The Sangam Experience Wednesday, Jun 10 2009

Arshia Sattar’s mail plopped into my Inbox on Jan 11, 2009,

Hi Suneetha
Happy New Year
we have a vacancy at sangam house from Jan 12 to Feb 8

Would you be able to come?
Arshia

Remember what Danny Boyle did on stage after taking his Oscar statuette into his hands? I did something similar! Arshia sounded like she was offering something quite routine, but it wasn’t anything mundane at all. This was a dream come true, literally.

To the uninitiated, the Sangam House Residency for Writers is the first-of-its-kind international writer’s residency in India and an ‘on-going annual program in arts and letters’. To quote from their website:  “Our residency program is designed for writers who have published to some acclaim but not yet enjoyed substantial commercial success. We want to give writers a chance to build a substantial and influential network of personal and professional relationships that can deepen their own work, in effect expanding and diversifying literature.”

They had put up a call for applications sometime in the first half of 2008, and thrilled but never really expecting to get a selection, I too collected two recommendations and sent in my sample and published work. That was in July 2008. Later on, I saw that some bloggers were talking about their Sangam House nominations, so I wrote in to Arshia, who was coordinating the program in South Asia and came to know I had been wait-listed.

You can’t imagine how disappointed I was; so near and still not there! But when I saw the list of people selected, I felt honoured about the waitlist; the writers-in-residence nominations included people like Mohammed Hanif, who wrote ‘The Case of Exploding Mangoes’. Well, I left it at that, it was almost January 2009 and I didn’t expect a vacant slot to pop up so near the conclusion of the programme.  This mail that I received from Arshia was out of the blue and changed everything.

Writing and reading the whole day without the daily chores to interrupt me!  A whole three weeks of no cooking, creative planning and execution of menus and a sabbatical from being a CEO with no staff! Now, that doesn’t sound like a writer’s fantasy, but a small-town middle-class writer-cum-journalist-cum-mom-cum-wife, who was writing because she simply couldn’t keep away from the alphabet, still has just so much space and no more. Think ‘A Room of One’s Own’ and Virginia Woolf. I was at the threshold of such an offer and just had to say YES!

I decided to live on the dream and said yes, and so began my Sangam experience in January 2009.

Jan 12, the date that Arshia offered was too soon, in fact barely six hours away from my opening her mail; and I had a hundred things to wrap up and plan, including the family menus (Oh! Yeah, I am the proverbial lizard holding up the roof)

My work as a freelance writer had several commitments which would be left hanging if I left Trivandrum pronto; then there were the tickets to see to, I had to call up Arshia and check the route….Everything passed off well and I arrived on the morning of the 16^th of Jan into the unbelievable calm and cool of the Adishakti Properties, Pondicherry, the seat of the Sangam House Residency in India and also into the warmth of an unforgettable friendship with Mike, Lydia, Leonora, Aseem and Honggyu all of whom I will introduce in a minute.

The Adishakti Properties is the seat of a theatre company of the same name, and the company of the excellent artists resident there, Vinay, Nimmy, Suresh, Aravind and Arjun lent the extra spice to the residency days. While these guys were around, there was music, discussions on every possible topic under the sun and cinema. Within our writer’s group, it was more focused; there was the learning of the other culture, outings to good old Pondi town and night life; all mixed with the absolute quietness of the mornings and evenings, apart from the writing and its peripheral activities. But my idea of a residency also included in-depth discussions about the craft of writing and maybe even writing exercises. But that was my mistake, I confused the residency with a workshop, but the mistake was soon rectified.

You are really pampered at Sangam, I have to say that! A great and cosy room with comfortable beds, clean linen and enough blankets, moving space in case you want to pace a bit inside while you are thinking a scene out, a clean and nice bathroom with hot water and so on. There is a table to write and a cupboard for your stuff, just like you would have at home. Laundry service was also provided and clothes would be delivered back to you ironed to perfection.

