SouthAsiaSpeaks
@AsiaSpeaks
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A literary mentorship for emerging writers in South Asia. Applications for the Class of 2025 are open till September 30, 2024.
Joined November 2020
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Are you an emerging writer living in South Asia? Apply for an
@AsiaSpeaks
mentorship! Applications are open until September 30, 2024. Please read our updated FAQ's carefully & note that we have a set of new application requirements.
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CLASS OF 2022:
@sowmiyashok
is a journalist & Chinese language student in Chennai, India. She has worked for The Hindu & The Indian Express & reported from the US & China. She is working with mentor
@MujMash
on a book about archaeological excavations in Southern India.
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South Asia Speaks is delighted to announce the class of 2023, featuring 19 fellows from a pool of 300 applicants. The fellows will work with mentors for a full year, attend masterclasses & become a part of our inclusive, vibrant community. Welcome all!
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And this is it, our wonderful new group of fellows! Congratulations Class of 2022, we are happy to welcome you to
@AsiaSpeaks
and look forward to working together to make your project shine. Good luck!
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CLASS OF 2022: RANA SAADULLAH KHAN
Saadullah is a researcher in the field of history education in Lahore, Pakistan. His work is forthcoming in an anthology published by Vasl and in the 2022 Aleph Review. He is working with mentor Madhuri Vijay on a novel.
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We're delighted to share with you our incredible roster of mentors for 2024!
#SouthAsiaSpeaks
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Thank you
@dawn_com
! "South Asia Speaks mentorship gives budding writers opportunity to learn from established authors for free."
@SanamMKhi
@fbhutto
@MirzaWaheed
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CLASS OF 2022: TOOBA SYED
@Tooba_Sd
is a feminist organiser and researcher in Islamabad, Pakistan. Tooba and her collaborator
@pind_wave
will work with mentor
@tarankhan
on Feminist Visions of Resistance and Justice in Pakistan, a study.
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98
@usmanahmad_iam
is a writer and photographer whose work has appeared in Foreign Policy Magazine, The Guardian and Vice among other publications. He will be working with mentor
@IChotiner
on a series of non-fiction essays on the plight of Ahmadis in Pakistan.
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We couldn't be prouder of
@suchi1ghosh
(SAS, 2022) whose translation of Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar's novel 'My Father's Garden' has just been published by
@ju_press
. Suchismita's mentor on the book was
@arunava
. Congratulations Suchismita!
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CLASS OF 2022: RIDDHI DASTIDAR
@gaachburi
is a writer & reporter in Delhi. They were shortlisted for the 2021 Commonwealth Short Story Prize & Wasafiri New Writing Prize & won the 2020 TFA Award for Creative Writing. Riddhi is working with mentor Deepa Anappara on their novel.
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Our next round of applications open on Sept 6. The application will be available on our website. We welcome fiction, nonfiction, reportage & poetry. Our special projects are climate w/
@fbhutto
, translation w/
@arunava
) & Partition w/
@AanchalMalhotra
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Please join us in congratulating
@SubiTaba
(
@AsiaSpeaks
, 2022) who has just been announced as the winner of
@PenguinIndia
's
#ThePerfectPitch
. Subi will be mentored by editors from Penguin & by author
@ShreyaPunj
. Congratulations Subi, we're so happy for you.
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We're honoured & delighted to welcome filmmaker
@MiraPagliNair
to join us in celebrating our outgoing class of fellows. Thank you so much for your time Mira, we're looking forward to talking to you about creativity, diversity & resilience.
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New mentor alert!
Thrilled to come on board the
@AsiaSpeaks
program as mentor to writings on the 1947 Partition. If you are an unpublished writer engaging with the theme of Partition in your work, please do submit your proposal before December 20.
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Thanks for the shoutout
@mashable
@Mashable_PK
! For the chance to be mentored by
@fbhutto
,
@SanamMKhi
, or any one of our other mentors, see our FAQ's below. The deadline is December 10, 2020.
Here is a chance for you to be mentored by some of the best in the field.
@fbhutto
@SanamMKhi
#southasia
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Huge congratulations to
@SonakshiS11
(SAS, 2021) who was accepted into the 9th annual Bread Loaf Translators’ Conference at Middlebury College and has received the Katharine Bakeless Nason scholarship. Congrats Sonakshi!
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Mark your calendars! Applications for Year 4 of
@AsiaSpeaks
open on September 1. This year, our genres are fiction, nonfiction, reportage, translation, poetry, & Partition (1947, 1971, and since).
