It is with absolute joy and thrill that we present to you our hundredth issue! Themed #MyWordsMyVoice, this milestone issue celebrates the platform that we hope Spark has provided to hundreds of writers to explore their creativity. Read the works of 15 writers who were invited to contribute to this issue, and an interview with Shreya Ila Anasuya about a platform that brings together gender, sexuality and disability.
An initiative of Point of View, a Mumbai-based non-profit, Skin Stories features ‘fresh new perspectives and urgent personal essays at the intersection of gender, sexuality and disability’. In this interview, Vani Viswanathan talks to Shreya Ila Anasuya, managing editor of Skin Stories, about the platform’s approach to sexuality, disability and gender; Shreya’s experience working with writers on their contributions; and the importance of featuring personal narratives on topics that don’t often come to the fore.
Read what our fiction contributors have to say about the role of creative writing in today’s world.
What is the role of creative writing in today’s world? The contributors of our 100th issue’s non-fiction pieces tell us.
The poets of our 100th issue talk about what they believe is the role of creative writing in today’s world.
There’s an urgent need for young people to start reading and writing in the regional languages, and not just English, opines Suchitra Ramachandran, pointing out that forgetting a language and its literature is to forget where we came from.
Human nature is such that sometimes it can be unimaginably noble or unspeakably cruel. Ram Govardhan’s work of fiction is set in an unusual backdrop and reveals some startling truths about our natures.
Silent contemplation makes one more mindful of even mundane tasks, makes us conscious of the moment at hand and has a calming effect, says Shikhandin. Her poems, ‘Sudden Lull’ and ‘Unspoken’, address contemplation in silence.
Deepa Venkatraghvan writes about a practice that is very close to her heart – one that she believes has to be handed down to future generations in order to inspire them and make them better people.