Change

is healing…

Healing changes us. Healing changes our communities. Healing changes the course of what is possible – and how we are present. Healing is a process & a destination, a collective formation, and an individual journey.

I open space for healing, immigrant belonging, and gender & racial equity by advocating for justice and creating social practice art & writing. I came to the U.S. as an immigrant and experienced racism and the impact of educational inequities. My experiences seed my advocacy for justice.

For nearly 8 years, I led an anti-violence organization supporting survivors and our communities in healing. In 2016-17, I led a first-hand stakeholder research & systems change process which spurred a NYC community-based initiative to address intimate violence. I continue to advance restorative practices and community-based solutions to addressing violence. Advocacy has become my home for transformation – and change is healing.

Through art, I open space for transformations to take root, for healing to manifest in connection.

As part of Circlefor, I collaborate on public art projects with a healing justice focus with the brilliant visual artist, Anjali Deshmukh. Our work explores & catalyzes the well-being of our world – our bodies, the climate, our communities, our spirits.

Miracle Marks, my second book of poetry, explores violence against women, racial inequities, and marks of the sacred.

My debut poetry collection on migration, loss & belonging, Terrain Tracks, won the Many Voices Project prize.

During the pandemic, as we spent more time in nature, we became attuned to climate shifts & disasters. Weaving my poetry through her piece, dancer Sonali Skandan developed “In Her Element” to give Nature voice.

I cultivate healing as an art of transformation.

Purvi Shah shares a poem at a community vigil honoring Jyoti Singh while Sonny Singh plays dhol.
Purvi Shah shares a poem at a community vigil honoring sexual violence victim Jyoti Singh Pandey while Sonny Singh plays dhol.
Applause by Anjali Deshmukh & Purvi Shah