TALKING BOOKS
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Rachna Singh, Editor, The Wise Owl talks to Ketaki Mazumdar about her book 'Toasted Orange Embers.'
Talking Books
With Ketaki Mazumdar
Rachna Singh, Editor, The Wise Owl talks to Ketaki Mazumdar, who is an educationist and a poet. She is the recipient of many awards, for her book Toasted Orange Embers, including the “Emily Dickinson” Award, the Ukiyoto “Poet of the Year 2025” Award, the Sahitya Sparsh Award for “Inspirational Poetry”. Her poetry reflects her excitement with the beauty of nature, emotions of grief, joy and love and also gently touches on the spirituality and mysticism of life.
Thank you Ketaki for talking to The Wise Owl about your poetry collection ‘Toasted Orange Embers.’
RS: Toasted Orange Embers is a beautifully evocative title. Could you share the story behind it? What emotions or imagery did you want it to evoke in the reader?
KM: Embers is a powerful word for me, personally. The blazing fire may die out but the orange and red embers smoulder and glow for a very long time. A fire can be restarted from these very embers. My book is about this resilience. It’s that spark, metaphorically the will, that keeps us going through the toughest times. I wanted to evoke in the readers, this energy and the will to survive and to keep going.
RS: Your poetry explores a rich spectrum of human emotions—love, passion, loss, spirituality, and healing. Was there a central thread that tied the poems together, or did they emerge organically from different phases of your life?
KM: My poems emerge organically and unforced from the day-to-day explosions of my thoughts and emotions. There is, however, a central theme which is an integral part of my poems and me. Love and a need to empathise, comfort and heal is the core of this tapestry.
RS: The collection has been described as "pulsating with life" while also embracing "mystical mysteries." How do you intertwine everyday human experiences with the more ethereal and spiritual aspects of existence in your poetry?
KM: Nothing happens in isolation. For me, “mystical mysteries” are a part of my everyday life. My spiritual connection is an everyday occurrence. Prayers, chants, the fragrance of incense, the tinkle of temple bells and meditation is a beautiful part of waking up to sunshine, bird songs and the everyday patter of all aspects of life. Frankly it’s a balance of work, wonder, belief, awe and gratitude that merges seamlessly with total authenticity.
RS: Your poetry has been described as a "tapestry of deep and subtle colours." Do you think in terms of visuals when you write? How important is imagery in crafting the emotional landscape of your poems?
KM: Imagery is as important as rhythm to me in poetry. I think in terms of an incident, a place, an object of nature, a season. The emotion and detail come first and then the imagery and colour, surrounding the thought. I am very observant, watching carefully and feeling the energy, just as an artist would see and notice colours, movement, reflections, light and shadow and vibrancy of life, in the canvas they paint. I love absorbing my surroundings and my readers always point out the vivid imagery and deep detailing that resonate with them too.
RS: Are there any particular poems in Toasted Orange Embers that hold a special place in your heart? Could you share the inspiration behind one of them?
KM: All the poems in the book are like my babies… each one has a special connection. I share my inspiration of the poem ‘Indian Summer Noon’. I wrote it with great nostalgia, as it depicts a picture of my own home in Kolkata, my childhood memories, the hot humid summer afternoons, the smell of mogras in a bowl and the picture of objects, typically Bengali, laid on a marble table. I love the last line “life flows here… even in noon stupor.”
RS: Poetry is often considered the most intimate form of writing. Do you follow a structured writing process, or do you write more intuitively when inspiration strikes? How do you refine and edit your work to maintain its raw emotional depth?
KM: I certainly don’t follow a structured writing process. I like there to be a freedom and a natural flow. If you read “With a Cup of Cinnamon Tea” from my book, it describes perfectly my writing process. “Writings begin without warning”, and then “all can wait as my pen scribbles with ideas that cannot wait.” As much as possible, I like my poetry to remain authentic and raw. Do read the poem The Nomad, “I’m carried by the wind with embers burning…”, the rawness remained here and so did the intimacy. I sometimes edit line breaks as that changes the whole tone of poems.
RS: What are the greatest challenges you face as a poet? Have you ever encountered writer’s block, and if so, how do you overcome it?
