Teja was born in Chennai, India, but spent most of their life in Lexington, Kentucky. Teja has been passionate about writing from a young age, and used poetry to navigate their immigrant identity. They eventually got their MFA in Poetry at Indiana University, where they also served as the Associate Director at the Indiana University Writers' Conference. In this role, Teja recruited emerging writers across the country to work with diverse and renowned poets and authors. Currently, Teja is pursuing a PhD in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. They hope to publish a poetry collection, but also become an educator and continue fostering a writing community around them.
Teja loves working with students because they see it as a collaborative process where we both learn from each other. Teja likes that teaching is constantly challenging and that there are always ways to get better. In their free time, Teja enjoys cooking, making playlists, and hanging out with their three cats.
University of Kentucky, BA, Psychology and Gender & Women's Studies
Indiana University, MFA, Poetry