The room I had occupied singly was on the ground floor and the other two women in the residency group were housed around the open corridor on the same floor. The men were on the upper floor and we had two ISPs working the web for the laptops. Unfortunately there was no web connected on the common PC which was in the dining space in a separate thatched country-type hall just off the guest house, but you could work offline and print out anything from there.

The meals provided were south Indian cuisine for breakfast and a mix of north and south Indian cuisine for lunch and dinner and these were served at fixed timings at the dining hall. We all usually took out our plates to the benches and tables outdoors under the trees and sat round chatting till work beckoned us back to our rooms.

We also raided the kitchenette at the guest house for those hunger pangs outside meal times that we writers usually have at odd hours. The fridge and larder were well stocked with bread, spreads and fruits and milk, tea and coffee and a limited quantity of liquor as well. The kitchenette saw people ganging up on coffee/fruit sessions even at midnight. Fruit was mostly out of the Adishakti orchard and we had yellow yummy papayas, just ripening guavas, and luscious pomegranates freshly plucked for us.

Now tell me what else you would want for inspiration? Peace and quiet? Nature?

You had them all at Sangam. Except for the time when the Adishakti artists practise, or the meal time banter, the place is really quiet. And the grounds are vast, and truly pretty in the golden evenings and dewy mornings. Close your eyes and you could listen to the umpteen birds that practise choir at any time of the day or night. So all we had to do was to apply our posteriors to our chairs or where ever you choose to sit and attack with the pen or mouse whatever your weapon happens to be.

But let me introduce the fellow writers who were resident with me in the incomparably beautiful guesthouse at Adishakti. We were the last batch and about a dozen people had come and gone before us since November 15, 2008. The www.sangamhouse.org  website lists the alumni.

Lydia Bravo, who is from Spain but resident in London, is a poet who writes in Spanish and a published translator handling Spanish and English.

Leonora Christina Skov is an established writer in Denmark, with two novels behind her.

Honggyu Son is an academic and a popular and award winning novelist in Korea.

Michael Obert is a renowned writer in German and has several non-fiction writings to his credit.

Aseem Shrivastava is an economist and academic of repute who hails from India but with his footprints spread globally.

And it is with these reputed names that poor old I rubbed shoulders for an entire two weeks. But my self-esteem which has always been poor got a power shot during that fortnight I spent at Sangam. I found that I wasn’t as ordinary a writer as I thought from the comments of my fellow writers who read my work and expressed their opinions. I also realised I was at least as prolific as the rest of them. The publishing credits were in varying degrees, the people from outside India seemed to be more successful. And the strangest thing was that except Aseem and me, the representatives from India resident currently, and both of us who write in English, the rest of them write in their mother-tongues.

Mike writes his travelogues in German, Lydia writes her poetry and her current novel in Spanish and adeptly translates them into English, Leonora writes in Danish and explains her literary ventures to me in English, and Honggyu, writes and handles only Korean. Once Lydia, Honggyu and I shared a hilarious time with each of us talking in our own language and laughing away at how it contrasted against the other’s speech.

Closeness inspires confidences, and all of us had heart-to-heart sessions on our life experiences. We found that love, family, relationships and life was the same in all corners of the world, albeit slightly different definitions. I remember an incident on the day I left Sangam I attended a call for Mike on the public phone. I had to call out to Mike who lived on the upper floor and he was engrossed in work so heard me only after my voice had grown frantic.

Mike came running down with a greatly worried expression which had me curious and I hung round wondering what was troubling him and if I could help him in some way. Mike soon found that the call was only from the Adishakti Office about some travel arrangement, and I watched the tension melt away from his face. After keeping the phone down Mike told me that for a few moments he had worried about his Mom back in Germany. I thought of the time when my brother had rushed back on emergency leave when he suspected that Dad was in hospital. The nomad life of a writer doesn’t make any of us different about emotions.

We also found time for one outing to Pondi town on a late evening. We came back really and truly late and riding the waves of cool night air and I do believe most of us went in straight to write. Pondi has that effect on you.

