To know Shobhana is to know the essence of grace and gratefulness which suffuses her work. I have time and again, on reading her poems, kept the book down and held back my emotions. She gets to the heart of the matter with quick acuity, but an understanding, which is gentle, kind. She holds the reader close to her heart, as she leads him through her hurting poetry.
Shobhana Kumar has two collections of poetry: The Voices Never Stop (2012) and *Conditions Apply (2014), from Writers Workshop, Kolkata. Her work has been anthologized in journals and books of poetry and Japanese short forms. Her poem, ‘Just Married’ was selected and translated by Gulzar in his monumental work, A Poem a Day, published by HarperCollins. She has authored six books of non-fiction covering biographies, corporate, industrial, and educational histories. Her short stories have been published or are forthcoming in a few anthologies. Kumar is Poetry Editor of Sonic Boom Journal and its imprint, Yavanika Press. She is also part of The Quarantine Train, a poetry workshop founded by Arjun Rajendran. She works in the spaces of corporate communication, branding and advertising, and education. Along with a group of friends, she runs Small Differences, an NGO working with elderly, abandoned people and the transgender community.
Her latest book “A Sky Full of Bucket Lists” is published by the finest independent publisher of poetry Red River. It was chosen by the redoubtable Arundhathi Subramanian as one of the finest books of 2021.
It can be purchased on Amazon or Papyrus
She spoke to me at length about her poetry, her growing up in Lovedale, the work she does in her NGO and why Mary Oliver is such an inspiration.
This is a peerless episode from Red Rivers Sessions presented to you by Uncut Poetry. In Red River Sessions, we talk to published poets, about their poetry, their craft and what haunts them. It is brought to you by Red River, which is the premier independent publisher of poetry books and Uncut Poetry, a much-loved poetry podcast.
Following are the details of the music used in this episode-
From my Heart With Love by MusicLFiles
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6267-from-my-heart-with-love
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Sentimental Travel by MusicLFiles
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6968-sentimental-travel
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Adventure by Alexander Nakarada
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6092-adventure
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Midnight Tale by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/4710-midnight-tale
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license