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Poetry in Parks @poetryinparks.bsky.social · 8d

Share your poetry books!

Peter Griffin @zigzackly.bsky.social · 8d

I was scouring shelves, cabinets and cartons for my poetry books, and here is what I found. Not all of them, but most.
Which ones have you read?
Perhaps you can share your collection?
(The pile collapsed a few seconds after I took this picture.)

#Books #Poetry #AShelfieButNotOnAShelf

The image is a photograph of a teetering stack of books of various thicknesses, their spines facing the lens.

The Pocket Book of Ogden Nash

Candy is Dandy, Ogden Nash

Poems on the Underground

Nine Horses, Billy Collins

The Vintage Book of Contemporary Poetry, JD McClatchy (editor)

फैज़, चुनी हुई शायरी

crush, Annie Zaidi (illustrated by Gynelle Alves)

Triage: Casualties of Love and Sex, Margaret Mascarenhas

The Collected Poems, Vikram Seth

Girls are Coming Out of the Woods, Tishani Doshi

The Altar of the Only World, Sharanya Manivannan

Ghalib in translation, OP Kejariwal

The Golden Gate, Vikram Seth

Monk on a Hill, Guru Tshering Ladakhi

50 Poets, 50 Poems, Priya Sarukkai Chabria (editor) [There were two volumes but the other one is with a friend. This was printed and circulated privately, and not available in shops.]

A Reluctant Survivor, Sridala Swami

My Sunset Marriage, Hoshang Merchant

Until the Lions, Karthika Nair

Sight May Strike You Blind, Sampurna Chattarji

Women Who Wear Only Themselves, Arundhathi Subramaniam

Love Without A Story, Arundhathi Subramaniam

When God is a Traveller, Arundhathi Subramaniam

Unmappable Moves, Sampurna Chattarji

Frazil, Menka Shivdasani

Collected Poems, Nissim Ezekiel

Collected Poems, by Gieve Patel

I'll Have It Here, by Jeet Thayil

View from the Web, by Anju Makhija

Over & Under Ground in Paris & Mumbai, Karthika Nair Sampurna Chattarji, (with illustrations by Roshni Vyam, Joelle Jolivet)

The Penguin Book of Indian Poets, Jeet Thayil (editor)

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Bansa Community Library @bansalibrary.bsky.social · 7d

WE NEED MORE BOOKS FOR OUR LIBRARY
Order a book today from our Amazon Wishlist- amazon.in/hz/wishlist/... and help us keep learning alive in places where libraries are yet to reach. You can also contribute monetarily here- rzp.io/rzp/lctrEUfg or UPI- amf@hdfcbank

#SupportFreeLibrary

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Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 7d

When I was researching my book Ghosts, Monsters, and Demons of India, I learned of a 1000-year-old myth about Roman tech being used to build killer robots to guard the Buddha's remains in Pataliputra, and a Hungarian folklorist read my book & got excited about it, & she managed to dig up a🧵(1/3)

Romanised Pali manuscript of the Lokapannati

Ghosts, Monsters, and Demons of India
p. 60
Bhoota Vahana Yanta
Bhoota Vahana Yanta means “spirit movement machine.” The term is used
for several varieties of robot drone assassins and sword-wielding machine-
men mentioned in the Lokapannati, a Pali-language text written between
1000 and 1200 CE by Saddhammaghosa of Thaton, but concerning
events that took place much earlier, around 500 to 200 BCE.
According to the story, robots were first invented by engineers of the
early Roman Republic. These robots were used for commerce, in agriculture,
as a police force, and as executioners. The secret of how to build these
spirit-engines was fiercely protected. If any engineer dared to take the designs
out of the city, one of his own executioner robots would come after
him and kill him.
At that time, in Pataliputra (then in the kingdom of Magadha, now
Patna in the state of Bihar), there lived a young man who had heard of the
Romans’ magical androids. He became so determined to learn the secrets
of their manufacture and share them with the people of Magadha that he
arranged his own death. Then, on his deathbed, he vowed to be reincarnated
as a Roman.
This indeed took place. In his new life, the man grew up to join the
Roman guild of engineers. He even married the daughter of the Master
Robot-Maker, and had a son by her.
Once he learned the secrets of the Bhoota Vahana Yanta, the man resolved
to transfer the information back to Pataliputra. But he was well
aware that now, since he was a member of the guild, he would be killed as
soon as he left. So he cut a gash in his thigh, inserted the plans in his flesh,
and sewed the wound back up.

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The Book Bazaar - Coming Nov. 12th, 2025! @the-book-bazaar.com · 7d

Welcome to #TBBChat. I’m Madeleine (@monstersandmaidens.bsky.social), author of Graft and Honeycomb Heart, & this week’s host. Let’s start: Tell us about yourself, and meet others!

Quote post & use the tag #TBBChat so others can find you.

Save self-promo for the outro.

