This episode of Cutting Chai Stories with Jayati Vora features part 2 of my interview with journalism mentor and prolific writer of books for adults and children, Jerry Pinto. Make sure to catch part one of our conversation in episode 16!

Jerry talks about writing colloquially, hitting up against the "wall of grammar" and how children can smell an agenda from a mile away. He dismantles the messages sometimes coded in children's books, and writing with simplicity while exploring a complexity of emotion. If all writers learned from children's books, he says, that would be a good thing for the state of literature.

The book he talks about (the fart story in the title) is Phiss Phuss Boom: https://www.amazon.in/Phiss-Phuss-Boom-Stories-Grandparents/dp/9383331089/ref=sr_1_48?dchild=1&qid=1593988241&refinements=p_27%3Ajerry+Pinto&s=books&sr=1-48

You can follow Jerry Pinto on Instagram @mahimkajerry: https://www.instagram.com/mahimkajerry/?hl=en

Surprise! I'm dropping this "bonus episode" today because it has been a week since I started my writing challenge, writing something original every day, posting it to social media, and sharing a writing prompt in my Facebook group, Cutting Chai Stories -- EVERY DAY for four weeks, you guys. And I'm not alone! There are a bunch of folks also sharing their work in our group, and I'd love nothing more than for you to come join us. This is Day 8, and you can go back and do the first seven, or just start from whenever you feel comfortable. Just use the hashtags #cuttingchaistories and #astoryaday.

To give you a little bit of inspiration, here's the story I wrote to kick off the writing challenge last week, which stems from one of my biggest sources of inspiration. What's yours?

The writing prompt comes courtesy the artist Racquel Keller, who put her own colorful spin on the writing challenge. 

And finally, if you like this show, or have learned something from one of my episodes, won't you drop me a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts? Or share with a friend and tag me on Instagram (I'm @jayativora) and I'll reshare your post. 

Ok, that's it for me. Back to your regular programming on Thursday -- that's episode 17, part 2 of my interview with the inimitable Jerry Pinto. You don't want to miss it!

Welcome to this episode of Cutting Chai Stories with Jayati Vora, where I interview the journalism teacher, editor and prolific writer who set me on my path of becoming a journalist and an editor: Jerry Pinto. He is an editor, an author of fiction and nonfiction books, the writer of poetry and prose for children and adults, and a translator to boot. In a first for Cutting Chai Stories, I divided our conversation into two parts, of which this is the first. Here, Jerry talks about how to exorcise our fears, discovering children's books as an adult, and his favorite children's writers. He also reads for us snippets of poetry, not all his own, and explains why we need to loosen up when we read poetry.

Here's his list of favorite children's stories:

The poems he reads for us are Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42916/jabberwocky) and his own Tickle Me, Don't Tickle Me (https://www.speakingtigerbooks.com/shop/childrens/tickle-me-dont-tickle-me/).

The other book he talks about is A Bear for Felicia (https://www.amazon.in/Bear-Felicia-Jerry-Pinto/dp/0143330659/ref=sr_1_28?dchild=1&qid=1593988211&refinements=p_27%3Ajerry+Pinto&s=books&sr=1-28)

You can follow Jerry on Instagram @mahimkajerry: https://www.instagram.com/mahimkajerry/

Tune in next week for part 2 of our conversation, where we talk about techniques to use when writing for kids, what people writing for adults can learn from children’s books, and the utter savagery of children--don't miss it!

Also, I'm a guest on this week's episode of Lizzie Brayton's podcast, Living Your Best Vibe, where I talk about my creative journey, where I am now, and where I find my inspiration. Check it out here: https://www.livingyourbestvibe.com/

In Episode 15 of Cutting Chai Stories with Jayati Vora, I interview my old friend and Amherst College associate professor Krupa Shandilya, whose co-translation of Mīrajī, a mid-twentieth century Urdu poet, was just published in The Paris Review. Mīrajī was the pen name of Sanā’ullah Dār, one of the founders of modern Urdu poetry. When he died in 1949 at the age of 37, he left behind more than a thousand poems in various genres that have yet to be translated into English -- a chunk of which Krupa and her co-translators are taking on. 

Krupa is Associate Professor of Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies at Amherst College, and the author of the monograph "Intimate Relations: Social Reform and the Late Nineteenth Century South Asian Novel." She talks about what fascinated her about Mīrajī's poetry, the particular challenges of translating poetry, and the creativity to be found in working with partners. She also has a poetry-based writing prompt for listeners. If you feel inspired to write a poem based on her prompt, do send it to me at cuttingchaistories AT gmail DOT com. I love hearing from you!

In other news, the cart is open for my July session of creative writing classes for kids. In addition to classes for 7- to 8-year-olds and 9- to 10-year-olds, I have just added new classes for 12-, 13- and 14-year-olds. The theme for July is shifting your perspective. Register here: https://www.gumroad.com/cuttingchaistories

In this episode of Cutting Chai Stories with Jayati Vora, we dip a toe into writing poetry. I share three poems written in the workshop I led last week, all juxtaposing imagery and abstraction. We play with line breaks, different kinds of rhyme, and creating new relationships between the tangible and intangible. This is the Gwendolyn Brooks' poem I mentioned; I mistakenly called it The Pool Players, the title is actually "We Real Cool." It is really cool, check it out here: https://poets.org/poem/we-real-cool

About the poets:

Oswald Perez writes to share the world through his eyes using words, photos and prose. As words are a work of ART. His works can be found on Instagram at @oswaldperez85, on his blog at perezoswald.wordpress.com and at oswald.substack.com.

