Category: Honor Roll

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I am : from Bangalore

Presently biding my time : treading the jungles of Dandakaranya in central India

As good as : I can be 🙂

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from 5 September – 14 November, 2015

My Website : I write at Raksha Kumar
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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

When we first entered the Attic, we were handed a long list of recommended reading. That was a wake up call. And since then, I have had several such moments when what seems commonsensical is conveniently ignored by many writers. I take back those elementary essentials with me as I leave the Attic and step into the harsh wild world of literary fiction writing.

More than anything, I am grateful to Anita for infusing the much needed confidence in me.

 

Raksha’s Bio

Raksha is an independent journalist, concentrating on human rights, gender and politics. For the past four years, she has reported for the New York Times, Al Jazeera America, The Guardian, TIME magazine, Christian Science Monitor, DAWN, Caravan, The Hindu and South China Morning Post.

Currently, she is working on a documentary film on the life of the Rationalists in India that will be aired on Doordarshan.

A Fulbright scholar, she graduated from the Journalism School, Columbia University, New York, in 2011. Immediately after graduating from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, in 2007, she did a course on Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding from the University of Peace. This year, she was a part of the India Journalism Programme as a Chevening Fellow at the University of Westminster, London.
 
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Raksha’s reading of her part as author of the collaborative fiction piece, Physician, heal thyself

 

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Check them out at www.rakshakumar.com and www.facebook.com/kumar.raksha

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Promo of Raksha’s Upcoming Documentary : An Invisible Minority

 

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I am : Originally from Kerala but now settled in Bangalore

Presently biding my time : As trying to be one too many things – a brand manager by day and a writer by night

As I secretly follow my dream of : A novelist and short story writer

As good as : A short story writer as Manto and a novelist like Amitav Ghosh or Milan Kundera

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from 5 September – 14 November, 2015

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

I have always felt this constant desire to write something but besides a few rants on social media and a some attempts at poetry and writing short stories my writing did not amount to anything substantial. Being selected for Anita’s Attic Mentorship program gave my confidence a huge boost and with Anita’s help, and the assignments she gives us writers every week, I have strengthened my writing and have been able to find my true voice. Along with this the fantastic conversations we had with authors, people from the world of publishing and editors etc. opened my eyes to the ground realities and gave me a better understanding of the literary world. The Saturdays spent here will be forever etched in my memory and I am surely going to miss it.

 

Sandeep’s reading of his part as author of the collaborative fiction piece, “Daddy Dearest”

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I am : from Bangalore

Presently biding my time : posing as a student, but secretly training myself in the art of writing and thinking weird, abstract thoughts

As I secretly follow my dream of : becoming an author and taking over the world with my literary prowess

As good as : anyone who has a love for writing and is constricted by the laws of time and mortality can be

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from 5 September – 14 November, 2015

My Website : I write at Jini vs. the Universe
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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

I think what I liked most about the writing program is the atmosphere. I met people who share the same passion and love for writing as I do, and though that isn’t hard to find, it is hard to find people who are dedicated to the craft and want to put onto paper something meaningful, that will last decades, if not centuries.

The course itself was a mixture of startling realizations and pleasant reinforcements of what writing is and what it takes for your work to be seen. I met a lot of people who are established in the field and gained a lot of first-hand information that will help in future endeavours. The habit of writing was cultivated and I hope to carry forward all the things I learned in this course. It also gives you the opportunity to improve and push yourself forward in a way that few other courses can.

It was fun, educational, and refreshing. I met some wonderful people and I will genuinely be sad to let it go.

 
Recent published work : My short story ‘On the usefulness of stars‘ was recently published in the online magazine Madras Mag as well as ‘The Madras Mag Anthology of Creative Writing’.
 

Sriranjani reading of her part as author of the collaborative fiction piece, “A Pound of Flesh”

 

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I am : ​From Bangalore, an artist, photographer, designer and dreamer

Presently biding my time : Fighting to save young artists (teaching art and craft to primary school children)​​

As I secretly follow my dream of : writing books, making films, telling stories

As good as : ​The magic of​ ​J K Rowling’s​ ​Hogwarts​, as memorable as​ ​F.R.I.E.N.D.S

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from 5 September – 14 November, 2015

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

When I walked into Anita’s Attic, I had a folder full of incomplete stories and very little hope that any of them would find an ending. I was lost and drowning in a swamp of my own endless ideas, doubting my ability to write. Anita’s mentorship programme guided me out of that mess, one step at a time.