#BookBazaar25

Faux neon graphic that has a border in neon purple and reads “TBB Writer’s Chat” in neon purple. White text reads “Introduce Yourself!” followed by “#TBBChat” in neon purple.

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Peter Griffin @zigzackly.bsky.social · 21d

The city’s longest-running open mic. Free for both audience and performers.

I’m hosting tomorrow.

Registration starts on the spot at around 6:45: show up and put your name on the board. The first 20 people are guaranteed a slot.

Event starts 7:00 p.m. . Come! Bring friends. Tell others.

#BomSky

Caferati @caferati.bsky.social · Nov 18

Since 2008, we have been hosting an open mic at Prithvi Theatre Café.
We welcome poets, storytellers, singer-songwriters, comedians.
Fourth Monday of every month, 7 p.m.
#Bombay #Bambai #Mumbai

Caferati @ Prithvi. The city’s longest-running open mic.
Bring your poetry, fiction, narrative non-fiction, lyrics, comedy. You get two minutes at the microphone, and if the crowd likes you, a Suleimani Chai.

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Caferati @caferati.bsky.social · Aug 24

At Prithvi Theatre Café on Monday. @zigzackly.bsky.social is hosting this month.
Come, bring friends. Spread the word

The longest-running #OpenMic in the #MMR.
#Bombay #Mumbai #Bambai #Poetry #Storytelling #Songs #Stand-upComedy

Caferati @caferati.bsky.social · Nov 18

Since 2008, we have been hosting an open mic at Prithvi Theatre Café.
We welcome poets, storytellers, singer-songwriters, comedians.
Fourth Monday of every month, 7 p.m.
#Bombay #Bambai #Mumbai

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Peter Griffin @zigzackly.bsky.social · Jul 27

I’m hosting this session.
Come if you’re in the area and have the time?

(Like all open mics, quality is a matter of luck on the day, but Prithvi is a vibe on its own.)

Caferati @caferati.bsky.social · Nov 18

Since 2008, we have been hosting an open mic at Prithvi Theatre Café.
We welcome poets, storytellers, singer-songwriters, comedians.
Fourth Monday of every month, 7 p.m.
#Bombay #Bambai #Mumbai

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Blaft Publications @blaft.bsky.social · Jun 29

So far Kickstarter backers of @matratype.bsky.social's INDIA STREET LETTERING book project have donated 24 copies of the book to the Free Libraries Network!

Available as an Add-On when you pledge your support!

www.kickstarter.com/projects/bla...

Free Libraries Network - India & South Asia

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Peter Griffin @zigzackly.bsky.social · Jun 22

Sent out a substantial bunch of writing opportunities this weekend. Catch them all at:

groups.google.com/group/Cafera...

t.me/CaferatiList...

whatsapp.com/channel/0029...

And you can share opportunities you know about via this form: bit.ly/caf-listings...

@caferati.bsky.social

Caferati Listings

The essentials. Caferati Listings carries opportunities for writers — calls for entries and submissions to contests and anthologies...

zigzackly.blogspot.com

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Sharanya Manivannan @sharanyamanivannan.bsky.social · Jun 18

I recall being floored by a prose poem called "Husband" many years ago, and I want to read it again. It was by an Asian-American writer, possibly queer. Can you help me find it, please?

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Poetry in Parks @poetryinparks.bsky.social · Apr 22

Listen to me as one listens to the rain,
not attentive, not distracted,
light footsteps, thin drizzle,
water that is air, air that is time,
the day is still leaving,
the night has yet to arrive,

As One Listens to the Rain, by Octavio Paz. Read by Jincy Varghese.

As One Listens to the Rain, by Octavio Paz

YouTube video by Poetry in Parks

youtu.be

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Poetry in Parks @poetryinparks.bsky.social · Apr 22

Treat a poem like dirt,
humus rich and heavy from the garden.
Later on it will become the fat tomatoes
and golden squash piled high upon your kitchen table

How to Read a Poem: Beginner's Manual, by Pamela Spiro Wagner. Read by Neha Kudchadkar.

How to Read a Poem: Beginner's Manual, by Pamela Spiro Wagner

YouTube video by Poetry in Parks

youtu.be

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The Goa Project @thegoaproject.bsky.social · Jun 4

Next in our open platform showcase series: an open mic for amateur stand-up comedians. The best submissions get a feedback and tips session with an expert mentor, Aditi Mittal, before they take their turn at the mic.
Read all about it: thegoaproject.wordpress.com/2025/06/02/l...

