Welcome to a very special series in collaboration with The Himalayan Writing Retreat! Listen to 10 new voices in 5 episodes as they talk about the ups and downs of writing a manuscript, finding their passion and the significance of a creative community. First episode drops next weekend! Tune in to the trailer to listen to a few sound bytes from the first episode!



The Himalayan Writing Retreat (THWR) is a physical retreat tucked away in the Uttarakhand Himalayas. THWR was co-founded in 2016 by Chetan Mahajan & Dr Vandita Dubey. The retreat offers a variety of events, both online and in person. The HWR Emerging Writers Residency offers emerging writers an opportunity to live, learn and write among the stunning Himalayas. The aim is to help writers finish their writing projects and make their debut. To know more, you can check their website: https://www.himalayanwritingretreat.com/



Sangeetha Menon a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow is a writer, editor and podcaster. She currently handles the rights portfolio at Tulika Publishers, where she finds new avenues for stories to travel. She has worked with organisations like Bound, Karadi Tales, and Carve Magazine to name a few. You can find her on Instagram: @marshmallow.musings and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonsangeetha/



Social Media:

Instagram - @theclosetwriterchronicles

Twitter - @TheMoodyMarsh

Email - theclosetwriterchronicles@gmail.com



Music:

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

TCWC x HWR Emerging Writers Residency 2024

Season 4 finale! The episode opens with Aishwarya talking about what creativity means to her. We continue our conversation on AI and its relationship with disability and accessibility. We delve into Aishwarya’s journey as a visual artist as a blind person and how she’s challenging the status quo on who can be an artist. Later, she talks about her process and routine as a writer. We also talk about poetry and resources for poetry writing month. We exchange more recommendations on books and tv shows. The episode ends with poetry written & narrated by Aishwarya.



O. Aishwarya is currently pursuing Doctoral studies at IIIT Bangalore in the area of IT and Society. She has worked for a year at Vision Empower, a non-profit organization that aims to make science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects accessible to blind and visually impaired children studying in special schools in Karnataka. She also has a Masters Degree in Development from Azim Premji University. Having recently discovered ways of producing visual art as a blind person, she is now exploring the use of art as a medium for breaking stereotypes and confronting ableism. Researching, and creating more knowledge on disability studies and accessibility, is her passion as well as profession. You can find her on Instagram @the_blind_bookworm



Sangeetha Menon a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow is a writer, editor and podcaster. She currently handles the rights portfolio at Tulika Publishers, where she finds new avenues for stories to travel. She has worked with organisations like Bound, Karadi Tales, and Carve Magazine to name a few. You can find her on Instagram: @marshmallow.musings and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonsangeetha/



Mentions: Youth Ki Awaaz, Medium, Rising Flame, Adithi Rao, Braille, Azim Premji University, XRCVC, Tiffany Yu, Emily Ladau, Carly Findlay, Say Hello, Skin Stories, Tommy Edison, Helen Keller, Louis Braille, POV, Be My Eyes, Enid Blyton, Invisible Women, Why Loiter, Hunchback, Booker Prize, Butter, All The Light We Cannot See, Atypical, Netflix, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, The Cock Is The Culprit, J Devika, A Case Of Exploding Mangoes, Champaca Bookstore, Harry Potter, JK Rowling, The Grammar Of My Body



Social Media:

Instagram - @theclosetwriterchronicles

Twitter - @TheMoodyMarsh

Email - theclosetwriterchronicles@gmail.com



Music:

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

O Aishwarya : The Blind Bookworm - Part 2

Season 4 Finale! The episode opens with Aishwarya talking about what creativity means to her. Aishwarya shares her earliest memories of being creative and writing and what that’s been like as a blind person. She shares various experiences and perspectives on disability and accessibility and her work regarding the same. She also shares book recommendations. Later Aishwarya talks about how AI and assistive technology has helped her, but also how nuanced it is and what seems to be missing. The episode ends with poetry written & narrated by Aishwarya.