KM: Very frankly, I have never experienced writer’s block. I am a passionate and prolific writer. I write every day, sometimes one, sometimes more than one, sometimes early in the morning, sometimes at midnight. Since my poems are a product of my experiences, I would love to travel extensively, interact in cozy poetry groups with poets and enjoy nature rambles. Such experiences would enhance my imagination and my creativity.
RS: If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring poets who want to write with depth and emotional authenticity, what would it be?
KM: Aspiring poets must begin with passion, good vocabulary, in-depth observation, listening skills, be self-critical, write every day, keep a journal handy to jot down ideas. This is a ‘one’ sentence good luck charm to all aspiring poets!
RS: Are you currently working on another collection or exploring new themes in your poetry? What’s next for you as a writer?
KM: Excitement and passion are still bubbling in me. I will definitely write another book of poems, write in various anthologies, be a part of various poetry groups, take part in poetry competitions and write poetry in mystical and beautiful locations.
Thank you for talking with The Wise Owl. We wish you the very best on all your creative endeavours.
About Ketaki Mazumdar
Ketaki Mazumdar is an educationist and a poet. She is a recipient of many awards. Her poetry reflects her excitement with the beauty of nature, emotions of grief, joy, love and also gently touches on the spirituality and mysticism of life.
A doctorate in English literature and a former bureaucrat, Rachna Singh has authored Penny Panache (2016) Myriad Musings (2016) Financial Felicity (2017) & The Bitcoin Saga: A Mixed Montage (2019). Her latest book is Phoenix in Flames, a book about eight ordinary women from different walks of life who become extraordinary on account of their fortitude & grit. She writes regularly for National Dailies and has also been reviewing books for the The Tribune for more than a decade. She runs a YouTube Channel, Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum Kahein, which brings to the viewers poetry of established poets of Hindi & Urdu. She loves music and is learning to play the piano. Nurturing literature & art is her passion and to make that happen she has founded The Wise Owl, a literary & art magazine that provides a free platform for upcoming poets, writers & artists. Her latest book is Raghu Rai: Waiting for the Divine, a memoir of legendary photographer, Raghu Rai.
About Rachna Singh
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Hi Joanna. Thanks for talking to The Wise Owl
RS: Your collection of Cherita ‘river lanterns’ has been released recently. Our readers would be eager to know (as I am) what inspired you to write this beautiful collection of 90 virgin Cherita.
JA: I have been published in Ai Li’s Cherita journals for a while and love writing in this form. I mentioned in my email correspondence to Ai Li that I aspired to have my own Cherita collection published. She offered to edit my selection of poems from a large selection that I sent her. I would say my inspiration came from reading Ai Li’s own collections of her Cherita verse, they are so beautiful.
When I began writing these, I was mindful to really show me as not only a writer but as the person beneath and how the Cherita form bends to the art of storytelling. It took me some time to write these and I am delighted with the narrative that Ai Li made with her choices for my book. When another person chooses, they can distance themselves from your work and look critically at what you have sent. It was a real honour for me to entrust the creator of the Cherita with my work.
RS: Your book is a collection of Cherita verse. Cherita is a genre of recent origin (1997). Tell us what attracted you to this genre of poetry. Were there any creative influences in your life that encouraged you to adopt this genre as your own.
JA: I am attracted to this genre of poetry as I hold a deep reverence for Ai Li’s poetry and the short form poetry forms as a collective. I was excited to see that Ai Li had developed this new genre. She published my short form verse in the 1990s in her journal Still and I was sad when this was no longer in print. I enjoyed the challenge of learning how to write this new form and find it really resonates with me as a writer.
I discovered her new form of Cherita and was hooked by these story gems. I really admire the way that the Cherita journals are produced and enjoy reading the work within these. As a writer it is important to keep on working at your craft and I love it when I get to enjoy the work of a fellow poet in the same genre.
RS: River Lanterns has been edited and published by ai li, the creator of Cherita as a genre. How was the experience of connecting with the doyen of Cherita and having her select your Cherita?
JA: As I mentioned earlier Ai Li had published my work in the 90s, then through offering Cherita to her for publication, the connection was reborn. I have always enjoyed reading Ai Li’s poetry and I have found her to be a gracious supporter of my Cherita. Sending my work to the creator of the genre I think really made me conscious that I had to elevate my writing to meet the standards to have enough quality Cherita for my own individual collection. The experience is something that I will treasure as I now have a collection published other people can enjoy and will hopefully encourage them to do the same.