Anita’s Attic was everything an aspiring writer could hope for. Anita is an amazing mentor; she listened, identified my struggles, and motivated me to get over it. I got to spend every Saturday with a group of brilliant writers who shared my dream, and there were guest speakers inspiring us every week. I felt reassured here, that it is alright to be stuck and struggling with a story, and that doesn’t mean I cannot write. Every session has reinforced my conviction to continue creating stories, and has given me the confidence that I couldn’t have imagined eleven weeks ago.

 

Shruthi’s reading of her part as author of the collaborative fiction piece, “Daddy Dearest”

 

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I am : a superwoman

Presently biding my time : Juggling my writing, translation assignments, playing a fantastic mother to two children, and a horrible wife to a great husband

As I secretly follow my dream of : giving a strong voice to the underdog

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from 5 September – 14 November, 2015

My Website : I write at Poorva Dinesh
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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

Every few years, my life has been marked by an event that has changed the course of my life; Anita’s Attic is one such occurrence, and I know, I am a different person than what I was before the course. To call this a writing course is belittling the Attic. Because Anita’s Attic has taught me to be alive, to use all my senses – which trust me, are more than five – in a way I had never used them before, and to take my time to decode the information because, believe it or not, that’s how stories slowly started emerging.

While writing good and bad pieces of writing at the Attic, something had started happening to me. I had learnt to distinguish a good piece of writing from a bad one, and I could look at my creation, and know exactly why it wasn’t working well. And isn’t that a lovely treasure to acquire? Suddenly, I wanted to read more, write more, think more and talk more.

I feel incomplete now if I don’t write, and trust me, this can be an annoying feeling when two chipmunks (read children) are all over me every time I sit down to write, but it’s a feeling I have learnt to love and respect, and I respond to this feeling by writing. Can a writing course ever teach this? I don’t think so. This can only be taught by a guru who believes in your writing the way nobody else does in the world – and for that Anita, thank you.

I am taking back home with me much more than I ever thought I would, and I am truly excited to start my journey as a writer, because irrespective of whether things work in my favour or not, what I have acquired is strength to go on and on, and not give up. And this means everything to me.

 

Poorva’s Bio

Poorva is a freelance German translator, and a writer. She lives in Bangalore. Poorva finished writing her first children’s book last year, and is currently working on her second book, which is for young adults.

Poorva is also the Founder and Editor of Interviewing India, an interviewing project with the objective of interviewing people from all walks of life on a myriad of topics that ranges from friendship, sports, online shopping to sex, marriage and education. The project is yet to go live.
 

Poorva reading of her part as author of the collaborative fiction piece, “A Pound of Flesh”

 

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I am : trying to be who I want to be

Presently biding my time : Presently biding my time: Dreaming, travelling and writing

As I secretly follow my dream of : Being a well-known author

As good as : the rest of my heroes,literary and otherwise

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from 5 September – 14 November, 2015

My Website : Find me at Van 975
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Vani’s Bio

Vani Menon is an engineer by profession and a writer by passion. She lives and writes out of Bangalore. She is currently working on her collection of short stories which revolve around women.Besides writing,she loves to travel and explore the world of paintings.
 

Vani’s reading of her part as author of the collaborative fiction piece, “Physician, heal thyself”

 

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I am : From Thrissur, Kerala

Presently biding my time : Nurturing the creative side of me

As I secretly follow my dream of : Being a great novelist

As good as : Roald Dahl

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from 24 January – 11 April, 2015

Contact Me : vestinwrites@gmail.com
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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

If Alice was a budding writer, Anita’s Attic would have been her wonderland. Anita Nair’s magic touch transformed my clumsy first draft into a novel well worth publishing. Along the way I came face to face with elusive beings from a parallel universe. A literary agent, a couple of writers, a journalist, an editor and a publisher from the literary sky, lit up our Saturdays at Anita’s Attic. A motley yet talented group of fellow writers supported and spurred me on every inch of the way. Eleven writing Alices found their voices at Anita’s Attic. And I was one of them.

 

Vestin Verghese’s Bio

Vestin Verghese is a writer. Vestin Verghese was the magazine editor of his Anglo-Indian school. He went on to represent the Thrissur Veterinary college and won prizes in short story writing and essay writing at the University level. Vestin Verghese won the Times of India ‘Funny Valentine contest’ in Hyderabad. He wrote for the Youth Express. He was also a columnist for City Journal, a local newspaper. Vestin Verghese has written extensively for children. Over a hundred of his pieces have appeared in Magic Pot. He has made telling contributions to Tell Me Why, the magazine which won the National award for scientific communication in 2015. Vestin Verghese is a passionate night-time writer. During the day he works as a vet. Currently he is honing his writing skills at Anita’s Attic in Bangalore. His much awaited children’s novel is expected to hit the bookshelves this year. He may be reached at vestinwrites@gmail.com.

