Dheepa R. Maturi is a New York–born, Midwest-raised Indian-American writerwho explores the intersection of identity, culture and ecology. She has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize, and her essays and poetry have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies. She lives with her family in the Indianapolis area.
Tell us about your newest book.
108: an Eco-Thriller is about an Indian-American woman who learns she possesses an ancient ability that can stop a global ecological collapse—if she’s strong enough to use it.
With so many stories treating total environmental destruction as a foregone conclusion, I wanted to write a more hopeful climate thriller, about our intelligence and efforts being used to prevent environmental catastrophe now, not just to survive it after the fact. Additionally, I was excited to feature a heroine who shared my background, ideals, and world view.
It’s meant for readers who treasure the beauty and wonder of the natural world; who enjoy stories with mythology, magical realism, and mysticism; and who care deeply about leaving future generations with a healthy and thriving planet.
Your work often deals with the intersection of culture, identity and ecology. How are those things linked?
One of my primary writing goals is to show that each of us is part of the natural world and deeply interconnected with it. I want to show that human beings cannot be considered as separate from the planet that allows them to eat, drink, breathe, and live.
So many cultures, including my culture of origin, have deeply embedded practices honoring Earth from the moment of awakening and throughout the day. Through writing, I want to bring those principles and practices alive in today’s world, where our digital absorption often makes us forget the landscapes and species around us.
How do you make time to honor your creativity and write?
Taking even a few minutes (but preferably longer!) to go outside, to experience the sun and wind and whatever else the natural world is offering, makes me feel like I’m in touch with the source of all creativity.
After I experience crisscrossing ecosystems in the soil under my feet, and the conversations among trees, and the medleys of birdsong, I return to my desk full of energy and ideas and words.
It’s not always easy to make that happen—I get lost in the digital world with its rabbit holes of screens and platforms. When I do go outdoors, though, I remember what’s real and meaningful. I remember I’m part of a wider world.
What advice do you give other women who want to become authors?
First, if you have a desire to write, please pay attention to that desire! It represents a part of you that needs to be tended and cultivated. It’s a part of you that deserves to be heard. Second, remember that even a few words written daily add up more quickly than you may realize. On any given day, you might feel you haven’t written much, but in a week, you might have a poem, and in a month, an essay, and in a year, perhaps your book!
I hope you will start soon, and keep at it, because your voice is important. It needs to be in the world. It needs to be part of the conversation.
What is a work by another woman author that you recommend?
In the ecology space, Robin Wall Kimmerer is one of my favorite writers. Her scientific background makes her deeply observant of the world around her and exquisitely precise in her descriptions. To that observation and precision, she brings the language, poetry, and generational memories of her indigenous American background.
Her words mirror my love for the planet and inspire me to protect it however I can. Most people know of her book Braiding Sweetgrass, but I also recommend Gathering Moss and The Serviceberry.
To learn more, visit DheepaRMaturi.com.
This article was published within the August 2025 issue of the Women’s Fund’s Diane magazine.