O. Aishwarya is currently pursuing Doctoral studies at IIIT Bangalore in the area of IT and Society. She has worked for a year at Vision Empower, a non-profit organization that aims to make science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects accessible to blind and visually impaired children studying in special schools in Karnataka. She also has a Masters Degree in Development from Azim Premji University. Having recently discovered ways of producing visual art as a blind person, she is now exploring the use of art as a medium for breaking stereotypes and confronting ableism. Researching, and creating more knowledge on disability studies and accessibility, is her passion as well as profession. You can find her on Instagram @the_blind_bookworm



Sangeetha Menon a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow is a writer, editor and podcaster. She currently handles the rights portfolio at Tulika Publishers, where she finds new avenues for stories to travel. She has worked with organisations like Bound, Karadi Tales, and Carve Magazine to name a few. You can find her on Instagram: @marshmallow.musings and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonsangeetha/



Mentions: outh Ki Awaaz, Medium, Rising Flame, Adithi Rao, Braille, Azim Premji University, XRCVC, Tiffany Yu, Emily Ladau, Carly Findlay, Say Hello, Skin Stories, Tommy Edison, Helen Keller, Louis Braille, POV, Be My Eyes, Enid Blyton, Invisible Women, Why Loiter, Hunchback, Booker Prize, Butter, All The Light We Cannot See, Atypical, Netflix, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, The Cock Is The Culprit, J Devika, A Case Of Exploding Mangoes, Champaca Bookstore, Harry Potter, JK Rowling, The Grammar Of My Body



Social Media:

Instagram - @theclosetwriterchronicles

Twitter - @TheMoodyMarsh

Email - theclosetwriterchronicles@gmail.com



Music:

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot



O Aishwarya : The Blind Bookworm - Part 1

The episode opens with Vishala talking about what creativity means to her. She shares her earliest memories of being creative. We talk about reading and books. We delve into Vishala’s various creative pursuits – Comaya a community celebrating creativity, wellness & Indian wilderness, and Theta Tales, a micro-publishing house. Vishala shares how writing started for her and how she’s been engaging with different formats. We also talk about her early carrer days and the school she runs in rural Tamil Nadu. The episode ends with an excerpt from Vishala’s book narrated by her.



Vishala Ramswami works in sustainable textiles and green energy. She is a passionate educator, has set up the Empower Trust and runs a school in rural Tamil Nadu. Vishala is also the co-founder of Comaya a community based on the gifting economy blending creativity, wellness & Indian wilderness. She is an aspiring children’s writer and is also in the process of setting up a micro-publishing house called Theta Tales.



Sangeetha Menon a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow is a writer, editor and podcaster. She currently handles the rights portfolio at Tulika Publishers, where she finds new avenues for stories to travel. She has worked with organisations like Bound, Karadi Tales, and Carve Magazine to name a few. You can find her on Instagram: @marshmallow.musings and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonsangeetha/



Mentions: Famous Five, Enid Blyton, Sherlock Holmes, Edgar Allen Poe, Roald Dahl, kindle, The Hindu, Young World, Waterstones, WH Smith, Barnes & Noble, Tulika Publishers, Tara Books, Karadi Tales, Bijal Shah, Bibliotherapy, Chhaunk, Abhijit Banerjee, Burning Man, Utopia For Realists, Humankind A Hopeful History, Faya Dayi, Mubi, Waltz With Bashir, Tamil Pulp Fiction, Blaft, Ant-Caste SF Anthology, PG Woodhouse, How To Feed A Dictator, Alice B Tokla’s Cookbook



Social Media:

Instagram - @theclosetwriterchronicles

Twitter - @TheMoodyMarsh

Email - theclosetwriterchronicles@gmail.com



Music:

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

Vishala Ramswami: Creative Microcosms

The episode opens with Ashwitha talking about what creativity means to her. Ashwitha shares how she decided to pursue a degree in literature and medieval history. We chat about how she started writing and what the publishing process has been like. She talks about her experience as a teacher and how that’s influenced her writing. We also delve into her interest in history and her inclination towards writing and creating more books in this space. We also exchange recommendations for books, anime, tv shows and video games! She also talks about a publishing house she’s setting up with her partner. The episode ends with an excerpt from Ashwitha’s book narrated by her.



Ashwitha Jayakumar is the author of over a dozen works for readers of all ages, from the bestselling My Little Book of... series of board books for toddlers to works of non-fiction on medieval and modern history for older readers. After graduating with a master’s degree in Literature and Society: 1688–1900 from the University of Edinburgh, she taught English literature to secondary school students and worked in publishing before doing an MA in medieval studies from the University of Leeds entirely for fun. She’s mad about history, fantasy novels, chocolate and dogs. You can find her on Instagram @ashwitha_writes



Sangeetha Menon a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow is a writer, editor and podcaster. She currently handles the rights portfolio at Tulika Publishers, where she finds new avenues for stories to travel. She has worked with organisations like Bound, Karadi Tales, and Carve Magazine to name a few. You can find her on Instagram: @marshmallow.musings and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonsangeetha/



