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What We Aim To Do is all about navigating meaningful work and Trivarna Hariharan demonstrates that so beautifully with her workshops, literary Instagram page, and online writing community, Wildflowers and Prayers.
In this conversation, we discuss how Trivarna grew her "commonplace book" Instagram page to over 200,000 followers, how she approaches workshopping her students' poetry, her relationship to the word "ambition", and the importance of community in ones' writing practice.
We've been Instagram friends for years and it was so nice to finally talk over video. She is a true champion of other people's writing - her Instagram page is a collection of posts featuring snippets from prose writers and poets - but her own writing deserves just as much attention. I am particularly in love with her poem, "To See Myself in Another’s Light". In it, Trivarna writes,
"From these frogs,
I learn that faith does not
require breaking out of
the body, but being en-wombed
in what you pray for. "
Her writing, curation, and observations are a true gift and I am so happy to get to share our conversation.
We begin our conversation learning about the art keeping an Instagram commonplace book.
About the guest:
Trivarna Hariharan is a poet, pianist and educator. She has studied English Literature at Delhi University, and the University of Cambridge (ICE). A Pushcart prize and Orison Anthology nominee - her poems are published or forthcoming in Duende, Entropy, Stirring, Times of India, Deccan Chronicle, COUNTERCLOCK, Atticus Review, JMWW, The Hunger, Whale Road Review, The Shore, Chiron Review, and others. She has authored two collections of poetry - Letters Never Sent (Writers Workshop Kolkata), and There Was Once A River Here (Les Editions du Zaporogue, France).
She founded Wildflowers Are Prayers in order to provide writers of all ages & nationalities with a nurturing home for their writing. A safe, non-judgmental space for expressing themselves and creating the art they’d want to create— whilst receiving ongoing encouragement and support.
Mentioned in this episode:
trivarnahariharan_poetry on Instagram
Wildflowers and Prayers
When will you rest, dear heart? on Substack
What We Aim To Do is a podcast about vocation. Featuring conversations with artists, writers, and founders, host Megan Nichols asks questions about the challenges and joys of pursuing meaningful work, balancing ambition with well-being, and finding purpose in the work we share with the world.
www.whatweaimtodo.com
Megan Nichols is the author of the chapbook Animal Unfit (Belle Point Press, 2023). Her poems have appeared in Iron Horse Literary Review, The Threepenny Review, Frontier Poetry and elsewhere. She lives in the Ozark Mountains.
