Raj Tawney is a writer and journalist whose work largely reflects his multiracial American upbringing. Born to an Indian, Puerto Rican, and Italian American family, Tawney has explored his identity and family history through personal essays published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and other outlets throughout the country. 

His debut memoir Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey Through a Mixed American Experience (Empire State Editions/Fordham University Press)  explores Tawney’s multiracial American heritage, his struggles with understanding his own identity, and the mouthwatering flavors of the melting pot from within his own childhood kitchen. Published in fall 2023 to much acclaim, it was recently awarded the Bronze Medal at the 2024 Living Now Book Award for Inspirational Memoir. His Middle Grade novel All Mixed Up (Paw Prints Publishing/Baker & Taylor) details a mixed-race boy who befriends a Pakistani immigrant in 2002 in a post-9/11 New York and is already receiving praise before its pub date on October 28, 2024, National Immigrants Day).

Raj can be reached at rajtawney.com.