A typical day at Sangam had you routing for coffee at the kitchenette whenever you woke up or proceeding straight to the diner for the first meal of the day. Some of us even woke with the birds that set up a dynamic dialogue as early as 4 am. Chat sessions around the breakfast table would go on till someone realised the time and all would rush back to work. Lunch followed the same pattern, so did dinner. Snacks at the kitchenette were intermissions. In the midst of this food-rote, some people took off for Auroville for visits or shopping or massages; others took off to Pondi for the day when work was at saturation point. But generally work was prolific with all of us. We ate, wrote, ate more, and wrote more again. We even heard the Dalai Lama one day when he was at Auroville.

Soon it was the 29^th of Jan, my last day at the residency and the day for the reading session organised at Chennai, and all of us left in two great cars accompanied by Arshia who had come in a day earlier. The session was at the Taj Hotel, the new one, and we had some press coverage too. All of them except me left for a bash, and I went back home from Chennai.

People have asked me what I did at and what I gained from the residency. The experience and exposure was invaluable. I did manage to write a lot in spite of the fact that I was terribly home sick triggered by my withdrawal symptoms from the web. I am laptop phobic and I was not able to access the web as much as I usually do. At home I have two PCs with two different ISPs open round the clock. Lack of web access made me cut my allotted days short and I left a whole seven days earlier. But I did manage to write about 10000 words of my current novel, a number of short stories and a screenplay.

As for what I gained, it’s not something I can say easily. I went there with one impression of myself and came back with all that changed. In short, I found out not who I was but who I wasn’t, in the company of all these wordsmiths. They all were well travelled persons most of whom were leaving for other destinations for more taste of the world outside their circle. I was someone who had travelled alone very little, and that too only recently. I had ‘roots’ as they all told me several times, and I wasn’t the brave cosmopolitan woman I believed myself to be. But we all stood at par as writers, and I was at last confident of my writing.

When I look back, Pondi looks like a dream still, I can’t believe it happened until I look at my PC and the folders holding the work which I did after Sangam. Sangam came to my life at a time when I had started doubting my credentials as a writer, and two months later, I have a bunch of new pals across the globe and a new confidence as a writer. I know my mindset has changed forever, and I believe all those Indian writers who manage homes and jobs and yet manage a lot of writing, needs a residency to sort themselves out and begin on the real journey of a writer.

They have invited applications again for the 2009 residencies with Sangam House, so in case I have inspired you, please check the link

http://www.sangamhouse.org/interestedwriters.htm

Suneetha is a writer, translator and journalist who works from her home at Trivandrum in idyllic Kerala in South India. She writes and translates into two languages viz English. She writes fiction in English and poetry in Malayalam.

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Urban Writers Retreat: a review Wednesday, Jun 10 2009

By Suhel Ahmed

Transforming the desire to write to the actual act of writing has become something of a struggle lately. Every time I open up my notepad, it’s as if I’m standing at the bottom of a rock-face, staring up at the glorious summit, yet at that moment a vertiginous feeling courses through me and what I used to find natural becomes scarily alien.

So presented with the opportunity to spend a day at the Urban Writers Retreat, I instantly put my name forward, hoping that a change of scenery would be the very thing to haul me out of this psychological infirmity. Just days before my arrival, the organiser, Charlie Haynes, sent me a “goal setting sheet” requesting that I write down my aims for the day. Rather draconian, I thought, but I was willing to give anything a go to kick-start my creativity.

On a bright and beautiful Sunday morning, (a little encumbered by the fact that it was a bright and beautiful Sunday morning), I set off to enter this writer’s bootcamp, with my goals jotted down, laptop in bag, and the bit between my teeth. On arrival, our host Charlie showed me around the venue. A Boho craft workshop during normal business hours, the place exuded a homey feel; a place where you felt you could kick off your shoes, make yourself a hot cuppa, and gossip away with your best chums. The rooms began on the main ground floor and then descended to a subterranean level, (as if to emphasise that a writer needs to be quarantined in order to create). Each room was furnished with a large table surrounded by chairs, as well as power points for laptop users.

