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1 - How did your first book change your life? How does your most recent work compare to your previous? How does it feel different?
An Orchid Astronomy is my first book. Having it published has helped me feel more confident in my potential as a writer. I’ve learned a lot about completing a manuscript and taking it to its full conclusion. My previous works consist primarily of short stories and poetry published in magazines and journals. I have also published scientific papers. Publishing my first book has demystified the work of being a writer. It feels different only in that the veil has been lifted—like any job it can be gruelling and tedious.
2 - How did you come to poetry first, as opposed to, say, fiction or non-fiction?
The first thing I ever truly wrote was a sixteen page short story for a school assignment in the third grade. The assignment was to write a påskekrim, which translates to “Easter crime” in Norwegian. The genre encompasses the noir, thriller, crime, and mystery stories that Norwegians enjoy reading during Easter break. I came to poetry in high school, especially after reading The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. That being said, poetry was the first piece of writing I ever published.
3 - How long does it take to start any particular writing project? Does your writing initially come quickly, or is it a slow process? Do first drafts appear looking close to their final shape, or does your work come out of copious notes?
Unfortunately, I have to be quite structured with my writing projects because I also work as a consulting engineer. For this reason, I find that I am only able to focus on one project at a time. In this regard, my process is on the slower side, but that is because I tend to work on book-length projects. My work comes out of stages: planning, research, note taking, content generation, editing, re-writing, proofing, and submissions. I allow myself to think of all these as the tasks of a writer. Thankfully, the stages overlap, so there is always a creative element that keeps things interesting.
4 - Where does a poem usually begin for you? Are you an author of short pieces that end up combining into a larger project, or are you working on a "book" from the very beginning?
I have a tendency to think of creative writing in terms of story—that I’m putting on the life of someone else. I have trouble writing smaller pieces for this reason because, like the reader, I too am writing to find out the ending. My preferred form is probably the novel, which means I am working on a book-length manuscript from the very beginning. My short stories tend to be scenes taken from a larger imagined universe/project. They almost always lead to full-length book ideas.
5 - Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who enjoys doing readings?
Being an introvert, I haven’t performed at many public readings to date. I hope to change this as I further my writing career. I want to be someone that enjoys readings and someone who can engage with my readers in a positive way. People are usually so wonderful at these events that I always end up having a good time in the end.
6 - Do you have any theoretical concerns behind your writing? What kinds of questions are you trying to answer with your work? What do you even think the current questions are?
I suppose every age in human history has had its own set of problems—ours is obviously the existential doom that is surely underway by now—we get to watch, in slow motion, the breakdown of the fabric of society and nature as we know it.
In my own writing and art, my main concerns revolve around revealing the emotional resonance of life. It means my focus tends to be on more universal themes and the questions that subsequently arise, such as humanity’s place in the universe, the legacy our species will leave behind, death, obsession, love, and redemption. Ultimately, I see writing as an exploration of form and genre. I am interested in exploring how one breaks the conventions of genre and form, as well as seeing how such conventions can be utilized to one’s advantage. Determining the structure of a project is what takes the longest for me.
7 – What do you see the current role of the writer being in larger culture? Do they even have one? What do you think the role of the writer should be?
People write for so many reasons. I do not feel equipped to say what the role of a writer should be—not everyone is privileged enough to write for the sake of the craft. If we lived in a perfect world, then ideally the practice of writing should enlighten. At the very least, it should ignite a change or transformation, whether that takes place within the writer or the reader is irrelevant.
8 - Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)?
This might come off as biased, being an editor myself, but I do believe editing is 9/10ths of the law, especially if you are planning on publishing. I take editorial feedback extremely seriously. It’s not about if the process is difficult or annoying—it’s just necessary.
9 - What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?
Don’t try. Just do.
10 - What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one? How does a typical day (for you) begin?
I generally write first thing in the morning. This is again due to my day job. The ideal day will start at 6AM with some yoga, followed by coffee and breakfast. Writing will begin around 7AM and go until about 9AM. My evening routine consists of either reading or watching a show/movie. Typically, my best ideas come to me during this part of the day, so I make sure to keep my tablet or notebook nearby. On occasion, I will generate content at this time, but I find the mornings are best for execution and revising.
11 - When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word) inspiration?
I allow myself to take breaks after prolonged periods of writing. For example, after completing a draft or finishing an editing revision, I will allow myself a few weeks off—a holiday, essentially. On the other hand, since I only have the mental capacity to work on one project at a time, the writing process will naturally stall. However, this is on purpose; I like to extensively plan and ruminate on a project before diving into a non-stop writing schedule. Once started, I rarely get stalled. After all, the best part of creative writing is all the daydreaming I get to do. Music also helps.
12 - What fragrance reminds you of home?
My mom’s home-cooked Bengali food—charred eggplant, roasted spices, fizzy mustard oil, and the offensively pungent smell of dried fish. My mouth waters just thinking about it.
13 - David W. McFadden once said that books come from books, but are there any other forms that influence your work, whether nature, music, science or visual art?
I think all of the forms listed above influence my work. I am trained as a research engineer, so science plays a huge role in my daily life. To me, writing and visual art go hand-in-hand. I especially love Japanese manga and graphic novels. For a while, during my late teens and early twenties, I thought I might go to art school to train as an illustrator. Although I don’t play music, I do love to dance, so to me music is both an auditory and a physical mode of expression. Nature is universal—it influences everything.
14 - What other writers or writings are important for your work, or simply your life outside of your work?
For the most part, I like to read non-fiction, specifically the diaries and letters of famous writers and artists, biographies, philosophy, metaphysics, history, and science.
When it comes to reading creative writing, I tend to gravitate towards more experimental works, whether in form, execution, or subject matter. Some of my favourites include: If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino, AVA by Carole Maso, Reader’s Block by David Markson, 2666 by Roberto Bolaño, The Necrophiliac by Gabrielle Wittkop, and, of course, The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy.
15 - What would you like to do that you haven't yet done?
I would like to properly travel through the Indian subcontinent, especially Nepal and Bangladesh.
16 - If you could pick any other occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or, alternately, what do you think you would have ended up doing had you not been a writer?
If I could travel back in time, I would have seriously trained as a classical dancer. In particular, I would have liked to master the Bharatanatyam form.
As for what else I’d be doing, I feel it would be a job related to STEM in some way, as I already have an established professional career in this field.
17 - What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?
Writing encompasses so many different aspects of our imagination. It is also very therapeutic. I think that is why journaling is a recommended form of self-care. It is a way to get to know yourself, to make sense of your emotions and thoughts. I am drawn to writing because it is the one form of expression that cannot be avoided—it is language. It is the fundamental way that humans communicate.
18 - What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film?
The last great book I read was a biography on Edvard Munch called Beyond the Scream by Sue Prideaux. Not sure about the last great film, but my two favourites are Beyond the Black Rainbow and The Colour of Pomegranates.
19 - What are you currently working on?
I am working on a novel exploring Neo-Nazism among Norwegian youth in the early 1990s. During this time, Norway was undergoing a period of Black Metal hooliganism, which resulted in multiple church burnings, hate crimes, and murders.
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