Mentions: Diary of Anne Frank, The Lord Of The Rings, Tolkien, Orlando Bloom, Wattpad, Twilight, Fifty Shades Of Grey, Shakspeare, To Kill A Mockingbird, Dead Poet's Society, Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall, Brandon Sanderson, The Stormlight Archive, Rebecca Yarros, Naomi Novik, Katherine Arden, The Winternight Trilogy, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, JK Rowling, Angie Sage, Septimus Heap Series, Fullmetal Alchemist, Attack On Titan, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Good Wife, Battlestar Galactica, Parenthood, Only Murders In The Building, Severance, Arcane, League Of Legends, The Witcher 3, Zelda, The Curse Of The Obra Dinn, Chants Of Sennar, Secret Hitler, Shasn, Dungeons & Dragons



Social Media:

Instagram - @theclosetwriterchronicles

Twitter - @TheMoodyMarsh

Email - theclosetwriterchronicles@gmail.com



Music:

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

Ashwitha Jayakumar: Excavating Stories

The episode opens with Unmana talking about what creativity means to them. Unmana shares how they got into writing, their writing routine and how vulnerable they choose to be with their work. We chat about their experience in marketing, their perspective on publicity especially for books today, and their relationship with social media. We also talk about their debut book - from the idea to getting published. Unamana also shares their perspective on gender & sexuality and talks about queer literature. Later, we exchange book recommendations. The episode ends with an excerpt from Unmana’s book narrated by them.



Unmana lives in Mumbai with their husband. Their first novel, Chikkamma Tours (Pvt.) Ltd, is a deliciously bookish mystery set in Bengaluru that features India’s first fictional queer detective. Unmana’s short stories have been nominated for the Best of the Net and the Deodar Prize. You can find them on Instagram @unmana_bombay and X (Twitter) @Unmana



Sangeetha Menon a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow is a writer, editor and podcaster. She currently handles the rights portfolio at Tulika Publishers, where she finds new avenues for stories to travel. She has worked with organisations like Bound, Karadi Tales, and Carve Magazine to name a few. You can find her on Instagram: @marshmallow.musings and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonsangeetha/



Mentions: Ana Mardoll’s Ramblings, The Chronicles Of Narnia, The Hunger Games, Zac O’Yeah, Missy, Raghav Rao, Ashwitha Jayakumar, The Book Of Emperors, ghachar Ghochar, Anjum Hasan, Westland, Pratilipi, Trilogy, Fictionary, Pradeep Sebastian, The Book Hunters Of Katpadi, Agatha Christie, K - J Charles, Cat Sebastian, Courtney Milan, All This Could Be Different, Sarah Thankam Mathews, Premee Mohamed, The Butcher In The Forest, S.B. Divya, Meru, Nilanjana Roy, Black River, Anita Desai, Clear Light Of Day, Rosarita, The Women’s Courtyard, Khadija Mastur, WMFA, Only Murders In The Building



Social Media:

Instagram - @theclosetwriterchronicles

Twitter - @TheMoodyMarsh

Email - theclosetwriterchronicles@gmail.com



Music:

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

Unmana: Creating A Bibliomystery

Disclaimer: This episode contains content on alcohol. Listeners are advised to tune in if they are above the legal drinking age.



The episode opens with Ashwin talking about what creativity means to him. Ashwin shares his earliest memory of being creative. He talks about his early career days and the different start-ups he’s run over the years. We chat about how his interest in wine started and how unPINNED Wine was born. We also talk about his manuscript and docu-series In Pursuit of Flavour. He also shares misconceptions people have about wine and wine education. Later we exchanged recommendations on books and sows. The episode ends with a piece written & narrated by Ashwin.



