S. Rupsha Mitra: Love and Culture in the Smoked Frames

S. Rupsha Mitra from Kolkata, India is an undergraduate Honours student deeply interested in works of spirituality and transcendence. Her favourite writer is Rabindranath Tagore. She loves to learn and write about culture and often experiments with translations and poetry. Her works have been published in London Reader, Mermaids Monthly, Pif Magazine, Birmingham Arts Journal, Muse India, Indian Literature (Sahitya Akademi), Science for the People Magazine, Brown Girl Magazine, The Kali Anthology - Poems by Indian Women Poets, North Dakota Quarterly, Ekstasis Magazine by Christianity Today and South Seattle Emerald. Her work has received honour in the National Lockdown Poetry contest for women held by eShe magazine. She is the winner of the BLACC Poetry Contest. She is a columnist for the magazine, Houghton and Mackay.

Tell us a bit about your latest work.

My latest work is the book, Smoked Frames. It is very close to my heart and it deals with concepts of love, identity, Indian culture and spirituality. The book can be bought from the bookshop of JLRB Press or amazon.com.

What are the themes and subjects you tend to revisit in your work?

Different memories associated with love and school life are subjects that I tend to revisit in my work. I feel I am inclined towards writing on psychological concepts in my work. 

What happened in your life that prompted you to become a writer? 

I don't remember any specific event that happened that prompted me to become a writer but I always wanted to become a writer and have a book published as a child. 

What inspires you to write? 

My grandmother is my greatest inspiration. The passion for poetry and the constant support of my near and dear ones inspire me to write. 

What would be your dream project?

My dream project would be a collaborative art project on dance and poetry. 

If you have any former project to do over to make it better, which one would it be, and what would you do?

I would want to self-edit the poems of my chapbook, Soul God.  

What writers have influenced your style and technique?

Obviously, Tagore is the biggest influence in my writing. 

Where would you rank writing on the "Is it an art or it is a science continuum?" Why?

I would answer this as it is as much art as it is science. This is because it requires both emotion and logic. 

What is the most difficult part of your artistic process? 

To overcome laziness and start afresh when I am unhappy with a project and I want to improve on it. 

How do your writer friends help you become a better writer? Or do they not? 

They are helpful, inspiring, and always encourage me. 

What does literary success look like to you? 

Excellence at its peak. 

Any other upcoming projects you would like to plug?  

I have a psychology-based poetry zin,e forthcoming from Endangered Art Books. 

For more information, visit: 

www.srupshapoetry.com