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CLASS OF 2022: SUKHADA TATKE
@sukhadatatke
is an independent reporter and writer from Mumbai, India. She writes on books, culture, immigration, belonging, history and social justice. Sukhada is working with mentor
@taniajam
on Late Fee, a collection of short stories.
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Happy new year! Here's some good news to start off 2022: We have selected this year's fellows and will reach out to them this week. Stay tuned!
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CLASS OF 2022: MARIAM TAREEN
@mariamtee
is founder of The Writing Room, where she conducts workshops & teaches children the magic of writing stories. She reviews books for Pakistan's Dawn newspaper & lives in Lahore. She is working with mentor
@fbhutto
on a children's novel.
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CLASS OF 2022: DIXITA DEKA
@DixitaDeka
is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the North Eastern Social Research Centre, Guwahati. She is working with mentor
@samanth_s
on a book about the underground lives of Assam's women insurgents.
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One of the things we're most looking forward to at
@AsiaSpeaks
this year is our masterclass series featuring mentors in conversation with writers they admire. The series starts on Jan 20th with mentor
@ichotiner
in conversation with fellow
@newyorker
staff writer
@parul_sehgal
.
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We’re delighted to announce that our next workshop for the class of 2024 features mentor and editor of
@Himalistan
,
@romangautam
on the art of longform.
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We're delighted to announce that episode 3 of our masterclass series will feature mentor
@fbhutto
in conversation with author, translator & activist
@meenakandasamy
.
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Our 2021 pilot project is now open for applications! If you're a writer in South Asia working on a long-term project such as a book of fiction/non-fiction or a translation/reporting project, please apply here.
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Our mentor
@fbhutto
is raising funds for
#PakistanFlood
alongwith
@MenaalMunshey
and
@BhuttoZulfikar
. To donate please visit:
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Congratulations to our mentor
@V_V_G
for winning the
#WomensPrize
for fiction! Everyone, if you haven't already, please read
#BrotherlessNight
right away.
And the winner of the
#WomensPrize
for Fiction is V.V. Ganeshananthan for Brotherless Night. Find it here:
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CLASS OF 2022: SANSKRITA BHARADWAJ
.
@without_sans
is an independent journalist. Her work appears in
@Slate
,
@ForeignPolicy
,
@AlJazeera
,
@atlasobscura
,
@Article14live
&
@thecaravanindia
. Sanskrita will work with mentor
@Marc_Herman_
on a series of articles from Assam.
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Featuring 2022 South Asia Speaks fellows
@nicholasrixon_
&
@gaachburi
! Congratulations, we can't wait to read.
Millennium Starship. The first major anthology of Indian writers belonging to the millennial generation and Generation Z.
I have had so much fun discovering many of them here.
Out in September.
Cover design: Bena Sareen
Ed:
#DavidDavidar
#Aleph
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Today we had the pleasure of informing the emerging poets, novelists, non-fiction writers, reporters & translators selected for our class of 2023. We can't wait to introduce them to you & to give their work the support it deserves.
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Happy new year! We've been working hard on putting together our new cohort of fellows & hope to inform successful candidates by the end of this month. Thank you for your patience.
@fbhutto
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CLASS OF 2022: MOHIT M. RAO
@mohitmrao
is an independent journalist in Bengaluru, India. Over the past decade, he's reported on the environment, labour, human rights & abuse of the law. He is working with mentor
@fbhutto
on a book on India's longest-running environment case.
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CLASS OF 2022: AYESHA LATIF
@ayesharamzan1
teaches poetry & translation studies at the Department of Humanities at Comsats University, Islamabad. She will work with mentor
@arunava
on a translation of Piro Preman's Aik Sau Sath Kafian.
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Our latest newsletter is out! Take a look at what our fellows & their mentors have been up to these past couple of months.
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A thread on our top tips for applying to our 2022 mentorship:
1. Read the applications guidelines thoroughly. Are you eligible? We welcome writers in South Asia who are yet to publish a book. Self published authors & those who have only contributed chapters/essays may also apply.
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CLASS OF 2022: AASHNA JAMAL
@aashna_jamal
is an economist with an MA in International Development Economics from Yale & a BA Economics from St. Xavier’s. She was last posted in Timor-Leste as an international civil servant. Aashna is working with mentor
@kmahaj
on a novel.
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Finding home through food & memories. Evocative new writing from
@musingsofmaliha
(SAS, 2022) in
@enthucutletmag
.
