Ashwitha Jayakumar: Excavating Stories

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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