I always judge a book by its cover, and this one said: Ancient witchcraft. Modern world. And then the title Witch Fire.It intrigued me immediately, and it did not let me down. I did not do any research before I started reading. I did not find out whether Witch Fire was part of a series. As I read on, I realised that the book either had an awe-inspiring back-story, or it had a prequel. I only just discovered that the second is true, and therefore the first too.Witch Fire makes a world come alive. Lucas Stearne and Gloriana Starling are worlds apart, almost cruelly drawn together in the world of witchcraft. Fae is not something that one can choose to have, in the world of Witch Fire. Lucas, coming from a long line of Inquisitors, is nearly ashamed of possessing fae. Gloriana, on the other hand, delights in it, brought up as she is in an East End coven. Bravery, truth and circumstances … [Read more...]
Apache
It's been a while since I wrote about what I was reading for some reason. I did read quite a bit, though. Some of the books were worth sharing, but I was too lazy to talk about them. Some were important for me to read - like The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The Perks of Being a Wallflower taught me, finally, what a 'coming-of-age' novel is. Honestly, I was not old enough to read it when I was physically coming of age. Maybe children today are; maybe they aren't. I could, at best, have read it seven years ago, definitely not in my teens.The novel that now brings me back to writing about books is Tanya Landman's Apache. With a workshop on books coming up tomorrow, I have been reflecting again on how little we read. There's so much variety in the world, and we put everything into little boxes that we label 'fantasy', 'historical fiction', 'school … [Read more...]
Creative Writing Masterclass with Prof Bill Herbert
I did not know what a masterclass was. 'Masterclass'. It was something my musician-friends spoke about, but I had never experienced myself.When the British Library organised a masterclass in creative writing with Prof Bill Herbert, I knew I had to enroll.Sometimes, there are many things about writing that you know. Rule #1: Show, don't tell. Rule#2: Always treat your first draft as what it is: a first draft. Rule#3: Read what you have written. Step out from your world to read. Rule #4: Understand the role of the senses while revealing character. Rule#5: Read aloud to taste the phrases you write and find out if they sound as good in reality as they do in your head.We know all these things.Yet, to sit there with other writers and listen to the same things again is rewarding. Each idea is a gentle reminder that the world gives you to bring back what you've forgotten, and reassure … [Read more...]
Lari Don
I was introduced to Lari Don thanks to the Mythical Maze Reading Challenge, and if for nothing else, I'm glad of the challenge for that! Of the First Aid for Fairies series, I read the last one first, and then I had to read the others.Once again, I realised why children like series. A single book is not like a short story. A short story delivers what it promises to deliver - a picture. A book makes you want more - a sequel, a prequel, a continuation. If you fall in love with a book, you fall in love with the characters. When the characters are your friends, you want to spend more time with them and get to know them better.That's how it was with this series. Despite the fact that I did not read the series in order, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I love brave, loyal Yann and Lee who cannot be trusted. Helen Strang with her violin - I could hear the melodies … [Read more...]
Mythical Maze – Workshop II
The Mythical Maze Reading Challenge is nearly over!After Reading and Role Play and Idioms Are My Cup of Tea, today has Myths from around the World and Myths and Fables.I showed the little ones a map of the world. These children are in the age-group 5-7.We were reading a 'story from Arabia', Where There is Will. "Do you know where Arabia could be?" I asked.One child stood up. "I think it is here," she said, pointing to the entire Gulf region."Good!""Do you know how I know?""How?""See, this is India. Over here, this sea is called the Arabian Sea. So the Arabian Sea has to touch Arabia, right?" … [Read more...]
Idioms are my Cup of Tea!
That was the title of my last workshop at the British Library.We tried translating "It's raining cats and dogs" to Hindi and Marathi to giggles, shouts of laughter.We compared the literal meaning of "He kicked the bucket" with its figurative meaning.We performed the Herculean task of linking mythology with idioms, and then the children spilled the beans about the fact that most of their knowledge of Greek mythology came from Percy Jackson. When it came to Norse mythology and Biblical terms, their knowledge collapsed like a house of cards and they commented, "We have a long way to go and a lot to learn. We're just knee-high to a grasshopper!" A crossword puzzle proved to be their Achilles heel, but we continued to see the glass as half-full, as the children and I got on like a house on fire! … [Read more...]
Free Workshop for Parents
Here's some media coverage of the free workshop I conducted for parents ... Looking forward to the Reading Challenge: details in the news clip! … [Read more...]
Reading Challenge Sakaal Times
Varsha Seshan's workshops in the Sakaal Times today!With the Reading Challenge just around the corner, I conducted a special curtain-raiser today on getting children to read."My children don't read at all!" "I keep asking him to tell me about what he's reading; he never tells me anything!" "His friend reads so much, but he doesn't read at all!" "We made him join the library, but still he doesn't read!"After every workshop, I face these responses, so I thought of conducting a session for parents before the actual launch of the reading challenge. It was a free session, open to everyone - and what fun it was! … [Read more...]
Mythical Maze
"Mythical Maze" - that's the theme for this years reading challenge at the British Library.What is a reading challenge all about? What does it achieve?Here's a bit about it. Children are divided into two age brackets - 5-7 and 8-13. Each age bracket has a select list of books that fit under the theme "Mythical Maze". These books are carefully selected, and are especially useful to parents who want to know what their children 'ought' to read. The main advantage here is that a whole group of children is reading the same books, a kind of temporary book club. This means that they have things in common to talk about and discuss - and the arena for this is the workshops conducted at the library. More than anything, the reading challenge achieves two things: 1) Getting over starting trouble: what to read, where to begin 2) Meeting children with common interests: Many children (and adults) … [Read more...]
Reading Challenge, British Library
Last year, it was 'Creepy House'; this year, it's 'Mythical Maze'. Children in the age-group 5-13 can take part in a fantastic journey through books, discovering selkies, fairies and even the Trojan horse. There will also be three workshops for each age-group, aimed at building confidence and improving expression.Here are the details of the workshops:WORKSHOPSJuniors (5 – 7 year olds) Timing: 11.00 am to 12.30 p.m. 21 December 2014: "Reading and Role Play" by Varsha Seshan 4 January 2015: "Exploring Mythological Creatures in Indian Stories" by Pervin Saket 18 January 2015: "Myths from around the World" by Varsha SeshanSeniors (8 - 13 year olds) Timing: 3.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. 21 December 2014: "Idioms are my cup of tea" by Varsha Seshan 4 January 2015: "Myth Clusters and Buster" by Pervin Saket 18 January 2015: "Myths and Fables" by Varsha SeshanChildren also have the option of … [Read more...]