Storytalking with Lakshya

In episode #20 of Storytalking, Lakshya speaks with Vishal Furia, the director of ‘Lappachappi’ - a fantastic marathi-language horror film. Vishal shares stories of why he loves movies, how he got started in the business, how he learned filmmaking on the job, what it was like to make his debut film, and why horror is a perfect genre for telling stories with a social message. This episode is in partnership with Flickside.com.

In episode #19 of Storytalking, Lakshya sits down with Anupam Arunachalam, a 29 year old comic writer and illustrator from Delhi. Lakshya and Anupam discuss favorite comics / graphic novels, how to decide what medium to tell which story, why comics are a huge part of today’s entertainment, and how Anupam wrote and illustrated his debut book: Tooth and Nail, Fur and Scale (available on Amazon!), a collection of short stories that explore - in really creative ways -monsters and creatures from Indian mythology.

In episode #18 of Storytalking, Lakshya talks to Rameez Shaikh, a 24 year old writer from Mumbai whose stories talk about Indian society and culture. Rameez shares stories of how he learned how to write on the job, why he writes about socio-political issues, how he became a ‘male feminist’, the process of ‘unlearning’ outdated customs and beliefs, how he finds positivity and hope in this broken world, and where he’s going next.

In episode #17 of Storytalking, Lakshya sits down with Abihshek Shankar, a 25 year old singer / songwriter / musician based in Delhi. Abhishek shares stories of how he got started in music, how he writes and finds the inspiration to produce new sounds, the struggles and insecurities that come along with being a musician and being in a band, and how he composed his first single ‘Like a River’ (which you can listen to at the end of the episode!).

in episode #16 of Storytalking, Lakshya sits down with Diksha Bijlani, a 21 year old spoken word artist from New Delhi. Diksha shares stories from her childhood growing up in a close-minded small town, what influences her to write about society and equality, how she turns personal demons and challenges into words to inspire and help others, and the cost vs benefit of being vulnerable on stage.

In episode #15 of Storytalking, Lakshya talks to Daria Golab, a 28 year old artist from Poland, and the newest artist to join the Launchora family. Daria tells Lakshya about what led her to quit architecture and become an artist, how she taught herself to draw and illustrate, how she spent an entire year practically locked in a room and practicing her craft, and what it’s like to be an artist in the time of social media. Daria’s artwork is available for everyone in the community to use as story covers.

In episode #14 of Storytalking, Lakshya speaks with Maria Lourdes, aka Missmelancholia, a college student from Manila, Philippines and a spoken word artist. Lourdes shares stories of how she got into performing spoken word poems, how writing has helped her deal with melancholy, and gives Lakshya an insight into how millennials finds inspiration and their creative voice, while also encouraging him to bring community short films to Launchora.

In episode #13 of Storytalking, Lakshya speaks with Kit Nadado, a 28 year old high school teacher from the Philippines. Kit tells Lakshya about how he got into teaching creative fiction and nonfiction, about his childhood that inspired his story Aunt Ely's Duster (featured in The Storyteller), how he uses Launchora in the classroom with his students, and what he's learned about himself by teaching storytelling.

In episode #12 of Storytalking, Lakshya speaks with Monica James, a writer / poet / filmmaker from San Francisco. Monica shares her experiences with telling nonfiction stories about women’s issues in India, co-authoring a novel about invisible libraries, how she uses her passion for storytelling to give a megaphone to silent voices, and the documentary she’s working on right now.

In episode #11 of Storytalking, Lakshya sits down with Armaan Kapur, a 26 year old writer from Delhi, India. They talk about the allure vs illusion of the artist, how to measure one’s own ‘success’ as a writer, how he’s putting together the novel he’s currently writing, and so, so much more.