Thrity Umrigar is the author of the national best-seller, The Space Between Us, which was also a #1 BookSense pick and a finalist for the 2007 PEN/Beyond Margins award. The novel has been published in over 15 countries and has been optioned to be made into a movie. A seasoned speaker, she inspires and encourages audiences to write and tell their own stories, and lectures on issues of class, gender differences, immigration, cultural differences, and about how to develop and foster community. These are themes that are also found in her writing.