Sneha Subramanian Kanta, whose poem ‘Stop Grieving’ is published in the second issue of Lucent Dreaming, is the founding editor of Parentheses Journal and the winner of the Uncommon Chapbook Series from Boston Accent Lit. She is the author of Synecdoche (The Poetry Annals, England) and Prosopopoeia (Ghost City Press, USA).
‘Stop Grieving’ was conceived with myriad algorithms. The poem was created in a café, which is a rarity for my artistic practice. It was early dusk in spring. There is a quality to autumn that remains in the inner-recesses of my mind. The poem was conceptualised out of both; a self-care route for mental health, and was written at a time I spent in recuperation, with calm. The poem juxtaposes the peace I derive from meditations upon our natural world and the environment, with a longing for autumn.
While reading archives of previous publications from Wales, I read of the call for submissions for Lucent Dreaming. I found resonance with Lucent Dreaming and the aesthetic in which the publication operates, and decided to send ‘Stop Grieving’ to the editorial team. I admire the commitment to diversity and inclusivity of the publication.
As writers yourselves, I’m sure you understand the intriguing relationship that writing has with life. I have been writing poems ever since I learned how to hold a pencil. The meaning of writing and its role in my life has changed throughout the years. Writing remains a constant in the sense of addressing the immediacies of a given circumstance, and the strength in having written down something that may, I daresay, offer value to somebody at a given juncture.
I’m currently in the process of working with Sarah O’Brien, the Editor-in-chief of Boston Accent Lit for my chapbook titled Home is Hyperbole. The chapbook won the Boston Uncommon Chapbook Series.
I recently received news that my next chapbook is longlisted for a poetry prize in India. The organisation is based in Bengal and is conducted in association with Alliance Française du Bengale. The news is sinking in and I’m ecstatic.
I’m also excited with the poetry publications sent to Parentheses Journal for review. The process of reviewing a book to me embodies a sense of tranquility, the by-products being clarity and the varied ways of looking. I look forward to spending some time with close-reading the books of poetry sent for review, to be published in Parentheses Journal in the oncoming months.
I would say that writing primarily arrives to me as an intuition. As Emily Dickinson observed, “If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. These are the only ways I know it. Is there any other way?”
I suppose there are what one may refer to as “chains of doing” in my life. I’m not introverted, but a loner, and I’m happy with the independence that gives me to go through life. Having mentioned that, I absolutely value the role of community in my life, and I’m thankful to the several people with whom I share the bond of kindness. I aim to build a strong sense of community with outreach programs, and foster mindfulness in our society. I relish and learn of life through mountaineering, which is something I have been engaging with for the past six years. As poetry, mountaineering builds a sense of bewilderment and wonder, both of which are significantly vital to me. I’m also an academician and my major area of research interest is postcolonial literature in the Indian subcontinent. Apart from all of these, I run a patisserie with my husband as I love feeding people and engaging with the culinary.
I am constantly trying to learn new things. I make time for embarking upon new adventures and journeys. My only piece of advice would be to practice kindness and inner-peace at once. The two are not mutually exclusive. It is indispensable to exude kindness, and mindfulness will follow.
You may read some recent poems here, here and here. Apart from that, we do post new work by our editors on the Twitter and Instagram handle of Parentheses Journal.
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