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An evening to remember: Thank you
@MiraPagliNair
for inspiring our outgoing class of fellows with your creativity, resilience, courage & energy. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to learn from you & thank you for your time.
#Convocation
#southasiaspeaks
#miranair
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New writing from our mentor
@fbhutto
. Congratulations Fatima!
This Woman’s Work comes out on April 7. It was a joy to contribute an essay alongside so many wonderful writers I admire. I wrote about music, exile and revolutions, a peek below and a link to the book here
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CLASS OF 2022: NICHOLAS RIXON
@nicholasrixon_
is a writer and editor in New Delhi, India. His work appears in Catapult, The Indian Quarterly, and . He is working with mentor
@dikshabasu
on a novella about the Anglo-Indian community.
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CLASS OF 2022: SUMALLYA MUKHOPADHYAY
@CallMeaMaverick
is a doctoral fellow at IIT Delhi. His research focusses on the intersection of oral narratives & memory studies. He will work with mentor
@AanchalMalhotra
on a book based on the Partition.
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Proud to see SAS fellow
@khanthefatima
featured on
@AJListeningPost
.
Spoke to
@AJListeningPost
about the election results and how they are, above all else, an indictment of the mainstream Indian media.
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The masterclass is back! We're looking forward to welcoming
@vauhinivara
in conversation with mentor
@samanth_s
.
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We're delighted to announce that our first ever poetry mentor is the Forward Prize winning poet
#TishaniDoshi
. Applications to all our fellowships open on September 6. Please study our updated guidelines before applying.
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Happy pub day to our brilliant mentor
@AanchalMalhotra
!
It’s publication day! ‘In The Language of Remembering’ is finally out in the world today. A collection of oral history interviews with descendants of Partition-impacted families in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, about the long-lasting, generational legacy they have inherited.
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We have *five* spots available for this free masterclass & we'd like to offer it to South Asian food writers. Please register your interest via DM. Please be sure that you will attend & give us a link to your website/latest work.
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Congratulations to
@AtharvaPandit3
,
@asiaspeaks
2021, on being long-listed for the JCB Literature Prize for his novel ‘Hurda’! 🎉📚
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We're so proud of
@artisuch
(SAS, 2022) for publishing her first book, a translation of Tamil writer Jeyamohan's novel ஏழாம் உலகம் (Ezhaam Ulagam). Suchitra worked on the book during her year with SAS, where her mentor was
@arunava
.
Dear friends - 'The Abyss', my translation of master Tamil writer Jeyamohan's novel ஏழாம் உலகம் (Ezhaam Ulagam) is now available for pre-order in India.
@juggernautbooks
is publishing it.
Pre-order here -
The book will be out on April 10.
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"Biscuits are, as everything is in India, defined by who eats them, and where." 2022
@AsiaSpeaks
fellow Sharanya Deepak tells the story of India through five biscuits.
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Our next masterclass is on Friday and it features
@JamilJanKochai
in conversation with mentor
@kmahaj
. We're so excited for this (virtual) meeting!
#southasiaspeaks
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We're delighted for
@AtharvaPandit3
(SAS, 2021) whose debut novel
#Hurda
is published by
@bloomsburyindia
.
@tanujsolanki
says, "Reminiscent of Bolaño's polyphonous whirlpools, Pandit's novel deftly inverts the adage that it takes a village to raise a child. A remarkable debut."
Savagely hilarious and deeply disturbing, a whodunit as well as an examination of what the lives of women are worth, Hurda marks the arrival of a bold new voice from South Asia.
Releasing on 18 October, pre-order
#Hurda
by
@AtharvaPandit3
here:
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CLASS OF 2022: DUA ABBAS RIZVI
@duaabbasrizvi
is a visual artist and journalist in Lahore, Pakistan. She writes on art, culture, and South Asia. Dua is working with mentor
@fbhutto
on a memoir, Brown Girl and Pale Poet.
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It's been six months of South Asia Speaks, our literary mentorship program. Here's what our fantastic mentees, and mentors, have been up to.
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So proud of our mentor
@arunava
, congratulations!
.
@arunava
receives the
@VaniFoundation_
Distinguished Translator Award 2022 from
@ShashiTharoor
for his magnificent contributions to translated literature at
@JaipurLitFest
.
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CLASS OF 2022:
@duaaamir9
is an undergraduate student of medicine in Karachi, Pakistan. She is working with mentor
@soniafaleiro
on an exploration of feminism.
