“Between Heartbeats” – Myra Rao’s Intimate Meditation on Love, Resilience, and the Moments That Make Us
Some stories aren’t told in words—they’re lived in glances, silences, and soft spaces. Between Heartbeats, the second poetry collection by Myra Rao (pen name of Suramya Chukka), holds those stories gently. It’s a quiet, emotional map of the human experience, written in the delicate rhythms of hope, love, grief, and everything in between.
Winner of the 21st Century Emily Dickinson Award, Between Heartbeats is more than a book—it’s a refuge. “In the space between every heartbeat, there is a story,” Myra writes. And in each poem, she makes space for the reader to feel seen, understood, and comforted.
The collection draws deeply from Myra’s life—her own experiences, the resilience of those closest to her (with special homage to her mother and sister), and the emotions that pulse beneath everyday life. Each page is written with compassion, offering insight into what it means to live fully, even when life feels uncertain.
Originally from India and now based in California, Myra bridges cultures, emotions, and worlds. By day, she is a software engineer. By heart, she is a poet, an observer, and a romantic who believes in the beauty of ordinary things. Her first collection, My Coffee Table, set the tone for her work: personal, poetic, and powerfully relatable. Between Heartbeats takes this further, reaching deeper into life’s quiet corners.
“My writing whispers,” Myra explains. “It doesn’t shout. I want readers to feel peace and possibility. To know that both joy and sadness are sacred.”
Outside of poetry, Myra lives creatively. She travels, sings, dances, watches movies, and captures moments in whatever form they arrive. Through her social platforms, @suramya.chukka and @myralogs, she shares reflections, advocates for women, and reminds her audience that even in chaos, love endures.
The judges of the Emily Dickinson Award praised her for “writing that feels like a safe conversation, an emotional echo, and a poetic reminder of what it means to be human.”
With Between Heartbeats, Myra Rao offers not just poetry, but presence. Her words are the kind you return to in quiet moments—the ones that say: you are not alone.
Book Title: Between Heartbeats
Award: 21st Century Emily Dickinson Award
From: California, United States (Originally from India)
Instagram: @suramya.chukka, @myralogs
