SWRT 309 | Immigrant Stories & Historical Events – Fiction with Grishma Shah

November 7, 2024

Join us for an insightful episode of Story Works Round Table as we welcome Grishma Shah. Grishma shares the journey of crafting her novel, Anagram Destiny. Inspired by her upbringing as the daughter of Indian immigrants and her expertise in culture and globalization, it’s a reverse immigration story that explores the Indian American dream, cultural shifts, and the power of storytelling. Discover how personal experiences and historical events like 9/11 shape her narrative, and why fiction can resonate deeper than nonfiction. Don’t miss this compelling conversation about identity, home, and the universal themes of love and loss.

Author Paulette Stout talks about writing with the senses.

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I was inspired to write an Anagram Destiny not only as a daughter of Indian immigrants who spent part of her childhood growing up in motels, but also as an expert on globalization and culture. After decades as an academic—publishing, researching, teaching and traveling, I have learned that nothing educates, enlightens, informs or propels us forward like a good story. My students rarely remember the numbers, graphs or data, but they do perk up and recall the colorful, rich stories I tell them to bring the knowledge to life. Consequently, in an effort to make a deeper impact and pursue a lifelong passion, I have been moonlighting as a storyteller.

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SHOW NOTES

What we talked about:

Grishma tells us about Anagram Destiny. (3:52)

How did she lead into her career? (6:20)

Has she always wanted to write fiction? (9:50)

Is there more books in Grishma’s future? (16:33)

What is the theme of Anagram Destiny? (19:13)

Was she aware of the themes already in existence? And did she want to avoid them? (25:20)

Writing from personal experience. (29:32)

Including major world events into your stories. (33:15)

It’s a human story – the importance of spanning decades in Anagram Destiny. (40:40)

The Indian Diaspora in Africa and the theme of Home. (43:40)

Basing part of the book off of her history, and her cultural history, how did Grishma approach the actual writing? (49:45)

What else should we know about Anagram Destiny? (55:21)

LINKS

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About Your Hosts

Alida Winternheimer is an award-winning author with an MFA in writing from Hamline University. She pursues her fervor for all things story as a writing coach, developmental editor, and teacher. Two of her short stories were nominated for the Pushcart Prize. She is the author of The Story Works Guide to Writing Fiction Series. Alida lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her Golden Retriever, Seva the Wonder Dog. She camps, bikes, and kayaks in her free time. Unless it’s winter, in which case she drinks chai by the fire. You can find more at www.alidawinternheimer.com.

Kathryn Arnold writes fantasy and anything else that sparks her creativity from her home in Kingston, Washington. She currently earns her living as an insurance underwriting assistant, where she also creates marketing and web copy. When not writing, she plays (and teaches) piano and keyboard in a band (or two), and is working on starting a ministry team with her husband. You can find Kathryn at www.skyfirewords.com.

Robert Scanlon was born in Australia, but whisked off to England when only a baby. After many years complaining about the weather, he did the sensible thing and moved back to Australia. Despite a career in the music industry, followed by decades teaching public speaking, Robert is an introvert who adores reading. Robert grew up on a diet of sci-fi masters, eventually discovering he had read the library’s entire science fiction section. Now he has to write his own. Robert is the author of Constellation, book one of the Blood Empire space opera series. Find out more at www.RobertScanlon.com

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