Author Archive: Sweta Vikram
Sweta Srivastava Vikram is an award-winning poet, writer, novelist, author, essayist, columnist, educator, and blogger. Born in India, Sweta spent her formative years between the steel city of Rourkela, the blue waters of North Africa, the green hills of Mussoorie, and the erudite air of Pune before arriving in bustling New York. Growing up between three continents, six cities, five schools, and three masters degrees, what remained constant in Sweta’s life was her relationship with words.Today, Sweta is the author of three chapbooks of poetry, Because All Is Not Lost (Modern History Press, 2010), Kaleidoscope: An Asian Journey of Colors (Modern History Press, 2010), and Beyond the Scent of Sorrow (Modern History Press, 2011). While Kaleidoscope: An Asian Journey of Colors was nominated for the Pushcart Prize (2010) and Asian American Members’ Choice Awards (2011), Beyond the Scent of Sorrow was nominated for the Independent Literary Awards(2011). Sweta's books are the highest selling poetry books from Modern History Press.
Why Working Out Is Imperative For Writers And Their Writing
When we talk about writers and the creative life, we rarely talk about their wellness. If anything, brokenness, misery, pain, and being broke are often romanticized. We associate chai and wine with writing, which is all fun! But I wish we had more proactive conversations around writers’ physical and mental health. I want to see […]
Writers, Let’s Talk About The F-word: Finances
Writers, let’s talk about the F-word: finances When you come face-to-face with death, fears leave you. You know your time is up, and you stop fighting. There is a feeling on the inside…which is more real than anything else … that is about acceptance and surrendering. No matter how many TV shows and movies make […]
Writers: Keep Your Heart Healthy and Your Stories Strong
Even though writing is one of the oldest and most enriching professions in the world, the writing lifestyle isn’t all glamour. It brings along with it some challenges when it comes to health. Writing is a stressful job that requires long hours of working in isolation and sitting in one place in, often times, in bad […]
Will I Ever Write Again? Surviving My Worst Fears As A Writer
Will I ever write again? Surviving my worst fears as a writer It was the morning of Thursday, September 20. I was in the train, headed back home to NYC from Maryland, after doing the introduction and in-author conversation at a friend’s book launch the night before. My heart was full for my friend; she had […]
Why Writing Is A Form Of Meditation
I write because writing is how I make sense of my world. When I was eight-years-old and lived in Libya with my parents, I saw my neighbor and his four wives one evening: the wives sat in the back of his pick-up truck and the sheep sat upfront. When I asked why, I was told […]
How Mindfulness Can Help You Enjoy Your Book Release Day
It’s 5 am on Saturday, April 7. My head is ready to explode. I am supposed to speak at a wellness conference in Pennsylvania in a few hours and on Tuesday, April 10, my debut U.S. novel, “Louisiana Catch,” comes out. That very evening, I am doing an intimate wine and reading celebration with a fellow author at Bluestockings bookstore […]
Writers: Empower Yourself With Self-Care
It’s Women’s History Month. Social media is ablaze with quotes and pictures of women’s empowerment. It’s that time of the year when we start to look at impossible as the “new” possible. We remind each other that we aren’t alone. And that a supportive community exists—online and offline—that holds us in our weaknesses and strengths […]
Writing From The Heart
As writers and poets, we leave a little piece of our heart wherever we go. In our stories. In our characters. In our book research. In the corners of our homes. In our tea. In our coffee. In our cells. In our pores. In our loved ones. In our rejections. In our writing nooks. Our […]
Why Do You Write?
We’re giving away two copies of Sweta’s SARIS AND A SINGLE MALT this month, TELL US WHY YOU WRITE in the comments for a chance to win! How many times have you, the writer, been asked “Why do you write?” How often do we believe that we know why we write? But if you mindfully ponder over […]
Losing Room #2
From the time Martha’s Vineyard Writer’s Residency showed up in my Google search for writing residencies, I knew we were meant to go the distance. I applied in the summer of 2009, and a few weeks later, I got an acceptance note from the director at the residency: Justen Ahren. I used to be a […]
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