Welcome to this week's episode of the True Fiction Project! I am honored to have author and poet, Bhakti Mathur join the show. Bhakti is the author of two children’s series titled Amma, Take Me and Amma, Tell Me, which were inspired by exploring new places with her children. Aside from writing, Bhakti is also a bibliotherapist, who helps clients explore their emotions and heal through the use of fiction, non fiction and poetry. She explains how she got into the bibliotherapist work and came to be the first in Hong Kong. At the end of the episode, Bhakti shares three different poems with us. The first is about her grandmother’s death, the second is about the Ganges on fire, and the last is about a failed relationship. Tune in to learn more about bibliotherapy and hear her amazing poems. 

IN THIS EPISODE:

• [3:09] What is a bibliotherapist? 
• [8:12] How did Bhakti get into this field? 
• [10:51] What is the Amma, Take Me series?
• [12:31] What is the Amma, Tell Me series?
• [13:48] Do Bibliotherapists exist in other places in the world? 
• [15:42] What is Bhakti going to share with the listeners and why?
• [17:52] Does Bhakti explore light and death a lot in her work? 
• [20:11] Is Bhakti taking new bibliotherapist clients? 
• [20:40] What is coming next from Bhakti? 
• [23:23] Bhakti reads us her poem called An Indian Summer about the death of her grandmother. 
• [26:30] Bhakti reads her poem called Varanasi about a city of water by the Ganges on fire. 
• [27:52] Bhakti reads her poem The Thornbird about the ending of a relationship.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• A bibliotherapist is someone who recommends books to people as a way to heal. They focus on healing by using fiction, nonfiction and poetry to help people connect with their experiences and feelings through a different view. 
• Amma, Take Me and Amma, Tell Me are stories inspired by trips that Bhakti took with her children. They are nonfiction books, inspired by questions that her children asked her while they were out seeing new places. 
• Bhakti utilizes poetry as a form of healing. They provided her space to express and label her emotions. Writing offers an opportunity to put distance between you and the problem or issue that you are struggling with. 

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Fiction Credits:

Written and read by Bhakti Mathur

GUEST RESOURCES:

Bhakti Mathur's LinkedIn 

Bhakti Mathur's Personal Facebook 

Bhakti Mathur's Business Facebook 

Bhakti Mathur's Instagram 

Bookswithbee.net

HOST RESOURCES

Website

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Instagram 

Facebook 

Twitter (X) 

Substack 

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LinkTree 

BIO:

Bhakti Mathur is the author of the 'Amma Tell Me' and 'Amma Take Me' series of children’s books about Indian mythology and history, with 19 published titles to date. After a long stint as a banker, she now juggles her time between writing, practicing yoga, and with her family. She lives in Hong Kong with her husband, their two children, and two dogs. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Hong Kong and is a freelance journalist with 100 published articles in the South China Morning Post on life, health, and fitness. Bhakti is an ICF credentialled (ACC) executive coach and is Hong Kong's first bibliotherapist. When not writing or running after her boys, Bhakti is happiest curled up with a book in one hand and a hot cup of chai in the other. To learn more about her, visit her at www.bhaktimathur.com, www.reflectwithbhakti.com, and www.bookswithb.net.

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