TuriyaTalks S6 E18 with Shloka Shankar-

The eighteenth episode of Turiya Talks, season 6 had as guest, Shloka Shankar, who is an award-winning Haiku poet, editor, and visual artist. She discussed about “Poetry and Publishing In The Digital Era” with our host Ushma Shah, from Turiya communications. The session was held on 2nd February 2021.

“Breathe in experience and breathe-out poetry”-This is how Miss Shloka Shankar summarized the topic of the day. She stated that poetry helps her to express herself through her writing. She also emphasized that we should know which form of poetry to choose from. This will help us dictate how we wish to express ourselves. She also stated that ‘rejection is a part of the game’.

She also emphasized that it is extremely important to keep experimenting and pushing oneself. It is a way to develop and work on one’s craft. For beginners, she advised joining Facebook groups that have a large number of writers to avoid poetry anthology scams. She also advised all the aspiring writers to do something different from what one is doing and to always check if one’s work is a write fit for the opposite publication.

On a concluding note, the guest gave us some tips for aspiring writers. She said one should not stop and no matter how many rejections we face we should keep going. She also mainly emphasized not to blindly send poets to journals and to check if it fits one’s style and aesthetic as it increases one’s chance of getting accepted.