Even before my father captivated toddler Anu’s imagination with fantastical, wondrous, and vivid stories, I was drawn to books, stacks flanking me as I learned how to sit, later turning their pages just to peek at words I wouldn’t be able to read for a few more years. Now, three decades, two writing and one publishing degree later, the revamped Storyteller is my attempt at sharing that love with fellow lifers, new readers, and anyone and everyone in between.

What can you expect?

I’m envisioning this as a weekly endeavour with

– reviews

– recommendations

– chats with authors and fellow creative professionals

– micro and mini essays about books, writing, stories, and more

– new fiction/creative non-fiction/poetry

– writing life updates and tips on process

Storytelling is more important now than it ever was, and it was never insignificant to begin with. I believe, as writers, that it’s our little rebellion against existential questions, more so in an age where there is increasing social isolation, increasing uncertainty about the future of our species and the planet, increasing stresses and anxiety.

I’m inspired by so many things in my journey of exploration of my own emotional landscape—the books I read, the people I meet and their stories, the places I visit, the things I see—and that usually trickles down to my work and the questions I want to answer, explore, and develop on the page. It also trickles down to the books I seek and the stories I hold dear.

The written word has always been my most natural mode of expression and I’m privileged to work with it, whether my own, or that of others, for a living. I’m grateful for a chance to continue playing my part in the great storytelling tradition.

I hope you’ll join me on this journey!

Anu x