Shilpy Tingo is a 2025 Compass Fellowship Finalist and a VONA alum. Her debut novel is a literary retelling of the Hindu epic, The Ramayana, and she’s currently at work on her second novel.

Shilpy spent eight years as a public defender in New York City, where she helped launch one of the country’s early DNA litigation units, trained attorneys and tried numerous cases to verdict. 

She earned her B.A. in English and Political Science from Johns Hopkins University and her J.D. from the University of Southern California.

She currently lives in Maryland with her husband and children.