After a five-minute introduction, during which I had the feeling that my fellow retreaters wanted to forego this part and get down to some serious writing (after all, it was a writer’s retreat and not a social club), we all chose our seats and sat down to begin a day of uninterrupted work. We were asked to turn our mobile phones off. Before I’d even reached into my bag, an exam-room type hush descended, punctuated by the patter of fingertips eagerly working away on portable laptops. Slightly intimidated by the level of conscientiousness, I felt the need to share a quip, a joke, some kind of badinage to lighten the mood, but the three writers at my table didn’t seem to be in a playful mood. The politesse of the place clearly demanded a churchly silence. So I took a deep breath and turned on my laptop, ready to do battle with my creative demons. Currently I’m trying to write a collection of short stories, but admit to suffering the aches and stiffness from having completed a novel manuscript, not to mention the simmering anxiety that I might be falling prey to the second book syndrome.

However, without any distraction, soon I found my creative muscles limbering up; the aches from the previous project ebbed away. In fact, within the first two hours I’d made more progress than I’ve managed in the previous two months. In the company of so many focused writers, I was reminded of the diligence required to craft a story. I was reminded too that a story doesn’t just materialise in a flash but feeds on a writer’s sustained obsession, and anything of lesser conviction translates to mediocrity on the page.
By the end of the day, I’d barely exchanged more than salutations with my fellow retreaters, but that was of little consequence, since I’d become closely acquainted with the characters in my story, and basked in that Ready Brek glow a writer feels when he comes up for air after being immersed in the world of his imagination. Most of all, I was relieved to find that there was still fuel left in the creative tank.

On reflection, the day gave me a much-needed boost by denying me the opportunity to make excuses or search for distractions. A case of tough love, perhaps, but it made me realise that I wasn’t really searching for a kick-start, but a hefty kick up the backside. On the train home, I felt I’d come out of the ailing writer’s equivalent of a monastery, my focus returned, and my faith renewed.

Urban Writers Retreat runs one-day weekend writing retreats with a supportive atmosphere in London. Retreats run from 10am-6pm at The Make Lounge in London and cost from £35. To find out more visit http://tinyurl.com/urbanretreat

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Reporting From: The Muslim Writers Awards Wednesday, Jun 10 2009

What a night! I spent the last few hours in the company of some of the richest, diverse and talented writers. The first thing that struck me, I was listed for a VIP table. I don’t know if it was a mistake but I wasn’t about to complain. I guess wearing a sparkly gown, headscarf and matching handbag and not forgetting my gorgeous silver heels, I did fit into the evening nicely! Everyone kept asking me what award I was up for? I was a little tempted to make something up but the sheer thought of being caught out stopped me.

After all, I was given the best seats in the house. I had to be on my best behaviour because my kids were watching! The night began with powerful poetry from Dreadlock-Alien, electrifying performance from Warsan Shire and hypnotic rhymes from Amir Sulaiman. I have to confess Warsan Shire haunted me all evening. She is a talent to watch out for! Not just a Somali poet, but a writer, freelance journalist and spoken word artist. She won the title of International Slam Champion 2007.

The Rt Hon Stephen Timms – a pleasant man with a positive message. He spoke of Muslim writers and his hope that they are seen as talented artists and not just members of the Islamic faith. Another one of my favourite speakers of the night was Sadiq Khan, Minister for Communities. He talked about his involvement in projects to help ethnic minorities integrate in Britain. It wasn’t all serious speeches; there was entertainment from the likes of Aa’shiq Al Rasul, Khayaal Theatre group and the Flutebox by Nathan Lee. If that wasn’t enough to lighten the mood, there was the like of James Caan from Dragon’s Den to drool over. Finally, the judges from the very best of British publishing: Penguin, Bloomsbury, Canongate were present to give out awards to the winners.

Presenters Shelina Zahra Janmohamed and Hasan Mahamdallie were fabulous in keeping the audience entertained. But personally I felt let down by the actual awards presentation. Once the winners were announced and given their awards, they were quickly whisked off stage. I was told there wasn’t enough time to hear their winning pieces. The MWA were on a tight schedule. Cameras rolled and lights flashed blinding any who were caught looking. It was a live televised event to many countries around the world.

