A successful writer of fiction, poetry, drama, and literary criticism, Uma Parameswaran’s sensibility has been shaped by many cities. She was born to Tamil parents in Chennai (Madras), raised in Jabalpur, did her PhD in the United States, and then pursued an academic career in Canada. She did her BA at Jabalpur University, her MA at Nagpur University, another MA at Indiana University, and finally her PhD at Michigan State University in 1972. She won the Fulbright scholarship to study for her master’s at Indiana University. After completing her PhD, she worked as a professor of English at the University of Winnipeg, Canada, and is now a retired professor.