Working with a large number of diverse, individual, secondary school students in Nottingham, UK, and the rhythms and words that speak to them, Shreya guided the youngsters in creating striking lyrics about their everyday and yet very important worlds.
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…And gets glowing feedback from a very happy college! They want her back to speak to their students and so does the highly rated Bilborough College. But she has a book to finish writing for Penguin, so will engage with students again, which she finds very rewarding, in the new school year. Watch this space for more news about Shreya’s speaking engagements.
There are hundreds of entries already in, and if you are interested in participating, there are a few days left before the deadline! Please click here for the details and what Shreya as Head Judge hopes to find in the stories sent in, as well as about her long and varied writing career in an interview taken by New Writers UK
Photo and caption by Olivia Rose Barns, Shreya is holding her collection of short stories, ‘Strange’ (aka. ‘Strange:Stories’), published by HarperCollins in 2019
Author, columnist and playwright Shreya Sen Handley hosts the second Beyond The Spectrum masterclass.
In the pandemic, Shreya discovered she was autistic. She’s written about it at the end of her third book, Times of India Best Nonfiction Book 2023 longlisted ‘Handle with Care’ (HarperCollins 2022), and her newspaper columns. Her play on the subject, ‘Quiet’, premiered at award-winning Tara Theatre in London, alongside new work by Hanif Kureishi, in 2021.
In this writing masterclass, Shreya explores how being Autistic gives her writing unique perspective and shares her best tips for aspiring novelists.
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First Story is Britain’s leading creative writing charity, and it works with a whole host of organisations, especially secondary schools, with a focus on those with fewer opportunities, to ignite a love for creative writing https://firststory.org.uk/
Its collaborating writers include well-known names such as Tracy Chevalier (‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’), one of their ambassadors, as well as Neil Gaiman, Elif Shafak, Michael Morpurgo, Ian Rankin, and more, contributing writers to their current campaign, a ‘Six Word Stories’ auction that will raise money to support disadvantaged young writers https://ww2.emma-live.com/FirstStory/?list_lots
Find out more about the wonderful work they do, the people they work with (including Queen Camilla, First Story Patron), and Shreya’s place within it here
“Especially loved the section you read on Sting. Your self effacing sense of humour couched in good writing always touches me!” said one viewer.
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Image: At the Auroville Literature Festival in Puducherry, India, organised by Auroville and Government of India’s Ministry of Culture, plus other well-known Indian cultural and literary organisations, standing beside the festival banner featuring Shreya (1st column, 3rd row) alongside other celebrated/award-winning authors.
Here are two of the articles in the media in the run-up to the festival, in The Hindu, India’s most trusted newspaper https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/auroville-literature-festival-to-kick-start-with-a-diverse-line-up-of-indian-and-international-authors/article67196717.ece
And in the popular New Indian Express, which praises Shreya as a ‘strong author’ but unfortunately mangles her name https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2023/aug/21/auroville-literature-festival-2023-exploring-the-worlds-within-words-2607151.html
Her works in the spotlight at this festival were the bestselling ‘Handle With Care’ (HarperCollins, 2022), longlisted in a select list of eight for Times of India’s AutHer Awards’ Best Nonfiction Book 2023, and Welsh National Opera’s epic production ‘Migrations’ which Shreya co-wrote, listed by both The Times and The Guardian in their best shows of 2022.
The inaugural Auroville Literature Festival, celebrating Indian freedom-fighter and philosopher Sri Aurobindo’s 150th birth anniversary, organised with the Government of India’s Ministry of Culture, has “some of the best international and Indian writers and poets” participating, including author and librettist Shreya Sen-Handley, who features on their festival poster, alongside Booker Prize winning and other accomplished company.
Her two sessions include conversations about her latest book, bestselling ‘Handle With Care’ (HarperCollins 2022), longlisted for Times of India’s AutHer Awards’ Best Nonfiction Book 2023, and the acclaimed opera she co-wrote for Welsh National National Opera, ‘Migrations’ (2022), listed by both The Times and The Guardian amongst their best shows of 2022, and a talk with award-winning Australian novelist Jennifer Down.
Writers/Librettists Shreya Sen Handley and Miles Chambers join director Sir David Pountney in discussing how Welsh National Opera’s vast production ‘Migrations’ took shape. From writing the six interweaving tales, to bringing these tales to the stage and telling a universal story through opera. Please click here for the full five-minute film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpJQmacH0Qk&t=86s
In the run-up to its premiere, They also spoke on BBC Radio and television about it, and to various other national and international media outlets
Photo credit Olivia Rose Barns at Bromley House Library Continue reading
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Photo credit for first image: Olivia Rose Barns
Shreya Sen-Handley 