Dear writers,
Welcome to a new month where I can officially start my countdown to Christmas!
It’s officially been a year since I started It’s All Write, so this is essentially an anniversary issue! I want to thank all of you for subscribing, sending me feedback, appreciation and comments, and for spreading the word about the newsletter. I’m grateful to the people who’ve had my back throughout this year, sharing support, gifting subscriptions to other writers, and offering encouragement during the low period when I thought of stopping it.
The paid version of the newsletter - OUT TOMORROW - is a lengthy one. There’s an interview with Smitha Menon, the Culinary Editor & Associate Digital Editor at Condé Nast Traveller India + nine job opportunities + a new section for writing advice (from the pitching session I attended). I’ve shared the reading guide and In the News sections here, and some job links.
To subscribe to the paid version (I’m keeping the early bird offer open for some more time), click the button below. If you cannot afford these rates, please email me and we will work out something. And if you know of any deserving writer who would benefit from this newsletter, do let me know: I am looking to gift subscriptions.
IN THE NEWS
Unless you’ve been living under a rock (how lucky!), you would know the country is in turmoil. The Hathras rape case and the subsequent response from the UP Police, and the UP government and the absolute silence from the Central Govt has infuriated people and rightly so. The Hathras case is part of a larger story: as this Firstpost story says, “Indian society is casteist to its core and women are the worst victim”.
I am sharing some resources I found useful.
If you’re one of those who cannot attend protests in your city, Twitter user Ruhi suggests other ways of showing support (it’s a very comprehensive post with lots of good and useful advice)
A brief summary:
Amplify protest plans and other important information for those in your social circles who can make it.
Offer to pay for someone's transport/gear/food/etc especially if that's what's stopping them from going. or offer to babysit their kids or siblings or whatever so that they can attend.
Support independent media, especially Dalit-run media: https://theblueclub.org/donate, https://velivada.com/support-donate-velivada/…, https://instamojo.com/@DalitCamera
Fact-check whatever you share, and what others around you share. don't let others use fake news as ammunition to discredit you. and don't make the jobs of reporters harder than it is.
Write to the NCW about the recent horrific happenings in Uttar Pradesh and ask them to do something. Here’s a draft email. Send it to chairperson-ncw@nic.in
If you’re going to protests as a self-trained citizen reporter and confused about what's considered a no-no, please go over this BEFORE you turn up to the protests.
MOST IMPORTANT: have conversations within your social circles. silence can be complicity. shorter reads to arm yourself with arguments so you're not tongue-tied when your UC family relative inevitably says "why make this about caste?"
Someone else shared this tip:
A user, Sankul, shared this helpful thread:
And finally, Feminism in India has curated a list of people (to follow) who are fighting for Dalit rights.
READING CORNER
(Articles I actually read and which didn’t stay open in my tabs)
“To reimagine Dalit food, born out of hunger, poverty and marginalisation, as a coffee table book would be a disservice to our struggles. Ours is a food culture that has survived in the memory of its people.”: Vinay Kumar’s excellent piece on blood fry and Dalit food in The Goya Journal.
Fifty years ago, a group of Indian women scaled a mountain that had never been climbed before, and has not been climbed since then; not all of them returned. Sudipta Sengupta, the deputy leader of the expedition, shares their story.
Vidya Balachander (I interviewed her in Chapter 20) received a nomination for the SAJA Journalism Awards 2020 for this lovely story on Jaffna cuisine.
Sharanya Deepak (Easily one of my favourite food writers) did this eye-opening story on the Famine (called the Bengal Holocaust) and how it lingers in Bengal’s kitchens and informs how Bengalis born a generation or two later think about food.
MISCELLANY
(Job links, grants, and other news you can use)
Workshop: Instabili Vaganti , Italian Embassy Culture Center, New Delhi & Culture Monks present an International Theatre Online Workshop called BEYOND BORDERS. The workshop will focalize on theatre as a tool of social commentary and – at the same time – as a means of expression for the performer’s creative freedom. Open to actors, dancers, students. Details: Starting Oct 18, every Sunday, 5 – 7pm. Details, here.
Job: Pharma Campus is looking for Part time/Full time writers. The role and responsibilities include content creation and generation. Qualifications: M. Pharmacy or PhD (Pharma). Location: virtual assignment. Email pharmacampus.in@gmail.com
Job: Digital marketing agency Filter Coffee Co are hiring a Social media account manager: minimum 3 years of experience, basic copywriting, content strategy + Graphic designer: minimum 3 years of experience, must know video editing, animation, illustrator and after effects + Performance marketing specialist: minimum 4 years of experience, must be able to plan, execute, analyse and report, must know marketplaces and OTT media buying. Salary depends on experience. Email karishma@filtercoffeeco.com
Once again, a reminder, please add joannalobo@substack.com, and itsallwrite@outlook.in to your inbox so you don’t miss the newsletter and updates.
I will end with some advice by GQ staff writer Zach Baron to young or aspiring writers who are trying to write something during this pandemic (sourced from a Repeller story).
Let go or get dragged. It’s healthy and realistic to have a consistent practice but I’ve also learned that every piece of work has its own particular rhythms that you’d do well to honor. I’ve wasted a lot of time setting agendas that the writing is largely indifferent to. Some things I only get one good hour a day on. Others I need to write long-hand because word docs or final drafts feel too stultifying or scary. Nothing is a value judgment or an indictment against your skills or progress. Creative works just have their own particular personalities. Plus, my circumstances and influences change along the way as well. I don’t know about you, but this is my first pandemic.
To subscribe to the paid version,
Until next time,
Adios.