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  • The Hindu – MetroPlus | In drama and dissent

    Sooraj Rajmohan
    SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 16:35 IST
    UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 16:35 IST
     

    Comic artist Appupen spoke of the importance of artistic integrity at the graduation event of the sixth edition of Anita Nair’s creative writing course

     
    A rainy Bengaluru evening saw a new batch of writers achieve a milestone at the Rangasthala theatre at Rangoli Metro Art Centre. The graduation event for the sixth season of writer Anita Nair’s creative writing course and mentorship programme, Anita’s Attic, had popular comic artist Appupen deliver the third Attic Lecture on The Magic of Dissent.

    The event started with Nair talking about the difficult, and sometimes unrewarding, craft that is writing, and why it is important to respect one’s own work. “An uncle of mine was an artist,” she said, “he always said to never do anything for free, because then the recipient will never respect the work. Writing is a lottery. Sometimes bad writers make huge sums of money while good writers remains in anonymity for their lives.”

    Read the complete report

  • Manorama Online | നർമഭാഷയിലൂടെ ചിന്തകൾ ആഴത്തിൽ പതിപ്പിക്കാം: ജോർജ് മാത്തൻ l

    മനോരമ ലേഖകൻ SEPTEMBER 15, 2018 12:51 AM IST

    ബെംഗളൂരു∙ നർമഭാഷയിലൂടെ ഏതു ഭിന്നാഭിപ്രായവും സമൂഹത്തിന്റെ ചിന്തകളിലേക്ക് ആഴത്തിൽ പതിപ്പിക്കാനാകുമെന്നു കോമിക് രചയിതാവും വിഷ്വൽ ആർട്ടിസ്റ്റും സംഗീതകാരനുമായ അപ്പൂപ്പൻ (ജോർജ് മാത്തൻ). ഇന്ത്യൻ ഇംഗ്ലിഷ് എഴുത്തുകാരി അനിതാ നായരുടെ നേതൃത്വത്തിലുള്ള ക്രിയാത്മക രചനാ പഠനകേന്ദ്രമായ അനിതാസ് അറ്റിക്കിന്റെ ബിരുദദാന ചടങ്ങിൽ ‘ഭിന്നാഭിപ്രായങ്ങളുടെ മായാജാലം’ എന്ന വിഷയത്തിൽ പ്രഭാഷണം നടത്തുകയായിരുന്നു കലാകൂട്ടായ്മയായ ബ്രെയിൻഡെഡ് ഇന്ത്യയുടെ സ്ഥാപക എഡിറ്റർ കൂടിയായ അപ്പൂപ്പൻ.

    Season-6-Graduation-Ceremony-Anitas-Attic-Rangasthala-2

    സമൂഹത്തിൽ, ഭൂരിപക്ഷങ്ങളുടെ അഭിപ്രായങ്ങൾ അടിച്ചേൽപിക്കുന്നതിനെ ചോദ്യം ചെയ്യാൻ വേറിട്ട ഇത്തരം ശബ്ദങ്ങൾക്കാകും. സമൂഹത്തെ നേർവഴിക്കു തിരിച്ചുവിടാൻ ഇത് അനിവാര്യമാണെന്നും കോട്ടയം പള്ളം സ്വദേശി കൂടിയായ അദ്ദേഹം പറഞ്ഞു. മേരി റോയിയുടെ ‘പള്ളിക്കൂടം’ സ്കൂളിൽ നിന്നു പകർന്നുകിട്ടിയ, വേറിട്ട അഭിപ്രായ പ്രകടന വാസനയാണു ഗ്രാഫിക് നോവലുകളായ മൂൺവാർഡ്, ലജൻഡ്സ് ഓഫ് ഹലഹല, ആസ്പൈറസ്, ദ് സ്നേക് ആൻഡ് ദ ലോട്ടസ് എന്നിവയിലൂടെയും രാഷ്ട്രമാൻ എന്ന സൂപ്പർഹീറോ കഥാപാത്രത്തിലൂടെയും രാഷ്ട്രീയഹാസ്യമായ ഡിസ്റ്റോപ്യൻ ടൈംസിലൂടെയും തുടർന്നുപോരുന്നത്.

    Appupen-at-the-Graduation-Ceremony-Season-6-Anitas-Attic

    അനിതാസ് അറ്റിക്കിന്റെ ആറാമത്തെ ബാച്ചിൽ പഠിച്ചിറങ്ങിയ 12 പേർക്കുള്ള ബിരുദ സർട്ടിഫിക്കറ്റുകളും സമ്മാനിച്ചു. തുടർന്നു 12 പേരും ചേർന്നെഴുതിയ കഥയുടെ വായന നടന്നു. നവതലമുറ എഴുത്തുകാർക്കിടയിലെ സർഗാത്മകത പരിപോഷിപ്പിക്കുന്നതിനായി നടന്നുവരുന്ന കോഴ്സ് ഡിജിറ്റൽ പാർട്ണറായ കണ്ടീഷൻസ് അപ്ലൈയുമായി സഹകരിച്ചാണു സംഘടിപ്പിച്ചുവരുന്നത്.

