Rochelle Potkar's Blog, page 19
November 2, 2021
Lec-dem @ ISpell Forum
Looking forward to collating and rendering a talk on 14th Nov 2021 at the iSpell forum on the wide aspects of creative-writing @ Indian Society for the Promotion of English Language & Literature. For Starters, my first thought is: “A Word is a Worm in the Apple of the Mind.” What say? 
Registration – link, click here.
October 30, 2021
The Asian Book Club, London discusses Bombay Hangovers
The discussion over the stories and characters of Bombay Hangovers with The Asian Book Club, last evening London 2 pm/Dubai 5 pm was so immersive, I forgot to capture a screenshot.
It’s wonderful when discussions behind stories, characters, motives, life, and its existential elements take you over multiple trajectories to faraway places. Thank you, Nash friend and fellow-alum of the 10-day Kolkata’s Writing Workshop – for choreographing this.
October 22, 2021
Book Review: ‘The Coordinates of Us’
‘“Many of us spend our whole lives running from feelings with the mistaken belief that you cannot bear pain. But you have already borne the pain. What you have not done is feel all you are beyond that pain.” says Kahlil Gibran. These poems allowed me to experience that freely; and examine who I am’ – a book review by architect and poet Kavita Parwani Talib at The Quiver Review.
Book available:
October 16, 2021
My interview in French in Trait-d’Union Magazine.
Hi Friends, if you can read French this is all yours!
Poet and novelist, Cécile Oumhani interviews me for Trait-d’Union Magazine. http://www.traitdunionmagazine.com/in... Thank you, Adel Hakim – Fondateur et Directeur Général, Trait-d’Union Magazine.
October 15, 2021
@JLF Houston 2021
For those who missed my reading of an excerpt of ‘Fabric’ from Bombay Hangovers at JLF 2021 Writer’s Shorts can now view a replay on Saturday, 16th October at JLF Houston 11:45 AM – 12:00 NOON CDT / 10: 15 PM – 10:30 PM IST.
Register for JLF Houston –
https://jlflitfest.org/houston/regist...
October 10, 2021
Incel insult
You might not know me and that is better. I am an introvert who can celebrate the company of but a few. Even two in a room gives me a feeling the room is full of a 100. (So exclusions or cancel cultures would/could never work on me in theory or practice. I wouldn’t even understand it.)
I have come across a hive mind – a group of group-thinkers and I must warn you if you ever hear of them and their fake narratives about me, that you should keep your independent discerning mind to glean and decide. Don’t fall into their trap.
The ring – mostly comprising of unemployed less-on-talent men who write ‘poetry’ -,targets lone women poets and promising talented male poets. They only worship established male/female poets whom they can’t destroy so could do wise by bending and bowing for support.
The leader of this hive-mind appears sexually repressed because his obsession with me is curiously funny. He has been targetting me too through whisper networks saying ‘my poetry doesn’t have “range”. If I partner/curate a poetry festival, he spreads misinformation that the festival is corrupt or money-minting, even though the judges are people he bows down to.
IMO I find this poor thing’s poetry quite underwhelming. I’d put it under the “stub cigarette category” – very tired, a pinch of soot. Forgettable. Forgotten. So his attacks are understandable. He can’t fathom the independence of confident sparkling lone-women poets. But we will always know to own our days under the sun. Unstoppably. Somebody needs to educate him.
He appears “de-ranged” and cannot even grasp “range”.
I write in many genres, over many topics, themes, forms, and will continue to do so, unstoppably. MY journey, MY life.
No incel or brothel-goer, talentless bugger can frighten me off.
*
Not so long ago, at a poetry workshop, that I was invited to conduct – one of the hive-mind guys from this group was present. As I shared exercises and writing process tips to a very resonant receptive warm bunch, this guy was hissing at me – catching the tinies of my errors and scoffing. He seemed brainwashed. I recognized him from the group-think bunch and kept my cool. I knew – sooner or later – their surfaces crack.
Right enough once all the participants started sharing their gorgeous pieces of writing and we came to this guy. He had written some measly sad uninspiring 4 lines. That’s it! :O All his heckling was to become a professional heckler.
No wonder the group-thinkers stick so close – they weigh not as a whole body but as one limb each. So all limbs orgy together to make up the whole body if they have to make any difference at all. In other words, catch them alone and they will collapse with some uninspiring lines of ‘poetry’. The best part is they know it deep down, and can’t run or hide from their lack of talent. It eats into them.
LMAO. I am not afraid of such jokers. My popcorn tub, though, needs regular refilling.
*
Thanks for reading.
Now back to good work! 
October 3, 2021
‘Room No. 312 and Other Stories’ is out!
A story of mine appears in ‘Room No. 312 and Other Stories’ by Walking BookFairs.
Gratitude Satabdi Mishra and Akshaya Ravtaray.
Copies of this book are available at bookstores ONLY in India. They are not selling on Amazon in support of local, independent bookstores. You can order a copy by writing in to: walkingbookfairs@gmail.com.
(For those who don’t know -) Based in Odisha, Walking BookFairs is one-of-its-kind, where this duo sets out on road throughout India in a book-van to promote reading. Simply fascinating, and much-needed.
Glad to have read poetry in their Odisha bookstore.
But it’s the van I want to sit in. Imagine reading to torrid breeze, throwing all words to wind.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-i...
https://www.facebook.com/walkingbookf...
September 26, 2021
My poem ‘Surrender’ in the Tampa Review
Glad to see my poem ‘Surrender’ in the Tampa Review, ed: Paul T. Corrigan, University of Tampa Press.
Click to read.
September 18, 2021
The Coordinates of Us/ सर्व अंशांतून आपण (poetry translations) is out!
Dear Friends,
With great peace and joy I share with you that our book of poetry translations The Coordinates of Us/ सर्व अंशांतून आपण in English/Marathi (with poet Sanket Mhatre) is out!
40 each of our poems translated in this book.
This (manuscript) was shortlisted at the iWrite 2020 Jaipur BookMarks 2020, Jaipur Literature Festival and won a grant by Raza Foundation (Very grateful to Ashok Vajpeyi), then took its own course to be published by the ever-supportive Manoj Pathak, Varnamudra Publications.
A book of 80 cross-translated poems, it has a foreword by Ravi Sanker (Ra Sh) and is graciously endorsed by Bharati Birje Diggikar, Ravi Sankar, Namita Gokhale, Sandeep Khare, and Manu Dash.
Thanking: Devidas Agashe for his intriguing artwork, Kartikeya Upadhyay for prompt cover and graphic designs, Uma Nabar for editing, Mahesh Gavankar for his patient contribution to book layout and design.
The book is available at Papyrus – a swift Indian distributor.
Click to order your copy.
Amazon links will be up soon!
Please do read, review and wish us sanity on this crazy poetic journey, where two languages have merged to a confluence.
September 12, 2021
Review: Bombay Hangovers/Asian Age
The review of Bombay Hangovers by the astute and talented Kinshuk Gupta in the Asian Age is on the platter today.
“For any reader who has heard of the city only through the narration, Potkar’s book with its exquisite use of catalogue, language that soothes and stabs, and sharp observations, is a sumptuous read.”
Hope your copy is dog-eared by now!
Read the review.