Ashwin Muthiah is an author, wine educator and documentary host. He is the founder of unPINNED Wine. He has written an unpublished manuscript called In Pursuit of Flavour which he has adapted to docu-series by the same name. Ashwin studied economics at Wharton and was a part of the South Asian acapella group Penn Masala. He also founded a number of start-ups and has worked in finance and marketing. You can find him on Instagram @unpinnedwine



Sangeetha Menon a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow is a writer, editor and podcaster. She currently handles the rights portfolio at Tulika Publishers, where she finds new avenues for stories to travel. She has worked with organisations like Bound, Karadi Tales, and Carve Magazine to name a few. You can find her on Instagram: @marshmallow.musings and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonsangeetha/



Mentions: Lego, Looney Toons, Captain Underpants, Dave Pilkey, Penn Masala, Taylor Swift, Rajnikanth, Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Idiots, wine And Spirits Education Trust, Finding Dory, Friends, New Girl, The Office, Ted Lasso, Salt Fat Acid Heat, But First Champagne, Chef’s Table, How To Feed A Dictator, Chhaunk, Abhijit Banerjee



Social Media:

Instagram - @theclosetwriterchronicles

Twitter - @TheMoodyMarsh

Email - theclosetwriterchronicles@gmail.com



Music:

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

Ashwin Muthiah: Unbottling Life Through Stories

The episode opens with Bijal talking about what creativity means to her. Bijal shares her earliest memory of being creative. We talk about her early career days in accounting and how she got interested in bibliotherapy. We chat about her reading routine and how she curates book lists. Bijal also shares a bit about her platform Book Therapy and some of the courses she teaches on there. We also talk about some of her favourite books. The episode ends with a piece written & narrated by Bijal.



Bijal Shah is a bibliotherapist, counsellor and author. She is the founder of Book Therapy, which offers individual, couples and group bibliotherapy, literary curation and personalised reading services as well as bibliotherapy training. Bijal's book recommendations have featured in the Guardian, Marie Claire, NBC News, among other publications. She's a member of the International Federation of Library Associations and the American Library Association, and has undertaken bibliotherapy workshops for the United Nations as well as various corporate organisations and libraries in the UK and the US. She is also the co-host of the podcast Raising a Reader & Storyteller. You can find her on Instagram @booktherapy_by_bijal



Sangeetha Menon a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow is a writer, editor and podcaster. She currently handles the rights portfolio at Tulika Publishers, where she finds new avenues for stories to travel. She has worked with organisations like Bound, Karadi Tales, and Carve Magazine to name a few. You can find her on Instagram: @marshmallow.musings and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonsangeetha/



Mentions: Slow Hobbies, Kindle, audible, BBC Sounds, Bibliotherapy, Cinema Therapy, B.N. Goswamy, Rasa theory, Freud, Carl Jung, The Power Of Now, The Celestine Prophecy, James Redfield, Love Matters, Judy Blume, The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri, Ocean Voung, Tortoise Media, Sweet Bobby, Netflix, Black Wave, Kim Ghattas, A Peace To End All Peace, David Fromkin, Until August, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Patria, Laurence Blair, The List, Yomi Adegoke, Panchatantra, Jataka Tales, Brotherless Night, V.V. Ganeshananthan, women’s Prize for Fiction, Orbital, Samantha Harvey



Social Media:

Instagram - @theclosetwriterchronicles

Twitter - @TheMoodyMarsh

Email - theclosetwriterchronicles@gmail.com



Music:

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

Bijal Shah: The Healing Power Of Stories

The episode opens with Govindan talking about what creativity means to him. Aishwarya and him talk about how PinkLungi caters to a larger audience while appearing niche and their future expansion plans. We discuss how they divide roles while balancing their personal & professional lives. They share how they resolve conflict and how they deal with burnout. We talk about social media and validation. They also share how they’re intergrating AI into their creative process. Later, Govindan & Aishwarya share their favourite books, shows, podcasts & a lot more! The episode ends with a piece written & narrated by Govindan.



Tune into Part 1 streaming now!



Aishwarya Gopinath, co-founder of PinkLungi, is the kind of nosy you’ll love. Her nosiness isn’t in the traditional sense. It’s her curiosity to know the people around her and the situations that make things interesting for them. For her, that’s where stories lie. After all, the best tales are found in the little details of everyday situations. Her creativity has reflected in her entrepreneurial career, where she is building Kerala’s coolest digital media company, shining a spotlight on the culture, entertainment, and lifestyle of Malayalis. As a person who loves to put her nose into stories, she has managed to build a platform that makes Malayalis proud and infotains people worldwide. You can find her on Instagram @aishwaryagopinath



Govindan is one of the co-founders of PinkLungi. As a 90s kid, he grew up on a healthy dose of Discovery and Nat Geo which led to him embracing the Nat Geo tagline “Live Curious”. He now nourishes his curiosity with a healthy dose of information from across the internet, and tries to share his perspectives with the world through PinkLungi. You can find him on Instagram @kurumangattugovindan