  • Gallery | The Season 6 Graduation Event at Namma Metro, on September 14, 2018

  • Krithika Balaraman

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    I am : A feminist, a designer, a procrastinator and a writer

    Presently biding my time : Trying to juggle my job, my writing and my pets

    As I secretly follow my dreams of : Completing my fantasy novel

    Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from June 30 to September 15, 2018

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    About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

    I always thought that if I took the time to sit down and write, I’d be wonderful at it. Being at the attic stripped me of all delusions that it would be as easy as that. Anita redefined the way I look at words, and gave me the space to make all my mistakes. It’s been a privilege to have her critique my work. I’ll miss our weekly classes and all the wonderful people I’ve met !

    Krithika’s’s Bio

    Krithika has completed an undergraduate in Design and currently works as a data visualiser. She loves to experiment with watercolours and would rather talk about her dogs than herself.

  • Anu Alex

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    Anu-Alex-Writers-Profile-Anitas-Attic

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    I am : An Electrical Engineer, a voracious reader and a diligent student of Bharatanatyam

    Presently biding my time : Designing Electrical Systems for Buildings; ensuring that neither the transformers spark nor the cables fail

    As I secretly follow my dreams of : Writing stories leave an impression on the reader – stories that linger on yet leave the reader wanting for more.

    Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from June 30 to September 15, 2018

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    About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

    Anita taught us the importance of honest writing, the need to explore the character’s inner selves, and the beauty of narrating them in finely chiselled lines – to lift our writing above the ordinary. In her, I found a mentor who painstakingly reviewed my work and helped identify the flaws in my writing. At the attic, I flocked with birds who shared a penchant for good literature and encouraged each other to keep up the writing momentum. During weekends, I would commute from Chennai to attend the classes. However, my efforts proved worthy, when somewhere down the road, I realised that I had developed an intense bond with the art of writing.

    As Sylvia Plath said, “Let me live, love, and say it well in good sentences.”

    Anu’s Bio

    Although an engineer by vocation, Anu is a dancer by avocation. She holds a bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering. She lives and works in Chennai.

  • Saumya P Mittal

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    Saumya-P-mittal-Writer-profile

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    I am : An imaginative writer and a compulsive traveller.

    Presently biding my time :Trying to connect the floating dots of ideas in my head to weave out something meaningful.

    As I secretly follow my dreams of : having my short story collection published.

    Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from June 30 to September 15, 2018

    My Blog : Cleopatra Diaries

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    About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

    I always wanted to write stories. However it is only after joining Anita’s Attic that I realised that writing is not just about penning down your ideas. Since the first session itself, Anita taught the intricacies of the art of writing and encouraged us to develop a writing routine. Her invaluable inputs while critiquing my weekly assignments changed my entire perception on story writing. In a span of twelve weeks I have experienced a remarkable transformation in my writings. Presently the biggest challenge ahead of me is to keep myself motivated to write regularly without the weekly assignments that I used to submit to Anita. I really enjoyed all my sessions and will miss the invaluable time spent at Anita’s Attic.

    Saumya’s Bio

    Iam a sociologist by qualification who went on to study cosmetology. Presently a passionate beauty blogger, newspaper columnist, dreamy story writer and an incorrigible cook. Love to travel and weave my experiences into words. I have a fascination for writing children fiction as well.

    Published Work

    http://www.pioneeredge.in/rising-depressive-other-psychological-disorders-in-adolescents/

    http://www.pioneeredge.in/spirituality-a-contemplation/

  • The 3rd Anita’s Attic Lecture and Season 6 Graduation | You are invited

    The-3rd-Anitas-Attic-Lecture-and-Season-6-Graduation

    Join twelve authors for an evening of ‘Heresay On The Metro’ showcasing their literary strengths at the Rangoli – Metro Art Center on 14 September 2018 at 5.00 pm.

     
    Anita’s Attic, India’s premier ‘literary mentorship program’ helps aspiring writers hone ‘The Art of Storytelling’ across multiple genres. This intense twelve-week workshop conducted by the celebrated author Anita Nair not only enables literary talents to find their voice but also introduces them to established writers, publishers and agents who visit ‘The Attic’ every week.

    The graduating batch of Season 6 comprises I.P consultants, art curators, knowledge managers, visual communicators, technologists, homemakers, marketers and digital strategists. What binds these diverse folks together is their friendship with words and an overwhelming desire to become published authors someday. To mark their graduation, they have collaboratively spun a satirical tale on the power of rumors, fake news and gossip, called “Hearsay On The Metro.”

    The evening will also host the 3rd Annual Attic Lecture by Appupen, on the subject “The Magic of Dissent“.

    A comics creator, visual artist and musician, Appupen tells stories from the mythical dimension called Halahala.
    Appupen has been creating the mythology of Halahala since 2005 and his first graphic novel, ‘Moonward’ was published by Blaft in 2009. Then came ‘Legends of Halahala’ and ‘Aspyrus’, both from Harper Collins. His fourth graphic novel, ‘The Snake and the Lotus’, is published by Amazon-Westland, 2018. Appupen launched his online comic series with the popular superhero satire ‘Rashtraman’ and the politically charged ‘Dystopian Times’ in 2015. He is the founder/editor of Brainded India, an arts collective with an agenda. Join us for an exciting audio-visual presentation that brings alive the magic of dissent as seen through Appupen’s eyes.