Afterwards, I was lucky to be able to speak to some of the winners. Hanzla Arif Macdonald, winner of the short story competition and poetry competition for the 14-16 age groups was excited to attend the awards with his parents and younger brother. To my surprise, he had won an award at last year’s MWA. As one judge put it “he will come to be a name to remember.” Other humble winners were Shameam Akhtar for her unpublished poetry and Reba Khatun for unpublished –children’s story. Both ladies appeared a little shy to talk about their success, but very glad to have submitted an entry. I guess it goes to show if you don’t write you won’t ever know. If you have a passion to write then let yourself be heard. You never know where it may lead.

Rukhsana Bhatti is a writer and mother of three. She is currently rewriting her children’s fantasy novel which was given brilliant reviews when it was pitched to EMI Media at DMU this year. She blogs at http://rukhsanab.blogspot.com/

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The Asian Writer Book Club Wednesday, Jun 10 2009

This month we launch our online bookclub. How does it work? If you haven’t already done so, you need to register for the bookclub by emailing me at editor@theasianwriter.co.uk with ‘BookClub’ in the subject line. Secondly read the book that we feature here. And then wait for the discussion to hit your inbox. It couldn’t be simpler!

This month, we have chosen Nikita Lalwani’s debut novel, Gifted. If you’ve never read it,  then read it, and if you’ve got something to share/say, tell us what you loved and hated. Then remember to email me at editor@theasianwriter.co.uk to join the bookclub discussion. We are thankful to Ashanti Omkar who will be leading the discussion this month. We will publish our thoughts in the next issue.

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The Asian Writer talks to Farah Damji Wednesday, Jun 10 2009

Try Me is a fascinating memoir of one woman’s search for belonging. Damji takes the reader on her own personal journey right from turbulent childhood days in Africa, dances in her drug crazed partying teen-adult life in New York to her prison life as an adult. Try Me is a painful but powerful memoir and Damji’s story is one which will haunt its readers for some time. The Asian Writer caught up with Farah Damji to find out more…

1) What was your initial motivation for telling your story?

I have been told I should write a book for as long as I can remember. In 2003, an agent from Curtis Brown read a commentary piece I wrote after Idi Amin died and took me on and I wrote a book. He was very inexperienced though and wanted a different book to the one I gave him. It wasn’t this one, because obviously I didn’t have the experiences or the depth of life from which this story is told. I wrote it to tell the truth, which can be painful but instructive. I wrote the book because I have always wanted to write a book, it’s been a lifelong ambition. And God knows there is enough material!

2) Did you ever have a change of heart, or lose faith whilst you were writing your story?

Every day. Writing is a discipline and I naturally react violently against anything which takes a great deal of effort and concentration! It passed though, once I sat down and started actually writing and not thinking about or talking about doing it

3) You don’t ever hold back in the story, its really a tell all – looking back now, do you wish you’d left some things out?

No. It’s the whole story. It was hard to write about some of my criminal past. I have been judged and rejudged and sentenced for life by complete strangers who think they wear a wig and red robes and sit on a bench when it comes to my life. But in order to tell the story, I couldn’t leave anything out, it added to the understanding of the whole picture. I had to distance myself completely from any perceived or anticipated reaction and write it as if I was writing in a vacuum, without a thought for other people’s sensitivities.

4) Have any of your family read the book yet? What do they make of it?

I know my beloved estranged aunty the Yazzmonster is worried about it, there’s quite a lot of information in it about her she would rather not have out there for public consumption, my brother whom I haven’t seen for twelve years asked my son (aged 11) to tell me to not to publish it. They haven’t read it but as I have always said, this is MY story and there’s a memorable line in Desperate Housewives which says “The truth is just a previously agreed upon set of lies.” Everyone’s versions of the same event are going to differ dramatically. I am sure my parents live in the delusion that they did a wonderful job

5) Was the process of writing for you, painful or therapeutic? Did it offer closure on some aspects of your past?

