Temsula Ao ~ 25 October 1945 – 9 October 2022

Writers Workshop mourns the passing of Temsula Ao. Born in present-day Assam in 1945, she belonged to the Ao Naga community. She was Professor of English at North Eastern Hill University, from where she retired in 2010. Ao wrote poetry, fiction and nonfiction and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007. In 1988, her debut volume, Songs That Tell became one of the first two poetry books from the northeastern states published by Writers Workshop. We also brought out her work of literary criticism, Henry James’ Quest for the Ideal Heroine (1989), and her second collection of poems, Songs That Try to Say (1992). We extend our deepest condolences to her loved ones.