On a yellow background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side.
On top, in a yellow rectangle: Showcase
Below, the headline: Laugh lines
Below, a subhead: An open mic for comedy
Next, the session date: 29 June
Next, a circular window, which frames a picture of a microphone, and besides it, a name: You
And below that, a descriptor: An amateur stand-up comic
Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image.
In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

On a yellow background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side.
On top, in a yellow rectangle: Showcase
Below, the headline: L.O.L.
Below, a subhead: Lots Of Learning: a comedy workshop
Next, the session date: 16–17 June
Next, a circular window, framing a portrait of the presenter, and a name: Aditi Mittal
And below that, a descriptor: Comedian, actor, writer, teacher
Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image.
In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

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Poetry in Parks @poetryinparks.bsky.social · Apr 26

We are the same, this land and I -
Wilfully ignorant of being at the risk
of being burnt down by an inferno of logged water.

~ A bildungsroman by @chamelea.bsky.social

#poetryinparks #poem

youtu.be/wv694kGqHxE

A bildungsroman, by Rituja Patil

YouTube video by Poetry in Parks

youtu.be

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Poetry in Parks @poetryinparks.bsky.social · May 7

It’s business as usual as the trees fall
The roofs cave in and the sewers burst.
Take no notice, you in your towers
Where the light gentles all storms.

~ First Deluge Of The Season, by Sampurna Chattarji

(read by @mumbaipaused.bsky.social)

#poetryinparks #poem #pausaala #powergela

First Deluge Of The Season, by Sampurna Chattarji

YouTube video by Poetry in Parks

youtu.be

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Poetry in Parks @poetryinparks.bsky.social · May 10

After every war
someone has to clean up.
Things won’t
straighten themselves up, after all.

Someone has to push the rubble
to the side of the road,
so the corpse-filled wagons
can pass.

~The End and the Beginning
Wislawa Szymborska (translated by Joanna Trzeciak)

Read by Anu

#poetryinparks #poem

The End and the Beginning, by Wislawa Szymborska

YouTube video by Poetry in Parks

youtu.be

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Poetry in Parks @poetryinparks.bsky.social · May 15

The drone’s buzzing sound,
the roar of an F-16,
the screams of bombs falling on houses,
on fields, and on bodies,
of rockets flying away—
rid my small ear canal of them all.

~ Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear, by @mosababutoha.bsky.social

read by Deepti Khera.

#PoetryforPalestine #NakbaDay

Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear, by Mosab Abu Toha

YouTube video by Poetry in Parks

youtu.be

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Poetry in Parks @poetryinparks.bsky.social · May 17

Imagine our streets full of women, talking, strolling, laughing and gesticulating. Visualise parks and beaches dotted with young women sitting alone. Imagine street corners taken over by old women reflecting on the state of the world.

~ from @whyloiter.bsky.social read by Sukrity G

#poetryinparks

[Extract from Why Loiter], by Shilpa Phadke, Sameera Khan, Shilpa Ranade

YouTube video by Poetry in Parks

youtu.be

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Poetry in Parks @poetryinparks.bsky.social · May 17

Yet, God, I want to talk to everybody I can as deeply as I can. I want to be able to sleep in an open field, to travel west, to walk freely at night...

~ from the journals of Sylvia Plath

read by Garima S.

#poetryinparks

[Extract from The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath]

YouTube video by Poetry in Parks

youtu.be

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Haymarket Books @haymarketbooks.org · May 6

Heaven Looks Like Us: An Evening of Palestinian Poetry 🇵🇸

Join @intifadabatata.bsky.social, @noorhindi.bsky.social, and contributors to the new Palestinian poetry anthology Heaven Looks Like Us for a virtual reading in commemoration of Nakba Day.

RSVP to join:
www.tickettailor.com/events/hayma...

Heaven Looks Like Us: An Evening of Palestinian Poetry
Virtual Launch Event
Thursday, May 15
5:00 pm CT

Rasha A.
LDA A
Dina Abdulhadi
Leena Aboutaleb
George abraham
Rimona Afana
Fadia Antabli
Summer Awad
Asmaa’ Azaizeh
Farah Barqawi
Sarona Bedwan
Carolina Ebeid
Olivia Elias
Summer Farah
Layla Azmi Goushey
Maen Hammad
noor hindi
Lenna Jawdat
Emily Khilfeh
N Mankinem
Angie Mazakis
Hajer Mirwali
Sara Saleh
Hind Shoufani
Jen Siraganian
Rewa Zeinati
Omar Zahzah

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Caferati @caferati.bsky.social · Apr 27

Monday, 28th.
Come.
Register on the spot.

Caferati @caferati.bsky.social · Nov 18

Since 2008, we have been hosting an open mic at Prithvi Theatre Café.
We welcome poets, storytellers, singer-songwriters, comedians.
Fourth Monday of every month, 7 p.m.
#Bombay #Bambai #Mumbai

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Peter Griffin @zigzackly.bsky.social · Apr 23

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Peter Griffin @zigzackly.bsky.social · Apr 23

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Caferati @caferati.bsky.social · Apr 23

#WorldBookDay

Quote this post with a picture of the book you are #NowReading.

Caferati @caferati.bsky.social · Apr 23

#WorldBookDay

Quote this post with a picture of the last book you bought.