Year 2017: in perspective

This year 2017 was riveting indeed, and I am so very grateful:

• Went to Scotland (Feb to May) for the Charles Wallace writer’s fellowship and in its sprawling quiet, fell in love with the lime tree, met angels and demons, understood myself, and wrote new kind of poetry. Also, made friends for life. Read new kinds of things.
• Went to Disney world, Hong Kong and read at Outloud and met the gorgeous Kate Rogers.
• Went to Bali. Dreamed into a new world. A new sun. Met the gorgeous Sholeh Wolpé and her compassionate passions and obsessions.
• Went to Lviv (prettiest city!) and fell in love with the statue of Taras Shevchenko. Slept at Turkey airport for 20 hours, alongwith other co-passengers, and didn’t stop the day dream.
• Read at The Bangaluru Poetry Festival.
• Went to Singapore for the launch of The Best of Asian Short Stories (ed. Monideepa Sahu) and read with friend Saritha Rao Rayachoti. Loved meeting new friend-writers. Met with the feisty Zafar Anjum – master of many projects, and Shabana Zahoor– inspiring mother and publisher. Women!
• Edited the Goan-Irish anthology: Goa: a garland of flowers with Gabriel Rosenstock. Grateful to Vivek Menezes for commissioning this work to me. Launched at GALF 2017.

The words from the Irish publisher (Onslaught press) Mathew Staunton will be cherished:

I’m very glad that the launch went well. This was the best edited book I’ve ever worked on and Im very grateful for your professionalism, hard work and courtesy. Also, thank you for your insights into the selection process. I would be very happy to work with you in the future.

• Read at Amrita University for caesurae and received appreciation.
• Short story Noise published in EXPOUND.
• Poem Ground Up won third prize at the David Burland International poetry prize 2017.
• Cellular P.O.W. won a shortlist at the Hungry hill international poetry prize 2017.
• Project-managed Arcs-of-a-Circle Artists’ residency Mumbai balancing interests of team members, participants, partners, event partners well. Understood myself in utter noise and still won over the self.
• Completed Paper Asylum (slim book of haibun) and sent for print.
• Completed Hangovers from a Bombay debacle – oh no- there are two new stories still trying to wrestle and muscle themselves into this collection – so will I ever be done? Grrrrrrrr…..

Now when a year is filled to the gills like this, one always wishes the next year (2018) outdoes it, but no, I stall to think: let it not.

Let 2018 have its own character and be what it wants to be.

Quieter or more chaotic, crazy or noisy or utterly calm and peaceful.

Let it not benchmark or compete against 2017 but be itself, stacked on its spine day after day.

Love,

Rochelle