A 2 Z International Theme Reveal

I’m planning my theme around poets. I’m going to prioritize women poets. Where I can’t find one matching the letter, I’ll highlight a male poet. I’m going to include AE Stallings, Wendy Cope, Linda Pastan, etc. I actually thought of this theme as I was researching women poets in India for a workshop I was going to conduct.

So, I’m going to lean towards women poets in India as much as possible. One of the questions that came up in my workshop was about translations. I only have access to what’s online, but there must be a plethora in libraries, oral culture, and vernacular literature.

Maybe I’ll resort to Google Translate? Talk to friends or make new ones, who can recommend poets in their language. I’m excited!

I was happy to discover Gauri Deshpande, Smita Agarwal, Revathy Gopal and many more in my research. I’m seeing that Indian women poets draw a lot on myth. I too, like writing poems around women in our mythologies.

My favorite Indian poets include Tishani Doshi, Arundhati Subramaniam, and Mani Rao. Internationally, I’m a fan of Wisława Szymborska, Carol Ann Duffy, and Emily Dickinson. The Apple TV series Dickinson really contemporarised her and brought her to life.

I like writing short poems and am drawn to poets who write succinctly too. Reading a poet is the best way to inspire yourself to write. In February, I got a scholarship to a workshop by Donna Hilbert, and came away with many useful tips on writing poetry.

I’m especially keen on poet moms, as I’m one too. I’m also a fan of humour, and motherhood lends itself to a lot of black humour! Will definitely include poets on this fraught subject.

Stay tuned next month for myths, mothers, and more!