My year was off to an excellent start as I began working at Transitions Research, an organisation that works on field research to help the transition to a low-carbon, net-zero economy for India. This was precisely the kind of work I’d been searching for. I’m using my training as a cognitive scientist/behavioural economist to help design, implement, and assess field research and interventions in T.R.’s real-world urban living labs, and using my writing and editing skills to help create and disseminate reports intended for policymakers, fellow scientists, and the lay public.
I’ve got a couple of preliminary responses from literary agents for the short story collection I’ve been querying; need to follow up on those.
I experienced another depressive episode — linked, as usual, to loss of faith in my writing, and precipitated also by lack of variety, novelty, and community; also by a sudden change in the weather — it’s only January and already worryingly hot. Got stuck on my writing and felt terrible. Went out and met a few people and now I’m getting back on track.
Resumed playing music after two decades. Excited about that. It’s just my old Casio, and all I’m doing is picking up a few tunes — by ear, since the LED display is broken, and I won’t have it fixed, the better to get myself to *listen*. I love music and I love engaging with it in any tiny way.
This month I began reading the Oxford Book of American Short Stories (ed. Joyce Carol Oates, 1992) and The Golden Treasury (ed. Francis Turner Palgrave, 1861). Both tomes; I’m about halfway through both. Some writers I’ve read for the first time and will read more of: Willa Cather, Sarah Orne Jewett, Saul Bellow, William Carlos Williams (never read his short fiction — the story here, “The Girl with a Pimply Face,” is one of his doctor-themed short stories), Langston Hughes (ditto — had only read some of his poetry, years ago), Melville, Kate Chopin, Mary Wilkins Freeman, Sherwood Anderson, Katherine Anne Porter, Flannery O’Connor, Saul Bellow, and John Cheever. Yes, my ignorance of modern and contemporary writing amazes me, too.
Didn’t get much writing done at all.
My microstory “Hiccup” is out in Scribes Micro Issue #37.
I’ve joined the staff of The Metaworker as a slush reader (all genres). Had an interview and a briefing meeting; I’ve got started on my reading. Excited about this. This month I also resigned, due to time constraints, and with gratitude and fond memories, my positions (as submissions reader and Review Board member) at Bewildering Stories.
January was a sluggish month, overall. Look forward to a better February.
Amita Basu 
2 replies on “Monthly Review: Jan 2024”
Hi Amita,
If you are the same amita who had posted an article “do nothing, be creative” in the hindu edition (chennai)..wrote an email about it but it just bounced back and hit me hard…so if you feel its important to read what i wrote, please send a test mail to 97.adityapurohit on gmail. Thanks đŸ™‚
LikeLike
Yes, that was me. That email ID was deactivated, since I quit Christ last summer. Thank you for your kind words!
LikeLike