Incredibly painful but ultimately healing. I’ve said it was like childbirth, but it’s like 9 months of labour pains. It offered closure in as much as writing down something forces you to relive it and come to terms with it in your own head. Then you have to move on and I did. There are some things that I will never understand but they don’t have the same power or control over me anymore.

I have absolutely nothing to hide any more. my life is quite literally an open book. It’s all in there, anyone can read about it. There’s a lot of freedom in that because I am not obliged to uphold any “fake” or inauthentic version o myself that has been propagated for years by others and myself. I was afraid of who I was and the process of delving into the darkest parts of myself forces the light onto those events and experiences that lurked there, and actually scary monsters that torture our nightmares are not so scary in the day-light.

6) You re-live some horrible moments in the book, right from a turbulent childhood to a confused young adult life…what did you learn about yourself when writing about that time in your life?

I wish I had had proper adult role models, not fucked up cardboard cutouts around me.Yasmin, my parents and family can’t be called “normal” or “functional” in any way. I learned I have a strong centre and that is unbreakable. I learned to have faith in my ability to survive, no matter what. I learned I have some very good friend who have never turned their backs. I think children who grow up in crazy alcoholic homes have to become resilient way before their years and we see the world through adult eyes before we should. I feel much compassion for the child in me who lost her innocence but a lot of healing happened when my own daughter was born because she offers me so much hope and love.

7) Who did you write the book for? And what do you hope people will get from it?

Anyone who wants to read it. It’s every woman’s story to some degree though not every woman goes off the rails ( or has the opportunity to) like I did. Men have said they are interested in it because women don’t usually write about openly about sex, relationships and power in the way that I have.

8) I like the fact that you talk about disturbing personal experiences, without ever sounding like a victim even though you can be perceived in that way…did you make a conscious decision to move away from the common misery memoir genre?

I have never considered myself a victim of anything. I created the chaos around me, I was the result of the upbringing I had but I could have turned out a very different person. There are so many things that come into the mix when it comes to fate but ultimately I believe we control our karma. I think if we take on the victim mentality, we invite more abuse in some shape or form, kind of Cosmic Ordering inverted.

9) Although you may have been written about in presses long before this, you’ve never come out and had your say or told your version of events…is your memoir an attempt to redress this balance?

Maybe subconsciously and also on a superficial level, there was some need to tell “my” story but even this isn’t safeguarded. People can quote from it what they want, only salacious sexy bits and leave out the underlying themes which are bigger. I wrote it because I think the books has something to say, beyond just “my” story. As for as balance, I don’t engage in any public squabbles with anyone, so this is more of a statement, a drawing a line in the sand and saying, “this is it,” rather than an invitation for debate.

10) Is it easier to write from life or imagination? And what should writers who want to follow in your footsteps take into consideration before embarking on writing a memoir?

I like writing from life, I am not sure which is easier, I think it depends on what you prefer to write.

Things to consider before writing a memoir:

1) Be prepared to burn bridges because your version of your life is going to be different from that of those around you. They didn’t live it in the same way you did..

2) Be HONEST,

3)Be fearless.

4)Tell your story without embellishment and embarrassment. Step away from it and imagine it is someone else’s story so you can get some objectivity around it. It’s easy to be vicious and quite delicious but remember that everything you write for print will be around a lot longer than you ever will.

5) Remember that ultimately you are spending time on it, creating something of value for yourself. Enjoy it!

Try Me is published by The Ark Press in July 2009.

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Meet Agent Sherna Khambatta Wednesday, Jun 10 2009

Please tell our readers a little bit about what you do, and what your background is?

As a literary agent I sell the right to publish books of the authors whom I represent. I manage an author’s career right from the time I receive a manuscript to the book being in a bookstore. This involves encouragement and support, sometimes nursing a writer’s block and advice and on the work front, which includes editorial advice (though not copy editing), assessing work by considering the overall structure, style, readability and marketability of the book. I negotiate the contract on the author’s behalf. I also, sell rights such as translation rights or other secondary rights that have not been granted to the publisher. I am responsible for collecting dues, checking royalty statements, receiving feedback from publishers regarding print runs, sales figures and marketing. Post publishing, I work on general promotion of the book from the book launch to publicity and checking in on distribution and store-availability.

