What can one say about a literature fest without being repetitive? Lit fests are special. They fill you up with energy and enthusiasm. They remind you of the joy of reading, writing, and stories. And lit fests in beautiful spaces? They’re inspiring. Srinagar is lovely, and equally, Delhi Public School, which hosted Bookaroo, was charming. […]
Reflections: Day Three at AFCC 2022
Day three at AFCC 2022 was the whole reason I was there. Book launch day! Of course, that was the highlight of my day, so even though that did not technically come first, I’m going to begin with it. Book Launch by Scholastic Asia My book, Red Eyes, has been a long time in the […]
Reflections: Day Two at AFCC 2022
Day two at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content was on 27 May, but I caught up with all the sessions I wanted to just yesterday. I felt like I had a time-turner because I attended three simultaneous sessions, thanks to a virtual AFCC 2022! Here’s an overview of how the day was for me. […]
Reflections: Day One at AFCC 2022
It’s been four years since I attended the Asian Festival of Children’s Content. 2016 – my collection of short stories (now published as Dragonflies, Jigsaws and Seashells) was shortlisted for the Scholastic Asian Book Award, so I attended for the first time.2017 – I submitted a paper titled Writing About Us, which was selected as […]
Kukdukoo 2022
There’s nothing quite like the energy of a lit fest. Children running around, reading, getting excited about books … what more does a writer want? My first session of the day was all about my middle-grade book, Sisters at New Dawn. Do you see the sheets of paper in the children’s hands? They’re lists of subjects […]
Words and Worlds at the Vidya Valley Lit Fest 2019
I was unwell and could not stop coughing. Yet, armed with my enthusiasm (and a pill), I went for the Vidya Valley Lit Fest–and came back energised. The excitement pulsing through the school kept me going – and of course, the thoughtfulness of the team of parent volunteers in organising a mic helped! Every time […]
Lit Fests in Schools
Last year, St. Mary’s School had its first lit fest, and I was delighted to be part of it. Talking to starry-eyed children is an experience like no other, and that’s why lit fests in school are special. After addressing the children who were gathered together in the hall, we visited a few classrooms, met […]
The Lit Bug Fest 2019
So often, I come across posts that talk about how lit fests are a waste of time for authors, and how lit fests exclude rather than include. For me, though, lit fests remain unadulterated fun. Does this have something to do with being a children’s writer, perhaps? The Lit Bug Fest, Pune’s own lit fest, […]
Explore the Prophecy of Rasphora
Last month, The Story Station invited me to interact with a group of young writers. I spoke about my journey as a writer and conducted an activity based on my latest middle-grade novel, The Prophecy of Rasphora. A little about the book … Three young girls stumble upon Rasphora, a land behind a waterfall. There, they begin to […]
Big Books at the Writers’ Club
Aren’t lit fests delightful? Last week, I was invited to St. Mary’s School’s first lit fest, and it was lovely. We walked into books like this one … And we had a panel discussion where we spoke about stories, poems, writing, dancing and music. We then visited classrooms and saw the work the children had […]
Special Events: AFCC 2018
Pop-up reading The pop-up reading at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content is a fun event organised by Denise Tan of Closetful of Books. Authors who are willing to brave the chaos of the book fair read out a short excerpt of one of their books. Though I had not registered for this in advance, […]
Reflections: Days Two and Three at AFCC 2018
On day two, I attended a session called ‘Rhyming Round Reading’, which touched upon ideas that I use all the time at workshops on reading: rhyme. Focussing on a book titled Rhyming Round Singapore, the session had a lot to offer even to non-Singaporeans like me, primarily because of the concepts behind the book. How many […]
Reflections: Day One of AFCC 2018
AFCC 2018 was a bit of a whirlwind experience for me. For one, with work commitments that I could not break, I got to Singapore only on the day that the festival was to begin. So, sleep-deprived but fuelled by adrenalin, I arrived at the National Library Board after the keynote had begun. Exhaustion took […]
Back from AFCC 2018
Four years ago, I had not heard of the Asian Festival of Children’s Content. I did not know that Singapore’s National Library had 16 floors of books. And then, I was shortlisted for the Scholastic Asian Book Award 2016, which was momentous enough for me to buy a festival pass and attend my first AFCC. […]
The Lit Bug Fest 2018
The Lit Bug Fest, Pune’s own literary fest for children, was held yesterday, and I’m sure everyone who was there is still on a high. For me, just like last year, it was a delightful experience interacting with readers, talking about my books, sharing ideas, and even being interviewed by two child-journalists! The energy of […]
Vidya Valley Literature Festival
If you think children don’t find reading interesting anymore, think again. At Vidya Valley School’s Literature Festival, it was absolutely delightful to see children running around, roaring with excitement, thrilled to bits with the very idea of a lit fest! This was my second year at the festival, and it was even better than the […]
Reflections: AFCC 2017
The first two days of the Asian Festival of Children’ Content were the highlights for me, but sessions here and there stood out too. On the first day of the teachers’ congress, I attended a lovely session on reading and empathy conducted by Maria Alessandrino. More than the first half of the session, I thoroughly […]
Reflections: Day Two at AFCC 2017
This is probably the only time in my life when I signed a contract, committing to playing Illustrationary, the AFCC version of Pictionary, at a certain date and time. But when have I not enjoyed a game of Pictionary? I’m getting ahead of myself, though, because the highlight of the day was my book launch! […]
Reflections: Day One at AFCC 2017
When I went for the Asian Festival of Children’s Content last year, I wondered when – and whether – I would go again. Yes, it was a wonderful experience, but Singapore … Again … Expensive, and all that. But my paper ‘Writing about Us’ was accepted through the call for entries and then, how could […]
The Lit Bug Fest 2017
Do you see all the red marks? That’s what I attended at the Lit Bug Fest yesterday! The first event of the day was a play written by a young girl and performed by Pushkar Rangmanch. A sweet story, performed with enthusiasm! A few months ago, I invited Leela Gour Broome to address the Writers’ […]