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A stunning new piece of writing from our mentor
@fbhutto
.
The Hour of the Wolf, an essay I wrote about dogs, grief and the betrayals and promises we have made the wild, is out in
@GrantaMag
today. You can read it here
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CLASS OF 2022: KARTIKEYA JAIN
Kartikeya Jain is a freelance writer, editor & translator in Delhi. He has edited literary translations & books on politics, philosophy & travel. Kartikeya is working with mentor
@arunava
on a translation of Chandan Pandey’s Hindi novel, Keertigaan.
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2
20
Our last newsletter of the year is out! Read what our fellows have been up to & get an early look at our plans for next year including an exciting new "Masterclass" series. (That's mentor
@AanchalMalhotra
& fellow
@nusratjafri
in the picture!).
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4
20
Congratulations to our mentor
@abhishekanicca
on the publication of his memoir, The Grammar of My Body!
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7
19
CLASS OF 2022: MALIHA KHAN
@musingsofmaliha
is a writer & academic from Karachi, Pakistan. She moved to India on a Young India Fellowship at Ashoka University in 2016 & has lived in Delhi since. Maliha will work with mentor
@tarankhan
on a book about Karachi's food culture.
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Can't wait,
@AanchalMalhotra
! "The oral historian publishes her first work of fiction, in which Samir Vij traces the story of his perfumed life from the battlefields of WW1 to the flower fields of Grasse; from the 388 letters of love to a brief and secret marriage."
Nervous yet excited to see 'The Book of Everlasting Things' on this list!
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CLASS OF 2022: UMA SHIRODKAR
Uma Shirodkar is a freelance social media manager in Mumbai, India. A language enthusiast, she is working with mentor
@arunava
on translating an anthology of short stories from Marathi to English.
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So proud of
@khanthefatima
(SAS, 2023! Congratulations, Fatima!
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CLASS OF 2022: SHARANYA DEEPAK
Sharanya Deepak is a writer & reporter from Delhi. She writes about food, language & the commodification of culture. Her writing appears in
@VICE
,
@WasafiriMag
&
@FiftyTwoDotIN
. Sharanya is working with mentor
@SanamMKhi
on a collection of essays.
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Super proud of
@artisuch
(SAS, 2022) who appears in
@scroll_in
today with an analysis of the translation strategies employed by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma's ‘The Kural’ and
@meenakandasamy
's 'The Book of Desire’.
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Hurrah for
@nusratjafri
(SAS, 2021), whose important & devastating memoir This Land We Call Home will be published by
@PenguinIndia
on April 30. Show your support & share some love by pre-ordering your copy today.
#DalitHistoryMonth
This
#DalitHistoryMonth
pre-order a copy of
@nusratjafri
’s evocative memoir. When it first landed in my inbox, thanks to
@SmitaKhanna3
, I remember reading it in one go & being stunned by its sheer radiance. I promise you, too, will fall in love with it.
@soniafaleiro
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CLASS OF 2022: SURESH GAIKWAD
@sureshsg151
is a PhD fellow at Jawaharlal Nehru University. His PhD project focuses on caste in the British-Indian military. Suresh is working with mentor
@mraozing
on a novel Berki: Untouchable Rebels, set during the Namantar Andolan.
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CLASS OF 2022: URBI CHATTERJEE
Urbi Chatterjee is a student of History & Psychology & a Young India Fellow. She lives in Delhi & works as an independent writer & editor. She is working with mentor
@arunava
on a translation of Leela Majumdar's Bengali anthology Kheror Khata.
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We're in the final stretch! Applications to the SouthAsia Speaks program close in 15 days; so polish your writing samples, proofread your statement of purpose and head over to to apply now!
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CLASS OF 2022: ZOYA REHMAN
@pind_wave
is a feminist researcher & organiser in Islamabad, Pakistan. She and her collaborator
@Tooba_Sd
are working with mentor
@tarankhan
on Feminist Visions of Resistance & Justice in Pakistan, a study.
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We love
@nilanjanaroy
and are so excited for her new book to appear on shelves worldwide. Readers in the UK, run don't walk to your favourite bookshop.
@PushkinPress
I have happy news — Black River is out this summer in the UK, from the magnificent
@PushkinPress
.
Daniel Seton, thank you for believing in my writing from the days of The Wildings, and for opening Pushkin's doors to writers from around the world. Proud to be part of your list!