I wrote a book of poems which was published in 2002 and found the entire process extremely alien if not intimidating and I wished that I had someone to guide me through it.

What does your role involve as a literary agent?

As an agent, I am actively involved in the entire process with the author from the time the manuscript is written (with constant contact, editorial feedback and support) to the point when the book is available at stores and thereafter its’ sale and promotion.

Do you have clients from all over the world, or are they based in India only?

I do represent clients from all over the world though currently I am focusing on their work being published in India and throughout Asia. I am currently representing the author, Michael Benanav who has had two successful titles published in America, (retaining his rights for Asia) and was on the Discover Great New Writers list on Barnes And Noble and have got him a publisher for his work in India.

How do you prefer new writers to approach you?

I prefer being approached via e-mail by new writers both for non-fiction as well as fiction. A strong covering letter, a synopsis and sample chapters that are well-written with strong characters and an original plot will certainly grab my attention.

What are your pet hates?

Rceiving manuscripts with spelling errors, that haven’t been edited, authors who are presumptuous about their own ability and talent and those who repeatedly query with the same manuscript after being turned down.

Are you more concerned with promoting your author in India or across the world and why?

I do believe that an author needs to relate to the reader and vice-versa, so by promoting them in India and the regions in which the book is available it bridges the gap between the two.

Even though marketing and promotion of books in India is a new concept, with chain stores promoting authors, launches and readings things are most certainly improving which also gives the author a platform to reach a wider audience.

Is a literary agent an employee of the author, or the other way round?

I think a literary agent and author work as a team in tandem with each other so the question of employee and employer doesn’t arise.

What is the decision maker when taking on a new client?

Primarily, I’m looking for an author who is talented, whose work I can relate to, who is professional and lastly saleable. In fiction, the author would have to be commercially viable as well as original. It’s fairly tough to come up with something novel which hasn’t been done before but a different twist to a tried and tested formula would work. The characters would need to be both memorable and identifiable with a unique storyline or setting. In non-fiction, a well written thorough manuscript that readers can identify to certainly interests me.

What do you think are the benefits of having a literary agent based in India?

For authors based in India, having an agent locally who understands the market, has contact with publishers and can support them through the writing process I think gives them the time and space to do what they love best, writing and leaves me to take care of the rest.

What advice would you give to new writers looking to secure an agent?

To secure an agent, the author needs to begin with having a distinctive book, and to find an agent who is equally passionate about it. The first interaction and covering letter, brief and synopsis should be gripping enough for the agent to be compelled to want to read further. An understanding of an agent’s role and complete trust are vital in order for the relationship to work successfully.

The Sherna Khambatta Literary Agency handles fiction and non-fiction, including children’s books. We look forward to receiving manuscripts in English from writers across the literary spectrum. We currently accept new manuscripts in Fiction, General as well as Narrative Non-Fiction in the areas of biography/memoir, narrative travel (no guidebooks), current affairs and contemporary issues. We do not handle plays, screenplays or film scripts. Sherna acts as the Indian representative of the U.K. based Wade & Doherty Literary Agency, for further information visit www.shernakhambatta.com

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Journeys Writing from the Heart Competition Thursday, Apr 23 2009

Sampad launches ‘Journeys’, an international writing competition. It is an opportunity for aspiring writers from or connected to the South Asian diaspora around the world to have their work published in a book.

This competition will bring together writers of all ages and backgrounds from cities, towns, schools and groups from across the world. There are two categories: one for writers aged 8 to 15; one for writers aged 16 and over. At the end of the competition the winning entries will be selected by a panel of judges and published in a book in 2010.

The writers’ work can be in any style – short story, poetry, reportage – they just need to use the theme of journeys as a starting point for their writing.

“This is an opportunity for people to tell us how they observe the world, people, nature, to express their own senses and feelings. To tell us where a real journey might have taken them, how it has changed their life, or where their heart and imagination is telling them to go”
Piali Ray, OBE. Director of sampad

Details of how to enter Journeys international writing competition are available at www.sampad.org.uk. All entries must be received by Thursday 31 December 2009.

