interview
INTERVIEW / Unconventional realities and intense friendships
Saikat Majumdar writes with a sharp poignancy that arrows straight to the core of the heart.
INTERVIEW / Into the world of speculative fiction: An Interview with 'Small World City'
This past August, Dhaka’s speculative fiction magazine 'Small World City' enjoyed their first anniversary. The magazine, over this last year, has published some of the more striking works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry coming out of the country
INTERVIEW / Outliers take centre-stage in Shah Tazrian Ashrafi’s debut collection
It’s hard not to recall our many conversations about literature as I try to summarise Shah Tazrian Ashrafi’s debut collection of short stories. They were always short discussions, opening and closing off in spurts, as happens over text. Exclamations over a new essay collection by Zadie Smith, or a new novel by Isabel Allende.
INTERVIEW / A look at AAPI representation in tech with Kyla Zhao of ‘Valley Verified’
This week, Kyla Zhao, the author of Valley Verified (Penguin Random House, 2024), graced us with an exclusive interview to give us insights into the changing trends in Asian American literature.
INTERVIEW / Of language and free will
'We are truly prisoners of the mind', says Sanya Rushdi, the author-narrator of Hospital (Giramondo Publishing, 2023)
INTERVIEW / On making zines with Aqui Thami
A big believer in social exchanges and developing safe spaces to position art as a medium of healing in community, Thami works on ceremonial interventions, performances, drawings, zine-making, fly posting, and public intervention, brought together by participant involvement
INTERVIEW / A perfect cup of literary ‘saa’
Priyanka Taslim greets me with a gentle smile as we meet over Zoom. She is eloquent and our conversation flows organically, akin to an adda over a cup of saa (cha).
INTERVIEW / Uncovering history through storytelling
In conversation with Reem Bassiouney on the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, 'Al Halwani', and bridging the cultural gap
INTERVIEW / "It's the start of a conversation": Journalist Kavita Puri on producing a podcast series on the Bengal famine
In the latest documentary podcast series “Three Million”, journalist Kavita Puri seeks to answer this haunting question: “How do three million people just disappear?” by talking to some of the last surviving witnesses, including Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen.
In conversation with Jo Mithen, CEO, Monash College
Jo Mithen is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Monash College. Monash College is a wholly owned subsidiary of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
Rifat Munim on Bangladeshi fiction: ‘This is a diverse terrain you are going to tread on’
In the foreword, I wanted to capture how I, as a child, grew up listening to different stories: ghost stories, mythical stories from both Sanatana and Islamic religious scriptures, and fairy tales from 'Thakurmar Jhuli', compiled by Dakkhinaranjan Mitra Majumdar. It was a time when there were no boundaries for my imagination.
A fixed strand of identity: in conversation with Amal Awad
As a Palestinian-Australian, you’ve stressed the importance of telling stories about everyday Palestinians. Why is it important to tell such stories?
In conversation with Anjali Singh and Arif Anwar
"I think of myself as someone who just really enjoys people, bringing people out, and hearing about what they’re working on": Anjali Singh
Tips for acing your first job interview
It's crucial to stay current as a candidate by keeping up with the latest trends in your field.
“We need writers to know what society will look like in the future”
A large number of contemporary writers in the country think of avoiding politics. But that itself is also a kind of politics—the politics of the status quo.
Unravelling Bangali feminism and female rage
Feminism and literature share a profound connection as literature gives voice to the experiences of women, allowing us to understand their perspective. However, despite the abundance of information in the technological age, the promotion of feminist books remains a challenge in Bangladesh, often facing criticism from conservatives.
‘Bangladesh has failed to foster an environment that encourages creative and intellectual freedom’: Badruddin Umar
How writers and their consciousness evolve in a country is largely dependent on that society’s intellectual development, their freedom of expression, and if their intellectual development is encouraged or discouraged.
“Fragile Things”: How ghosts and spirituality make it into writing
Participants, including the show’s hosts and guests, picked up discarded pebbles, photo frames, children’s artwork, and other knick knacks—all fragile things collected and displayed by the author.
Snapshots of history—Golam Mustafa meets Manzoor Alam Beg
Modhurimay Alap (Swapno ‘71, 2023) transcribes two days of conversations with the late Golam Mustafa, first Director of Photography of Bangladesh Television.