There is pin-drop silence in the small room where seven square tables sit in a haphazard arrangement. A sea of white heads—and one black head, mine—hunches over playing cards awkwardly […]
Author Archives: Saila Kariat
Saila pursued a career as an electrical engineer and builder while dreaming of writing and filmmaking. After obtaining her Ph.D. in electrical engineering, Saila worked as an engineer and manager at IBM and a start-up. She published many technical articles as a research staff member at IBM Watson Research center. Her essays and short stories have been published in The Nob Hill Gazette, Change Seven, and What a Mistake, an anthology. Saila studied filmmaking at SJSU and was valedictorian of the class of 2008. She wrote, directed, and co-produced her debut feature The Valley about an Indian American entrepreneur seeking answers after the suicide of his daughter. It is currently streaming on Apple TV, Roku and Peacock. She has adapted the NYT Bestselling memoir Jesus Land, by Julia Scheeres into a screenplay, and directed and co-produced the film. It is currently on the festival circuit and will be released in 2027. She is a member of The Writers Grotto, Film Fatales, and BAWDC. Visit her at www.sailakariat.com.
