Meet the seasoned poet Divya Venkateswaran

While interacting with Divya Venkateswaran who is a poet extraordinaire, I was overwhelmed with a variety of subtle and sublime emotions which resonate with the aficionados of English poetry. Divya's poetry embodies the idea of deep profundity and with which I felt absolutely smitten, she has achieved numerous accolades in the realm of English poetry. This tête-à-tête brought many revelations about the literary journey she embarked upon during the very tender years of her life.

Speaking about her source of ideas, Divya says, "I read a lot whether it be poetry or prose and my ideas basically are from reality, personal experiences or something which happens around me. I also draw inspiration from classical poets."

Speaking about her personal literary journey, "I started writing really late. I used to write blogs in 2011 but I was not quite serious about them. I started writing by the end of 2017 when I started writing for Times Internet "Soul Curry" section and life turned 360 when my aunt referred me to a publication house which needed writers for their upcoming anthologies.

I wrote quite a few with them and then pandemic hit. I have contributed to more than 20 anthologies till date in the form of poetry and prose. I had joined a writing community named United by Ink (UBI) a platform where everyone could write and post and I started writing on a daily basis," says Divya.

She added, "Pandemic surely contributed a lot towards my literary journey. I read a lot and I got into various writing contests which were happening online and a won quite a lot of them as well. By this time I got into the core team of UBI and was part of their literary fests. I became a reviewer with them and I have reviewed many upcoming authors as well. I have also edited a book named Health Warriors and Survivors which was conceptualized by UBI."

Speaking about her books, Divya says, "My latest book is named "A Slice of Reverie" and also I am really in love with my largest selling book 'Impetus'. Both my books resonate with readers quite profoundly."

Speaking about writer's block, Divya says, "All writers get blocked. I suffered a major block before I could write 'Impetus'. My co-author and the UBI platform came to my rescue and I was able to manage it quite well."

Divya says that she want a book to stand on its own. She says, "I am more of a poetry person though I have contributed in the form of prose as well in many anthologies. I want Impetus to stand on its own as it is one of a kind and no one has ever come up with a concept of one topic and two perspectives. It stays the same for my solo book as well. Impetus will have its own place and A slice of Reverie will find its way too I believe. I am open to writing prose as well but it really requires a lot of time and poetry is something which comes naturally to me."

Speaking about favorite under-appreciated novel, Divya says, "There are a lot of novels which are under rated, if you want me to pick out one I think "Shadow Lines" by Amitav Ghosh is under appreciated. Though he is a Sahitya Akademi Award winner, the book deserves much more.