    The Attic Lecture will be followed by the Season 6 Graduation Event of Anita’s Attic.

  • Banasri Gupta

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    Banasri-Writer-Profile

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    I am : From West Bengal. A software engineer. Writer. Painter. Puzzle aficionado. Mother of two awesome daughters – a teenager and a toddler.

    Presently biding my time : Honing my writing skills.

    As I secretly follow my dreams of : Publishing my first novel.

    Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from June 30 to September 15, 2018

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    About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

    Anita’s Attic is one of the best things to have happened. On the very first day she asked us to identify the project that we’d be working on. Week after week we progressed on our piece of work with her helpful advice, insightful feedback on the craft of writing and one-on-one reviews. What may have seemed impossible became possible with the discipline that she had instilled in us. Amidst up-and-downs of life we all managed to produce our weekly assignments before the deadline. Anita’s guidance, personal touch, humorous anecdotes made the twelve weeks totally worthwhile. The guest ranging from Authors, Publishers, editors and literary agents gave us a 360 degree view of the writing world.

    Our batch, everyone would say, was a quiet batch, but it was an equally inspiring batch of strong women and gentlemen. I wish everyone success in their writing journey and a very wonderful life.

    Banasri’s Bio

    Banasri is a software engineer by profession and holds a bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering. She was placed third in slogan writing for the Times of India, Bangalore times in 2004. One of her short stories was placed fourth in the national Write India Season 2 for Shobha De’s Prompt, Jan 2018. She is an avid puzzle solver and was selected in the Regional mathematics Olympiad, in her school days.

  • Trivikram Prasad

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    Trivikram-Prasad-Author-Profile-Anitas-Attic

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    I am : A software technologist who loves to teach, learn and write.

    Presently biding my time : Work full-time in a software company, write about my experiences in my blog and publish short stories on Medium, Writing and the VeriHelp app

    As I secretly follow my dreams of : Completing my memoirs of my teen years in Nigeria

    Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from June 30 to September 15, 2018

    My Blog : TrivikramPrasad

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    About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

    I have developed leaps and bounds as a writer over the course of twelve weeks in the workshop. Anita has imparted a growing sense of confidence in my writing that I did not earlier have. Her insightful and incisive comments sharpened my writing skills in ways I had not imagined. It was also an amazing experience getting to know the other participants, interacting and learning from them. It is solely due to this workshop that I am writing something that I had thought of doing for over two decades but never got around to it.

    Trivikram’s Bio

    I have lived, studied and worked in Nigeria, India, Dubai and USA. Recently I started teaching Design Thinking & Innovation Management for MBA students in a university and am loving the experience.

    Professional

    Over 24 years of experience creating, driving and managing software engineering teams in some of the leading software companies in the world. I hold a Bachelors’ degree in Engineering from Mysore University and a Masters’ Degree in Engineering from Arizona State University. I have co-founded a mobile gaming startup and also provide technology consulting to early stage startups.

  • Anupama Vijayakumar

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    Anupama-Vijayakumar-Writer-Profile

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    I am : An omnivorous reader and a closet fiction writer, whose cheap thrills include stumbling upon exquisitely crafted sentences.

    Presently biding my time : Trying to live mindfully and filling my days with honest writing.

    As I secretly follow my dreams of : Becoming a ‘real’ writer, with a distinct and unique literary voice.

    Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from June 30 to September 15, 2018

    My Blog : MomOfAllTrades

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    About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

    I came to Anita’s Attic with an open mind as Anita Ma’am had suggested, simply as a student and nothing more. To have my work reviewed meticulously, week after week by someone as accomplished and experienced as Anita Ma’am, is a privilege I will cherish for a lifetime. The greatest learnings I take back with me are how to chisel my writing so that it feels alive, to write with complete honesty, how being disciplined is more important than inspiration or even talent, to nurture my writing with the dignity it deserves above all to believe in myself. The sessions by the stalwarts in the publishing industry have helped me to understand better, how the publishing industry works, as well as to set realistic expectations for myself, as a writer. The time shared with the other participants, whom I’ve begun to think of as my ‘tribe’ has been wonderful and invigorating. The twelve Saturdays I spent at the Attic has changed the way I look at writing. It is most definitely a craft which has to be honed and perfected, but more importantly it a way of life, to be pursued diligently, reverently and with honesty.

    Anupama’s Bio

    Anupama is a freelance content writer and a tentative fiction writer. She is trying to raise a motley crew which consists of- a freshly minted teenager, a red-eared slider turtle called Leonardo and an unruly vegetable garden with a mind of its own; fortified with copious amounts of tea. You can read some of her published work in the links below.

    https://www.huffingtonpost.in/anupama-vijayakumar/why-i-need-to-teach-my-so_b_9282148.html
    https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/the-cut-and-thrust-in-the-wake-of-a-sliced-finger/article21822951.ece
    https://www.idiva.com/author/anupama-vijayakumar/15