Hetal Sheth was running her family’s business plant until recently, manufacturing industrial steel drums, and is now rediscovering her creative spirit and dreams of becoming an artist and writer. Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hetal_sheth_artist/

Meera Patwardhan says she’s sometimes described as an oxymoron, because she’s a creative MBA. She likes to think of herself as a whole-brained person who manages life, work and leisure and makes light of it.

Welcome to Cutting Chai Stories with Jayati Vora, a podcast about the craft of writing in the format of short stories, like the half-servings of milky tea we call cutting chai back home in India. This week I was struggling with the subject of my podcast. What should I talk about? What do you want to know?

So I asked you, and the answer that resonated with me was this: I struggle with inspiration, with getting started on my writing. 

Thank you universe! Here you go -- 25 whole writing prompts to get you thinking, to get you moving, to get you feeling, and hopefully, to get you WRITING. 

Also, two announcements:

On Friday, June 19th, at 4 p.m. EST, I'm teaching a creative writing class for 7- to 8-year-olds about how to use your senses in your writing. It's for new students only. Register here: https://gumroad.com/cuttingchaistories?sort=page_layout#kJXHY 

On Saturday, June 20th, starting at 8 p.m. EST, I am hosting a short workshop on writing short stories, as part of the virtual event Art House, along with five other artists. It's pay what you wish, and all proceeds will be donated to Black Art Futures Fund and to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-house-a-virtual-and-interactive-open-studios-tickets-108845758594 

In this episode of Cutting Chai Stories with Jayati Vora, listener Mareena Francis was inspired by last week's prompt to turn in a story she wrote. It came from a wellspring of deep emotion, and revealed with great honesty (and bravery) a moment of vulnerability in her life. She wrote it with skill -- and a metaphor that anchors the entire story. What's a metaphor, you ask? How does it differ from a simile? Find out on episode 12. I also share a story I wrote that uses several different metaphors, contrasting but building towards a single concept. 

Tell me what you think by emailing me at cuttingchaistories AT gmail DOT com.

I'm also doing a few different things that might be of interest:

1) This weekend, June 14th, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. EST, I will be teaching a workshop on writing and editing your own micro fiction in partnership with the organization Vacation With an Artist. Check it out here: https://vawaa.com/online/how-to-write-and-edit-your-micro-fiction

2) Next weekend, June 20th, starting at 7:45 p.m. EST, I and a host of other artists will be presenting a virtual "open studio" evening. Just as neighborhood artists open up their studios to the public to showcase their work and connect with their community, a group of us will be hosting talks, demonstrations, and activities in our virtual studios in a digital exploration of art. All proceeds go to Black Art Futures Fund and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, in a statement of our support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Check out "Art House" here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/art-house-a-virtual-open-studios-utilizing-zoom-breakout-rooms-tickets-108845758594

3) Last, but in no way least, is today's episode of Don't Keep Your Day Job, with Cathy Heller, an amazingly warm and inspirational entrepreneurship coach whose program, Made to Do This, I credit with rediscovering my love of creative writing. She interviewed me and a handful of other talented people on her podcast. Listen to that episode, but stick around and check out her other episodes too. The first time I heard her podcast, I stopped washing dishes, took out my computer, and started taking notes! If you want to hear more of my story, you can do it here: https://www.dontkeepyourdayjob.com/episodes/mtdt-students

In Episode 11 of Cutting Chai Stories, host Jayati Vora shares a short story she wrote more than 3 months ago, which feels very relevant today. Sometimes it's not about agonizing over every word, but about writing from a wellspring of emotion. The words flow more easily and you know just what to say. For the writing prompt, I ask you to dig deep and let yourself be vulnerable. This is an intense one, folks. Be warned. 

In Episode 10 of Cutting Chai Stories, Jayati Vora goes back to her roots: editing. It almost never happens that your first draft is perfect. Sure, sometimes the inspiration flows and you're in the zone, but after you sleep on it and look at your words with fresh eyes, inevitably, you'll see flab you can trim, words that stand out but not in a good way, or it just doesn't read as well as it could. Embrace it! This is your opportunity to polish your writing and make it better. In episode 10, I read you the unedited and edited drafts of a short story I wrote, and take you behind the scenes to show you what I changed--and why. 

I also tell you about creative writing workshops I'm hosting: for adults, for children (sign up for the June series on using your imagination now), and for a special date night for significant others or relatives or friends. For more information and to sign up, visit https://www.gumroad.com/cuttingchaistories.

In this episode of Cutting Chai Stories with Jayati Vora, I speak with my friend Amadou Diallo, a journalist and fiction writer whose work has appeared in media outlets such as the New York Times and the PBS Newshour. In another life, he has also had careers as both a musician and a fine art photographer. A few months ago, a short story he wrote, "The Countdown," was published by the Times' Sunday Review (read it here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/01/03/opinion/amadou-diallo-the-countdown.html). He shares a great tip for how to write sci-fi without getting overwhelmed; he explains why he loves Raymond Carver; and his writing prompt is so delicious I'm dying to share it here. But I won't, because Amadou says so many other things I want you to listen to! 

Here's his list of fave authors: Raymond Carver; James McBride; and Charles Johnson. Check them out!

And remember--if you feel inspired to write a short story based on our prompt, do send it to me at cuttingchaistories AT gmail DOT com. I love hearing from you!