reading+writing+conversation+community
A 30-45 minutes segment to discuss a recent book with a writer, poet, or translator with a focus on aspects of their writing craft as it relates to this book and more. If you’d like to be featured in this channel, please go to the Contact page (see the top menu.)
Hello and welcome to Episode 59 of Desi Books—news and views about desi literature from the world over. I’m your host, Jenny Bhatt. Thank you for tuning in. In today's #DesiCraftChat, we have Kirthana Ramisetti discussing her debut novel, Dava Shastri's Last Day. In this conversation, we talked about the challenges of creating older women protagonists, writing a debut novel filled with many themes and characters, how her journalism work helped her write this novel—and much more.
Hello and welcome to Episode 57 of Desi Books—news and views about desi literature from the world over. I’m your host, Jenny Bhatt. Thank you for tuning in. In today's #DesiCraftChat, we have Mayukh Sen discussing their new book, Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America. In this conversation, we talked about cultural politics and historiography—who and what gets recorded, remembered, forgotten, and celebrated and how—and much more.
Hello and welcome to Episode 53 of Desi Books—news and views about desi literature from the world over. I’m your host, Jenny Bhatt. Thank you for tuning in. In today's #DesiCraftChat, we have SJ Sindu discussing their new novel, Blue-skinned Gods. In this conversation, we talked about the use of Hindu mythology in contemporary fiction, the loss of religion, and more.
Hello and welcome to Episode 50 of Desi Books—news and views about desi literature from the world over. I’m your host, Jenny Bhatt. Thank you for tuning in. In today's #DesiCraftChat, we have Venkat Srinivasan discussing his book, The Origin Story of India's States. In this conversation, we talked about the genesis of the book, how he approached the required research, why writing this book changed him as a writer, what he'd like readers to take away from it, and more.
Hello and welcome to Episode 46 of Desi Books—news and views about desi literature from the world over. I’m your host, Jenny Bhatt. Thank you for tuning in. In today's #DesiCraftChat, we have Samir Chopra discussing his book, Bollywood Does Battle: The War Movie and the Indian Popular Imagination. In this conversation, we talked about what prompted him to write this book, how he chose the particular movies to study with closer readings, and some of the surprising and not-so-surprising things he learned in the process of writing it.
Hello and welcome to Episode 44 of Desi Books—news and views about desi literature from the world over. I’m your host, Jenny Bhatt. Thank you for tuning in. Today's episode is a #DesiCraftChat Rewind. This is a new feature that will run time to time when writers featured on Desi Books are back in the news for their terrific work. So this week, we have Dhruti Shah, who had been interviewed on episode 26 in April 2021 discussing her book, Bear Markets and Beyond: A Bestiary of Business Terms, which was out earlier this year.
Hello and welcome to Episode 42 of Desi Books—news and views about desi literature from the world over. I’m your host, Jenny Bhatt. Thank you for tuning in. Today, in the #DesiCraftChat segment, we have Amanda Jayatissa, who has a debut novel out this month titled My Sweet Girl. In this conversation, we talked about the genesis of the story, how she created the voice of her main character, rage-writing, that amazing double-twist ending, her writing journey, and more.
Hello and welcome to Episode 40 of Desi Books—news and views about desi literature from the world over. I’m your host, Jenny Bhatt. Thank you for tuning in. Today, in the #DesiCraftChat segment, we have Saumya Roy, who has a debut nonfiction out this month titled Castaway Mountain: Love and Loss Among the Wastepickers of Mumbai. In this conversation, we talked about how she avoided some of the expected clichés when writing about Mumbai's slums, how she did her research, how her usual journalism work and this book are different, her literary influences, and more.
Hello and welcome to Episode 37 of Desi Books—news and views about desi literature from the world over. In today’s episode, we have Jai Chakrabarti who has a debut historical novel out this month titled A Play for the End of the World. In this conversation, we talked about the play that the story centers on, Tagore, WWII, how art and politics are intertwined, how the past lives on in the present, how he gets into the heads of his characters, his journey as a writer, and more.
Hello and welcome to Episode 32 of Desi Books—news and views about desi literature from the world over. In today’s episode, we have Vinod Busjeet in the #DesiCraftChat segment. He’ll be discussing his debut novel, Silent Winds, Dry Seas. As I mentioned in the last episode, we’re rolling out some changes based on listener feedback. The audio episodes will now be shorter, more frequent, and focusing on single authors. There will also be more text and audio content on the Desi Books website. To ensure you’re getting all the new desi books and writers updates, please sign up for the free weekly newsletter by going to the website.