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Bridport Prize Thursday, Apr 23 2009

The Bridport Prize is considered to be one of the most prestigious literary competitions. It is pays a generous £5000 to the winner. Its open to all, and the entry fee is £7. Enough said.

For more details visit the website at http://www.bridportprize.org.uk/

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Kala Kahani Short Story Competition Thursday, Apr 23 2009

The old battered suitcase was tucked way under the bed, as I dragged
it out the dust tickled my nostrils. The latches were rusted and stiff
but my patience paid off when they suddenly sprang open to reveal
treasures I had long forgotten about. I picked up the brightly
coloured parcels that were wrapped in pieces of torn sari, already a
tusk poked through the bright greens and reds. As I unwrapped the
treasure, childhood memories came flooding back of playing with these
beautifully carved wooden animals?..?

Does this sound familiar? Are you Asian and of East African descent?
Were you expelled from Uganda? Did you flee Kenya in search of a new
life? Where are you living now, how has your life changed? What did
you bring with you, what makes those memories come flooding back? You
can tell us about your journey or just a snippet. We would like to
hear your story in 2000 words or less.

The prizes are as follows;
1st Prize £300
2nd Prize £150
3rd Prize £50

Your story must be 2000 words or less, typed in English in a Word.doc
format, double spaced and in a 11pt font size as an attachment to an
email or can be posted to the address below.

Only original work is acceptable and must be previously unpublished.

Include your name, address and contact phone number as well as your
email address.

Entrance is open to anyone worldwide aged 16 and above.

Entry to the competition and acceptance of any prize constitutes
permission to use the winning entries in future Kala Kahani or
Charnwood Arts publications or online.

The closing date for entries is 30th June 2009

Email entries to info@kalakahani.co.uk

Postal entries to Rebecca Abrahams, Kala Kahani Project, Charnwood
Arts, 31 Granby Street, Loughborough, Leicestershire. LE11 3DU

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BBC National Short Story Award Thursday, Apr 23 2009

The BBC National Short Story Award has launched (March 26). The award is the world’s largest for a single short story, with the winning author receiving £15,000. The runner up receives £3,000 and three further authors £500 each.

This year’s panel of judges are: singer-songwriter Will Young, broadcaster and journalist Tom Sutcliffe (chair), author Dame Margaret Drabble, Orange Prize winner Helen Dunmore and BBC Radio 4’s Editor Di Speirs.

The shortlist will be announced on Friday 27 November with the five stories broadcast on BBC Radio 4 each weekday before the winner is announced. The five stories will also be published in a special collection.

Aimed at highlighting the importance of the short, the award stands at the heart of a UK-wide campaign — story — that also launched alongside the award in 2005. The ambition of both award and campaign is to expand opportunities for British writers, readers and publishers of the short story. The award aims to honour the country’s finest authors in the form, with James Lasdun securing the inaugural year with “An Anxious Man,” Julian Gough in 2007 with “The Orphan and the Mob” and Clare Wigfall in 2008 with “The Numbers.” Other authors shortlisted in previous years have included Jackie Kay, Hanif Kureishi, Rose Tremain and William Trevor.

BBC Radio 4 is the world’s leading broadcaster of short stories and a staunch supporter of the form. Short stories are broadcast every week attracting more than a million listeners. The BBC hopes that the award can continue to serve as a reminder of the power of the short story in a literary environment dominated by the novel.

Clare Wigfall, winner of the 2008 BBC National Short Story Award:

“How can I measure the impact the BBC National Short Story Award has had on my life?  Of course, most obvious might be the attention my work has since received – what a gift for a writer so early in their career, especially when you’ve chosen a literary form so often neglected! But on a more personal level, the award also gave an incredible boost to my confidence as a writer.  To be confronted with the knowledge that my story had moved others, that it had gripped them, given them an insight into another world and perhaps also made them think afresh about their own, well, that was undeniably something quite extraordinary.

For entry details please visit the website at: http://www.theshortstory.org.uk/

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