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SHREYA ILA ANASUYA
writer of strange fiction
ABOUT ME
I am a writer from Calcutta, India. I write fiction across genres, including and especially fantasy and horror. My work explores – among other things – history, the supernatural, gender, the body, grief, liminal spaces, music and the senses, as well as cultural memory. I am currently a PhD candidate at Kings College London. In other avatars and lives, I have worked as a researcher, editor, journalist, teacher, and performance artist. I am bonded, in this life and beyond, to my baby – a calico cat named Begum.
NEWS
THE INVENTION OF UMRAO
Locating the Fabled Lucknow Courtesan in History
An essay in which I delve into literature, cinema and women’s performance history to understand the fictional courtesan Umrao Jaan, one of the most enduring heroines in the South Asian imagination. Out with Westland Books now!
HONOURS
OTHERWISE FELLOWSHIP
2020
SANGAM HOUSE RESIDENCY
2019
TOTO AWARD FOR CREATIVE WRITING
2019
UNFPA/POPULATION FIRST LAADLI MEDIA AWARDS
2015-2017
“A poetic dance across the dividing line of urbanity and wilderness, unearthing a feral magic hiding just out of sight of the mundane.”
Indra Das, author of The Devourers
OTHER LIVES
Essays, Reportage, Editing, and More
RESEARCH
I have worked with organisations such as Quicksand, the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, and the Centre for Internet and Society as a researcher. My outputs have included reports and narrative essays on gender and surveillance, the intersections between reproductive rights and disability justice, and more.
SKIN STORIES
An award-winning digital publication – and an anthology of essays – about disability and chronic illness, which I edited for Point of View.
WOMEN PERFORMERS
A dilruba, in Urdu, is a woman who steals hearts. Dastaan-e-dilrubai is my series for Firstpost about women performers from South Asian history.
REPORTAGE
Writing, research and journalism on history/politics, gender/sexuality, and technology/society. Widely published in India and beyond.
PERFORMANCE
'Gul' was adapted for the stage – with live music by Vidhya Gopal and kathak dance by Shinjita Roy, and dramaturgy/direction by Lopamudra Chatterjee. I narrated. We performed it across five cities in India.
TEACHING AND SPEAKING
I have taught and spoken at a number of universities and festivals, including KC College, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Ashoka University, SNDT Women's University, and for organisations such as Oxfam. I teach workshops on creative writing and editing.
"... (a) tenderly told tale of love and yearning which is one of the highlights of this anthology."