Writing With a Broken Tusk
Writing With a Broken Tusk began in 2006 as a blog about overlapping geographies, personal and real-world, and writing books for children. The blog name refers to the mythical pact made between the poet Vyaasa and the Hindu elephant headed god Ganesha who was his scribe during the composition of the Mahabharata. It also refers to my second published book, edited by the generous and brilliant Diantha Thorpe of Linnet Books/The Shoe String Press, published in 1996, acquired and republished by August House and still miraculously in print.
Since March, writer and former student Jen Breach has helped me manage guest posts and Process Talk pieces on this blog. They have lined up and conducted author/illustrator interviews and invited and coordinated guest posts. That support has helped me get through weeks when I’ve been in edit-copyedit-proofing mode, and it’s also introduced me to writers and books I might not have found otherwise. Our overlapping interests have led to posts for which I might not have had the time or attention-span. It’s the beauty of shared circles—Venn diagrams, anyone?
Guest Post: Suma Subramaniam on Picture Books Rooted in Culture and Geography
Suma Subramaniam has not one but two picture books celebrating Indian culture releasing in May. A Bindi Can Be…, illustrated by Kamala Nair, released on May 2 and My Name is as Long as a River, illustrated by Tara Anand, comes out on May 28. In a recent cover reveal interview for My Name is as Long as a River, Suma said “A name when pronounced correctly is a comforting feeling to everyone involved. That is what we all need—a little comfort.” That thread of seeking and enjoying comfort connects both of these books.
Guest Post: Making Connections Through Dosas by Suma Subramaniam
From Suma Subramaniam: In the summer of 2015, I was working with my faculty advisor, the one and only Jane Kurtz in the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA in Children’s and Young Adult literature program, when we both challenged each other to write a story from the cultures we grew up in. The story would be inspired by The Gingerbread Man—a folktale about a man made of gingerbread who runs away from a cast of characters.
Guest Post: Suma Subramaniam on Namaste is a Greeting
Honoring the Good by Suma Subramaniam
The objective of Namaste is a Greeting is to understand the meaning of the word “Namaste” and the value it can bring when it’s spoken verbally and expressed non-verbally. Namaste in Sanskrit is a combination of two words—namah, meaning “bow,” and te, meaning “to you.” Therefore, namaste is a greeting that means “I bow to you.”
Guest post: Suma Subramaniam on She Sang for India
From Suma Subramaniam: When I started writing about M.S. Subbulakshmi, I had it in my head that this wasn’t going to be an arduous task. Her story was all over the internet. It wouldn’t take much effort because she was famous, well-respected, and well-known among people from India and the diaspora.
By the time I finished the draft, I learned how fallible I was. Every book presents its challenges, and this project wasn’t short of that.