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CLASS OF 2022:
@bijaya_biswal
is a doctor & public health researcher studying on a Commonwealth Scholarship at The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine & Kings' College. She is working with mentor
@IChotiner
on exploring the impact of mining on indigenous communities.
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CLASS OF 2022: SANJANA RAMACHANDRAN
@ramachandranesk
is a writer & marketer. She has led marketing for Ariel, Tide & The Ken, launched Tide Pods in India & helped pivot The Caravan to subscription journalism. She is working with mentor
@SanamMKhi
on an essay collection.
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16
We're thrilled to announce that our next masterclass will feature novelist & essayist Pankaj Mishra in conversation with mentor
@soniafaleiro
.
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We'd like to thank all the food writers who applied for a place at our free masterclass with
@senatormayukh
. We're happy to welcome
@ambreenali
,
@shirinmehrotra
,
@vandana_writes
,
@nkvenugopal
,
@SohelS28
,
@azureskyfollows
,
@thatdoggonelady
and
@thegutterflower
to our session.
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Congratulations Nazuk Iftikhar Rao (SAS, 2021)! Read Nazuk's story "Word Rations" in the new issue of
@TasavvurNama
.
Really proud of Nazuk, one of my
@AsiaSpeaks
mentees, whose short story has just been published
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We're delighted to see two
@AsiaSpeaks
fellows shortlisted for this year's
#CWprize
. Congratulations
@ajaybpatri
(SAS, 2021) & Bharath Kumar (SAS, 2024)!
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We are open for applications! Please read our guidelines carefully before applying particularly the eligibility and exclusions section. Our application form is available on our website and the last date to apply is September 30.
#callforsubmissions
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We'll be announcing the results of our mentorship program starting tomorrow. Thanks for your patience!
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We're delighted for 2021
@AsiaSpeaks
fellow
@priyamvada_ram
who has been selected for the ALTA Emerging Translator Mentorship Program. She will work on a translation of B. Jeyamohan’s Vellai Yaanai from Tamil.
ALTA is thrilled to announce the mentees for the 7th year of the ALTA Emerging Translator Mentorship Program! Congratulations to our 13 exceptional emerging translators, our largest mentee cohort to date! Learn more about them here:
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NEWS!
@AsiaSpeaks
is delighted to introduce a series of workshops on craft for fellows past & present. The workshops will supplement our v. popular masterclass series & offer deep dives into the writing process. We kickstart our series with screenwriter Nikesh Shukla on May 9.
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So excited to chat with Independent Journalists
@nehadixit123
and
@kunalpurohit
about making and managing money as a freelancer this Thursday!
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CLASS OF 2022: MEHAK JAMAL
@mehakjamal
is a filmmaker from Kashmir. She has co-written the film Love Hostel & writes web-series for Disney Plus Hotstar & Zee5. Mehak will work with mentor
@rahulabhatia
on Loal Kashmir, a book inspired by a memory project of the same name.
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Get to know our fellows here: .
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We had a fantastic event with
@ASuitableAgency
yesterday during which
@hemalisodhi
& Ambar Sahil Chatterjee introduced themselves to our fellows.
@fbhutto
moderated, mentors
@avnidoshi
&
@soniafaleiro
were present & there were tons of questions. A huge thank you to everyone!
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Congratulations to our mentor
@AanchalMalhotra
for winning the Franco-Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry Literary Prize for 'Remnants of a Separation' translated by
@camillecloarecg
. We couldn't be prouder!
🎉 Huge congratulations to Aanchal Malhotra for receiving the Literary Prize 2024 from La Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie Franco-Indienne for her remarkable book "Vestige d’une Séparation" (The French translation of "Remnants of a Separation" by Camille Cloarec) published by
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We're delighted for
@AsiaSpeaks
fellow
@hackiechan
whose debut collection of short stories is out this months. Congratulations Chandrima! Pre-order details 👇🏾
Spooky spooky October will bring in the release of my debut horror collection Young Blood!
Did your college have it's own haunting/ urban legend? Want to revisit those stories? Then get your hands on this book.
Pre-order here:
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Happy pub day to
@AtharvaPandit3
(SAS, 2021)! Everyone go out and buy
#Hurda
, it's magnificent.
@BloomsburyIndia
Happy Publication Day to Hurda by
@atharvappandit
⭐️📖
Watch author
@AtharvaPandit3
introduce his debut novel that marks the arrival of a bold new voice from South Asia.
Out now online and in bookstores near you!
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