Sangeetha Menon a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow is a writer, editor and podcaster. She currently handles the rights portfolio at Tulika Publishers, where she finds new avenues for stories to travel. She has worked with organisations like Bound, Karadi Tales, and Carve Magazine to name a few. You can find her on Instagram: @marshmallow.musings and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonsangeetha/



Mentions: Marvel, Disney, The Madras Courier, Friends, The F16s, ScoopWhoop, BuzzFeed, Peter Thiel, Reddit, Copilot, The Golden Road, William Dalrymple, Ponniyin Selvan, Kalki, Claude, Midjourney, Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives, Netflix, Amazon, Happy Money, Ken Honda, Bombay Balchao, Jane Borges, Milk Teeth, Amrita Mahale, Haruki Murakami, The Secret, The Empire, Dan Carlyn, Hardcore History, The Seen And The Unseen, Amit Verma, The Book Of Emperors, Indus, Nikhil Gulati, 1177 BC, Mouse, Animal Farm, Cut The Clutter, Shekar Gupta, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Hunters, Mindhunter, David Fincher, Man In The High Castle, Moonshot, The Psychology Of Money, Rich Dad Poor Dad, richest Man In Babylon,



Social Media:

Instagram - @theclosetwriterchronicles

Twitter - @TheMoodyMarsh

Email - theclosetwriterchronicles@gmail.com



Music:

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

Pink Lungi: Part 2 - Culturepreneurs

The episode opens with Aishwarya talking about what creativity means to here. Govindan and her then share their earliest memories of being creative. We delve into their educational and career choices. They share how they met and how their relationship evolved and the origin story of Pink Lungi. We also talk about how they took the decision to transition out of their respective jobs and focus on Pink Lungi full time. Aishwarya and Govindan also share how they curate pieces for the platform, AI tools that they use and how they found their brand voice. The episode ends with a personal essay written & narrated by Aishwarya.



Tune into Part 2 streaming now!



Aishwarya Gopinath, co-founder of PinkLungi, is the kind of nosy you’ll love. Her nosiness isn’t in the traditional sense. It’s her curiosity to know the people around her and the situations that make things interesting for them. For her, that’s where stories lie. After all, the best tales are found in the little details of everyday situations. Her creativity has reflected in her entrepreneurial career, where she is building Kerala’s coolest digital media company, shining a spotlight on the culture, entertainment, and lifestyle of Malayalis. As a person who loves to put her nose into stories, she has managed to build a platform that makes Malayalis proud and infotains people worldwide. You can find her on Instagram @aishwaryagopinath



Govindan is one of the co-founders of PinkLungi. As a 90s kid, he grew up on a healthy dose of Discovery and Nat Geo which led to him embracing the Nat Geo tagline “Live Curious”. He now nourishes his curiosity with a healthy dose of information from across the internet, and tries to share his perspectives with the world through PinkLungi. You can find him on Instagram @kurumangattugovindan



Sangeetha Menon a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow is a writer, editor and podcaster. She currently handles the rights portfolio at Tulika Publishers, where she finds new avenues for stories to travel. She has worked with organisations like Bound, Karadi Tales, and Carve Magazine to name a few. You can find her on Instagram: @marshmallow.musings and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/menonsangeetha/



Mentions: Marvel, Disney, The Madras Courier, Friends, The F16s, ScoopWhoop, BuzzFeed, Peter Thiel, Reddit, Copilot, The Golden Road, William Dalrymple, Ponniyin Selvan, Kalki, Claude, Midjourney, Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives, Netflix, Amazon, Happy Money, Ken Honda, Bombay Balchao, Jane Borges, Milk Teeth, Amrita Mahale, Haruki Murakami, The Secret, The Empire, Dan Carlyn, Hardcore History, The Seen And The Unseen, Amit Verma, The Book Of Emperors, Indus, Nikhil Gulati, 1177 BC, Mouse, Animal Farm, Cut The Clutter, Shekar Gupta, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Hunters, Mindhunter, David Fincher, Man In The High Castle, Moonshot, The Psychology Of Money, Rich Dad Poor Dad, richest Man In Babylon



Social Media:

Instagram - @theclosetwriterchronicles

Twitter - @TheMoodyMarsh

Email - theclosetwriterchronicles@gmail.com



Music:

Beat Provided By https://freebeats.io

Produced By White Hot

Pink Lungi: Part 1 - Culturepreneurs

Candid conversations with writers, storytellers & creators about what writing and creativity means to them, a peek into their life stories & featured narrations of their work.

Sangeetha Menon

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