October teaches us how beauty and impermanence coexist and how endings often carry the seeds of renewal. From Keats’s mellow fruitfulness to Dylan Thomas’s reflections on memory and time, October has inspired writers to look beneath the surface of things. This issue of The Wise Owl is, in many ways, an exploration of that same impulse—to uncover the stories, and creative journeys that shape the world and our understanding of it.

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Our Interview segment features a conversation with Kenan Orhan, whose novel The Renovation was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2026. Rooted in questions of memory, and identity, his work offers a compelling exploration of lives shaped by displacement and change. We also bring you an interview with Shivani Sibal, whose novel Moms examines the fault lines that often lie beneath seemingly perfect lives. In Talking Books, we speak with Kamla K. Kapur, whose Awakening with Nanak chronicles a deeply personal journey of self-discovery, faith, and spiritual awakening.

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Our literary pages continue to bring together poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction from writers across the globe. The works featured this month resonate with the symbolism embodied in the Māori mask depicted on our cover and our October theme—resilience in the face of adversity, purity of spirit, and the promise of regeneration.

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In Visual Arts, we turn our attention to the intriguing world of art freeports in Harmeet Singh’s essay Ghost Museums, where masterpieces worth millions remain hidden from public view, preserved yet unseen. We also showcase the imaginative digital art of Edward M. Supranowicz, whose work demonstrates how technology can become a medium for creative expression and visual storytelling.

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The Reviews section journeys through a diverse range of books and ideas. This month we discuss Cosmos and Crucible by Ajanta Paul, Between Two British Summers by Malavika Udayan, and My Childhood: Yearning to Soar High by Shakuntala Kalra, translated into English by Dr. Rakesh Chandra. We also review Scott Derrickson’s spine-chilling film The Whisper Man, a mystery that delves into the shadows of the past.

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Our Wise Owl Picks spotlight three noteworthy poetry collections: Michael Bazzett’s Cloudwatcher, Victoria Chang’s The Tree of Knowledge, and Jana Prikryl’s The Channel. Distinct in voice and vision, these books demonstrate the enduring vitality of contemporary poetry.

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As always, we hope this issue encourages our readers to discover something new: a writer you have not encountered before or a book that finds a lasting place on your shelf.

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The print edition of The Wise Owl is available on Amazon for readers outside India and through subscription for readers within India.

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Happy Reading!