Episode 108 with Navdeep Dhillon Singh, Writer of Stirring, Profound, and Clever Work and Author of the Standout and Unforgettable Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions

Episode 108 Notes and Links to Navdeep Dhillon’s Work

 

      On Episode 108 of The Chills at Will Podcast, Pete welcomes Navdeep Dhillon, and the two discuss Navdeep’s childhood filled with moving, his love of reading, fan fiction, and his disparate influences, as well as his dynamic and eccentric and memorable characters. Questions about his standout book, Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions, lead to discussions of the book’s themes, including self-esteem and fitting in, cosplay as escape and a welcoming home, grief and its expression, or lack thereof, and much more.

 

      Navdeep Singh Dhillon is the author of Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions, an adjunct professor of creative writing and English at Borough of Manhattan Community College, and co-founder of IshqInABackpack, a narrative travel blog. He holds an MFA in creative writing from California State University, Fresno and is a graduate of Voices of Our Nation and the CUNY Writers’ Institute.

Born in England, raised in Tanzania, Nigeria, Dubai, and Fresno, California, he is a Punjabi boy at heart. He was a former linguist in the U.S. Navy, ESL teacher in China, and door-to-door knife salesman.

When he isn’t reading, writing or grading, he is cosplaying across the fandoms with his two nerdy kiddos, while his wife looks on helplessly. He is also a very delicate purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Buy Navdeep Dhillon's Sunny G's Series of Rash Decisions

Navdeep Dhillon's Website

At about 2:00, Navdeep talks about his book’s publication being on the horizon (the episode was recorded on February 7, and the book was released on February 8), along with his feelings as the date approaches and work he’ll be doing to promote the book

 

At about 5:40, Navdeep responds to Pete’s questions about any links between his moving around a lot as a kid and his reading habits

 

At about 9:10, Pete wonders about the connections between Navdeep’s childhood, the need for stability, and Sunny G’s own experiences

 

At about 10:40, Pete and Navdeep appreciate the Acknowledgments of the book as the two discuss the cutoff between the writer and the narrator

 

At about 11:45, Pete asks Navdeep about his experiences with representation in adolescent reading; Navdeep talks about being a “third culture kid”

 

At about 13:45, Navdeep describes ideas of “windows and mirrors” in childhood reading

 

At about 14:20, Pete asks about early reading and writing influences and how he got his start writing for keeps-Navdeep points out fan fiction as a starting point

 

At about 15:55, Pete wonders about how Navdeep saw the stakes of his writing as he did various jobs

 

At about 17:05, Navdeep charts some ups and downs in his love/distaste for reading and its connections to the “canon”

 

At about 18:50, Navdeep highlights the power of his reading Syal’s Anita and Me

 

At about 20:40, Navdeep responds to Pete’s question about contemporary writers who thrill him, including Sona Charaipotra and Adiba Jaigirdar

 

At about 23:30, the two shout out Sona and Dhonielle Clayton-what a duo!

 

At about 24:20, Navdeep talks about Ishq in a Backpack

 

At about 26:25, Navdeep talks about his teaching informs his own writing and his experience with community college creative writing

 

At about 30:15, Navdeep describes the world of his book, and Pete talks about the book’s universality and specificity

 

At about 31:35-32:35, Navdeep summarizes the book, Sunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions

 

At about 32:45, Pete asks Navdeep about publishing and middle-grade/YA, etc., as Navdeep describes some of the themes 

 

At about 35:30, Navdeep details the process of writing the book and ideas of grounding the book’s events and environment in reality, trends, etc.

 

At about 38:15, Navdeep talks about his love of the “dated” Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist

 

At about 38:55-40:10, Navdeep defines “nerd”

 

At about 40:10, the two discuss “nerdom going mainstream”

 

At about 40:55, Pete compliments Navdeep’s worldbuilding and some original and clever phrases and references used in the book

 

At about 44:00, Navdeep talks about Bollywood and sci-fi influences in his worldbuilding 

 

At about 46:30, Pete references true fandom as seen through The Simpsons 

 

At about 46:55, Pete highlights the longest word in the world

 

At about 47:40, Pete gives kudos for a great line from the book

 

At about 49:20, Cosplay is discussed and the idea of “putting on a mask” and its symbolism in the book is explored

 

At about 52:50, the two discuss ideas of coming-of-age and reinvention 

 

At about 55:00, ideas of grief and the ways in which Sunny’s family deals with grief are discussed

 

At about 56:00, the two discuss “What will people think?” ("log kya kahenge") as referenced in the book, just as it is in an equally stirring scene in Hasan Minhaj’s Homecoming King that informed lessons in Pete’s classrooms; 

 

At about 58:00, Navdeep discusses ideas of silences and their iterations in Punjabi and other communities 

 

At about 1:01:35, Pete and Navdeep discuss the dynamic, fun character of Mindii and some of what inspired her character

 

At about 1:04:00, Navdeep talks about literary components that he could relate to in his own life with the histories of Hmong poetry

 

At about 1:05:30, Pete recounts some chilling and powerful lines from Sunny, particularly in talking about his grieving 

 

At about 1:06:25, Pete highlights the dynamic dialogue and interesting and cool characters with so many personal stories 

 

At about 1:08:10, Navdeep describes a future project 

 

At about 1:08:55, Navdeep reads an excerpt from the book

 

At about 1:13:20, Navdeep gives out his social media information and highlights Penguin Teen/Dial as his publisher

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Please tune in for Episode 109 with Ben Guest, a 3x champion and two-time Basketball Coach of the Year, with a PHD in Educational Leadership, Ben spent ten years in Namibia where he coached in the KBA, and wrote the book Zen and the Art of Coaching Basketball: Memoir of a Namibian Odyssey. The episode will air on March 14. 

The intro song for The Chills at Will Podcast is “Wind Down” (Instrumental Version), and the other song played on this episode was “Hoops” (Instrumental)” by Matt Weidauer, and both songs are used through ArchesAudio.com.