RS: Cherita is said to be a unique form of storytelling…storytelling in 6 lines. M Kei says that Cherita verse ‘combine the evocative power of tanka with the narrative of a personal story, like the vignettes we glimpse as we sit in a café and watch the world go by.’ Do you agree ? For the benefit of the readers would you please elaborate on this.
JA: Yes, I think M Kei’s insight is correct. Cherita to me contain the voice/song/whispers around the campfire as the stories unfold. They can be written about such a wide range of experiences, focused through the lens of the individual. I love the power of tanka, and I see Cherita as a close cousin, both forms use beautiful language to sing a fragment of the world that we live in.
RS: I feel what differentiates Cherita from narrative storytelling, is that it tells a story about life & our spiritual journey. This is very true of your Cherita:
have you
found it yet
the fun arcade
where wishes
are the alchemy
of breath
What are your thoughts on this?
JA: Yes, I feel a real connection with Cherita and my spiritual side. This is an element that attracts me to using this form. It allows me to explore and highlight aspects that may not be accepted in other types of verse. The Cherita can be used as a blank canvas for me to embed my perspective of my inner and outer world through stories.
RS: What are the themes or stories you have touched upon in your various Cherita verse?
JA: Where to begin… The Cherita in this collection provides a map of my highs and lows. They reveal how I see the world and feel about it. I enjoy adding elements of fairytales, myths, rich imagery, and aspects of the natural world. The importance of love, loss, friendship, connections, truth etc. all are within. The Cherita captures a moment of beauty, in time, often of universal things that happen to all of us but told from the narrator’s perspective. Often there is a vein of spirituality running through the verse.
RS: There are some cherita terbalik also in your collection. For the benefit of our readers please tell us how this form is different from Cherita and why we need a different syllable arrangement for this form of poetic storytelling
JA: The Cherita terbalik also tells a story but ‘terbalik’ is the Malay word for upside down or reversal (https://www.thecherita.com/) It is a different arrangement of the original Cherita stanza format. By using another variation of the Cherita format it enables the writer to alter the flow of the story that they are telling, such as the example from my collection below:
the ruby shoes
the glass slipper
the fairy dust
as a child
I imagined all
in my cupboard
To me this verse is stronger with the terbalik arrangement. Writing Cherita I make a judgement as to which stanza suits the flow of the story.
RS: Do you also write in other genres like haiku, senryu, tanka, haibun on a regular basis? Which is your favorite genre among all these genres (we know your fondness for Cherita of course)
JA: Yes, I also write in other genres such as haiku, senryu, tanka, Haibun and other short form verse. I began writing contemporary poetry first and then I discovered haiku when I was looking for poetry journals to read and subscribe to. I fell in love with haiku and feel that they are the guardians of nature and our world. I find short form poetry very special; these dewdrops of tiny forms really capture a sense of the world around us.
I see the bonds between these genres as strings from the same bow –
the heart harp
wind and rainfall
skeins from sky
this humming
of a melody
our soul bonds
Selecting a favourite is like asking a parent to choose a child. They all hold a place in my heart. I began with haiku and then progressed to tanka – aspects of the heart. These are the two that led me into this world of short form poetry and were my entry point for exploring and discovering other genres. I wouldn’t like to be without any one of them as they each offer a different way to express aspects of the world and my own life journey.
RS: What advice would you give budding poets of Cherita verse?
JA: The advice I would give to writers of any verse is to READ, READ, READ. Study the form, work on your craft, support the journals that publish them – if you want to write them, then surely you will enjoy reading them. Write, keep on writing and honing, learning the form, find your own style/voice, make connections in the writing world – even if online and listen and appreciate editorial advice – they have a vast range of experience, and this is how you grow as a writer. The short form poetry world is a beautiful, supportive place. When you buy a journal that publishes Cherita verse or another genre, be open to learning and see how well other writers use the form. Try and buy the collections of writers that you admire, this keeps our writers’ world vibrant and alive.
Thank you, Joanna, for taking time out to talk to The Wise owl about your beautiful book. We wish you the best and hope you make this unique storytelling genre rich with your verse.
Thank you so much for asking me to talk to you.