiple identities.
Growing up, she lived in Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, India and China. She now lives in New York with her husband, where they raised their two daughters.
When not writing or teaching, she loves to read - a lot! - work in her garden, dance and explore the many New York State Park trails.
Ten fun facts about Jyoti:
1. She appeared in an ad for Super Mi (a ramen brand in Indonesia) when she was in elementary school.
2. She knows way too much about worms - like really, way too much. Hey, they're fabulous decomposers...
3. She can speak several languages - some really well, some meh.
4. Her favorite dessert is tiramisu - but also, laddoos are super yum.
5. She went swimming with whale sharks in Tanzania - it was very cool!
6. She loves to snorkel but you won't catch her trying to scuba dive, nope, no thank you.
7. She wants to learn how to drive a scooter - and yes, one day, she will.
8. She has to travel a lot by planes but she hates flying - ugh.
9. Kayaking is super fun. Cruise ships, pass.
10. She loves meeting readers and getting fan mail - so reach out to her and say hello!
You can find her on Blusky, Instagram, Facebook and Linked In. Or connect with her through the Contact page of this site.
She is represented by Wendi Gu of HG Literary.