Monika Kumar was born in Nokadar, in Punjab, India. Before moving to San Jose, California, where she now lives, she was an Assistant Professor of English in various colleges in Punjab (2000-2022), most recently at the Government College, Chandigarh. Her work has been published in Poetry International, Modern Poetry in Translation, and other prestigious journals. She has translated Tomas Tranströmer, Roberto Juarroz, and Antonio Porchia’s works into Hindi. Her debut book of poems, Aascharyavat, was published by Vani Prakashan in 2018.