Aditi Rao

Aditi’s workshops gave me the most essential ingredient to write with: the courage to use my own voice. I found self-belief in a community where everyone felt safe, heard and seen. And the teaching of craft was blended in so brilliantly, sometimes I would look down at my notebook and think, oh, I just used all these metaphors, oh, I just created this quirky character! It really changed my life. I’ve grown braver, kinder and more attentive, my poems are getting published, I was long listed for the TOTO award, and even admitted to the MFA program at Sarah Lawrence in New York: all things I didn’t imagine were possible for me a year ago when I had completely lost my self-esteem and identity

The first fragments of my novel, The List, were crafted during Creative Writing classes I attended when I was a temporary resident in New Delhi during 2013 and 2014. The classes were led by Aditi Rao, a wonderful poet. She used to tell us that writing was a muscle to be exercised, and during the many exercises she would give us, I found myself crafting little bits of what would later go into this novel. My very warm appreciation to Aditi and to the other participants in the class for your insights and encouragement... I returned from India hungry to continue writing.

Aditi Rao’s weekly writing workshop changed my relationship with writing. Writing with her established for me something I hadn’t realised held true for me: I thrive in homes rather than classrooms, in community rather in isolation, in supportive environs rather than competitive ones. The smell of milky coffee and brownies still brings back memories of those afternoons where I first learned how important it is to have a community of writers.”

Since 2012, I have done four writing workshops and a writing retreat with Aditi, and they have meant different things at different points in my writing journey: from learning to attune myself to other people’s voices to gathering the courage to write my truth with tender fierceness. As a facilitator, Aditi allows your writerly voice to unfold at its own pace and tends to it with gentle care. Through her workshops, I got to grow not only as an individual but also found a community, where we became quite interested (and invested) in each other’s writing projects; some of my greatest friendships have also grown out of her workshops.

Aditi’s writing classes have really pushed me to experiment with my own writing, develop an insight into the craft, and most importantly, have fun. The classes work on multiple levels with carefully curated stages, and the bedrock of her sessions is the organic way in which she turns total strangers into a collaborative group by creating a safe, non-judgmental space that encourages mutual respect and uninhibited expression. Teaching with deep insight and passion, Aditi at once inspires and empowers each participant in her class to continue on their own unique writing journey.

I wanted to use writing as a way of working through memory and healing trauma, while also having concrete written outputs that could make their way into a book. Finding a writing mentor in Aditi, with an orientation towards writing as a means of healing, was an enabling experience. Her one on one sessions were very useful to me, both in breaking down an overwhelming amount of information into smaller workable parts and also in honing my writing craft.

I did 3 workshops with Aditi. In a row . I came to the 1st workshop as a petrified 53 year old. The oldest in the workshop. Experience at writing? Restricted to legal drafting. Aditi, turned out to be an exceptional mentor, creating a conducive learning environment, encouraging us to observe, write and share. Ever so gently. Thank you, Aditi, for making me shed my fears and getting me to write, finally. And share. To observe and be calm . To appreciate my surroundings. And in the process, improve my parenting skills. Your guidance, revived my love for books, which I started reading with renewed concentration, appreciation and focus. You will always be a very important part of my journey. cherished and remembered with love and respect.