Rossmoor author Amal Moulik to discuss a childhood lived between worlds

What makes a place home? This universal question is the one Rossmoor author Amal Moulik will explore in a talk to the Published and Aspiring Writers of Rossmoor about his just-published memoir, “Crushed Azaleas: Shards from a Privileged Childhood.”

Moulik will share his story of growing up as the child of a diplomat for the newly independent India and later for a United Nations organization, a childhood that from the outside might seem charmed. But Moulik will offer a more complicated view.

The program will be Saturday, Oct. 3 at 10 a.m. in the Fairway Room at Creekside Clubhouse, and for writers challenged by the emerging world of publishing, Moulik will weave into his talk his experiences with a hybrid publisher, a collaborative model where the author shares production cost with a publisher, which provides editing, design, printing and distribution services.

The program is open to all Rossmoor residents. PWR members attend free; nonmembers pay $5 at the door.

Born in Washington, D.C., and raised across Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and India, Moulik acknowledges experiencing cultures and places most children could only imagine, but also writes poignantly of how the constant movement left him with a persistent question: Where was home?

In “Crushed Azaleas,” Moulik tells his story through a series of vivid vignettes. His memories evoke postwar cities, rituals and privileges of diplomatic life, friendships left behind, and experiences of growing up as both participant and outsider in diverse cultures.

Beneath that cosmopolitan surface was a more difficult family life with a demanding father whose approval had to be earned and a mother he describes as struggling with deep depression. As a boy, he found refuge in music, memory and the cultures surrounding him.

Moulik also will explore the experiences behind the process of turning memories – some joyful, some painful – into memoir.

Moulik’s story raises questions familiar even to those who have never crossed an international border: How does childhood shape us? What does it mean to belong? And what, ultimately, makes a place home?

Published and Aspiring Writers of Rossmoor strives to bring together residents interested in writing and the world of publishing, as well as avid readers interested in storytelling. Its programs feature authors, journalists and other writers discussing their work, their craft and their experiences getting words into print.

Annual dues are $30. Those joining after July 1 pay $15 for the remainder of the year. Those joining after Oct. 1 pay $30, covering the remainder of the current year and all of the following year.