Writer — Sayantika Mandal

Sayantika Mandal (she/her) is an Indian writer. She completed her MFA at the University of San Francisco and is pursuing her PhD in English (Creative Writing) from the University of Georgia. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in Glassworks Magazine, Short, Vigorous Roots: A Contemporary Flash Fiction Collection of Migrant Voices, Indian Literature, and other publications. She is currently working on her first novel, and she loves exploring historical ruins.

SPOTLIGHT ON SAYANTIKA

Q: Tell us a bit about your essay in december: Where did it come from? What does it mean to you? 

A: This essay comes from a very special place: my mother. She was insistent on giving me all the opportunities that she missed, and one of them was going to an English-medium school. On the other hand, she also kept me grounded, and I believe this essay comes from there. My mother was elated to see this essay, but unfortunately, she suffered a stroke just a few days after publishing it, which has been debilitating for her. She is recovering slowly right now. 

Q: What’s a standout moment you remember from the process of working on this? Give us a window into the way this piece came to life.  

A: I wrote this for a nonfiction workshop during my MFA, and my professor Beth Nguyen was very positive and encouraging about it. She urged me to send it out, and that made me take this seriously. Later while revising it, the first paragraph just came as an inspiration. Interestingly, this essay was selected for another reputed journal but withdrawn when they had an editor reshuffle, which was heartbreaking for me. However, I believed in this piece and continued to submit it until it got its home in december.

Q: What do you think the importance of the lit mag is to literary culture at large?  

A: Phenomenal. . . december gave home to an essay I believed in. And that substantially raises my convictions of being a writer. Writing is tough, often haunted by rejections, and questioning myself, and getting published in decembercertainly builds my confidence. It is a big boost to this long journey. 

Q: What are you working on now?  

A: I am working on a novel tentatively titled Driftwood.

Q: What’s something you love to do or are passionate about outside of writing?  

A: Traveling, especially to historical places. Currently, I am in the UK, and exploring old abbeys, castles and museums.

Q: Where can people find out more about you?  

A: On Instagram at @sayantikafanciful