Krishnaswami was born in 1956 in New Delhi, India. She received a degree in
political science, and a master's degree in
social work from the
University of Delhi. In 1979, she moved to the United States where she received an additional graduate degree from the
University of Maryland, College Park. She then moved to
Aztec, New Mexico where she lived for many years. She now lives in
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and she is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada and an Overseas Citizen of India. Her first published story appeared in ''
Children's World,
a magazine published in India, when she was thirteen. Her stories and poems have been published in Cricket, Highlights and Cicada''. Her award-winning books, which include middle grade novels, picture books, early readers, and non-fiction are published in English,
Hindi,
Tamil and twelve other languages. In 2011 Krishnaswami appeared at the
National Book Festival which is organized by the
Library of Congress. ''Chachaji's Cup'', one of Krishnaswami's picture books, was adapted into a musical and performed in several theaters in both New York City and California. Krishnaswami has taught writing to adults and children for years, and for over ten years she was the writer in residence at the
Aztec Ruins National Monument. She is a member of the
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and CANSCAIP. She also taught writing classes online through Writers on the Net. She currently teaches in the
MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at
Vermont College of Fine Arts. ==Awards==