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I am : From New Delhi

Presently biding my time : As a writer and trainer

As I secretly follow my dream of : A novelist and short story writer.

As good as :A writer who perennially contemplates if the styles of Don DeLillo and Ian Rankin could be fused into a single novel

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from 24 January – 11 April, 2015

My Website : Time to Write

Recent Published Work : My short story ‘Space Submission’ was recently published in the literary journal ‘Madras Mag’
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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

I was extremely lost after writing one-third of a novel I started during my M.A program. At this exceedingly uncertain juncture of my professional writing career, twelve weeks at Anita’s Attic was just what I needed to solve my doubts and get my writing back on track. I can confidently say that the Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program has definitely reinforced my confidence in my writing. Anita Nair’s insights and suggestions have significantly helped me improve the quality of my writing and given me a deeper understanding of the Indian publishing industry.

As we were required to submit our creative work every week, I developed a habit of writing and meeting deadlines. I also achieved significant order and control in my writing. As for the class at Anita’s Attic, I was fortunate enough to be in a group of very talented people who had diverse styles of writing.

Nowadays, every Saturday, I get a strong feeling of nostalgia, as Saturdays now remind me of the valuable guidance sessions by Anita Nair and the inspiring conversations with fellow writers at Anita’s Attic. In addition, she also exposed me to all other facets involved in writing – editors, literary agents, publishers etc. Every week, we had a speaker who opened our world to all other finer nuances. What more can a budding writer ask for?

 

Akhil Kakkar’s Bio

Akhil Kakkar is a Delhi based writer and trainer. He has an M.A. in Creative Writing from Brunel University, London where his dissertation tutor was Booker-longlisted author Matt Thorne. He has attended the ‘Time to Write’ course at University of Cambridge twice, and also has an M.Sc. in Management from Lancaster University. Influenced by Don DeLillo’s ‘Americana’, Akhil left a prosperous but mundane career in marketing communication, during which he was an extensively interviewed and published spokesperson for the construction chemicals industry, to pursue creative writing, his passion. He has forbidden himself to question this transition. He is currently working on multiples short storiesand his first novel.

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I am : A feminine spirit effectively (at least I think so!) juggling the core pillars of my life – my boys, my profession, and my writing.

Presently biding my time : Nurturing the creative side of me

As I secretly follow my dream of : Bringing out beautiful narratives about the indomitable human spirit that manages to face all odds and still emerge victorious.

As good as : My all time favourite character heroines – Draupadi, Dagny Taggart, Meredith Bancroft, Florentyna Kane, Scarlett O Hara. And some heroes too! Rhett Butler, Hank Rearden, Atticus Finch, Karna, Krishna…

Part of the : Creative Writing Mentorship Program from 24 January – 11 April, 2015

My Website : Life – A beautiful journey
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About being a part of Anita’s Attic Creative Writing program

This program has been a life changer in many senses. It was a platform where I could identify my voice and capture it into beautiful narratives. Something, I was not able to do, amidst the clutter of a full time business writing profession.

Apart from learning varied aspects of language, diction, character, voice, scene etc., what I liked the most was the insistent focus on disciplined approach to writing. For someone who always thought writing was a very ‘from the heart’ thing, this was a revelation. Anita is a very patient mentor, who caught sight of my core forte early on, but allowed me to discover it on my own – as my journey.

In addition, she also exposed me to all other facets involved in writing – editors, literary agents, publishers etc. Every week, we had a speaker who opened our world to all other finer nuances. What more can a budding writer ask for?

Overall, a memorable 12 weeks, etched permanently in my life.

 

Swapna Narayanan’s Bio

Swapna Narayanan (@swapnanarayanan) is an Indian author based in Bangalore. Enamored by the power of the written word, Swapna always nurtured a dream to become a writer. Riding on the prevalent IT wave of the 90’s, she achieved part of her dream by taking up Technical Communication as profession. After spending 20 years in the field of business writing, she went back to her dream and started writing short stories and essays. Today, she divides her time in pursuing her literary ambitions and managing a documentation company. An avid communicator she has lectured in various forums and colleges and has participated in talk shows about technical communication.