About the Publisher

 

Saumya Choudhury founded the poetry organization Delhi Poetry Slam at the age of 17, brining and reinventing the trend of spoken word poetry in India, before running away to the small town of Santiniketan in West Bengal to dissect her own artistic inclinations. As a fun project in her time away from the urban civilization, she built a popular social networking website Poem Pajama for poets and writers. She lived in the homes of Santhali villagers, interacting closely with the children, families and community, and learning about their progressive work in composing Bawl music, sohrai mural art and building double storied mud-houses. 

Saumya became the first and only Indian to be invited to Washington D.C. (USA) as part of Gulen Institute's endeavour to honour emerging youth voices from across the world. Apart from the usual benefits of enjoying an all-expenses paid trip and the hospitality of diplomats, she was deeply inspired by the experience to develop ideas for creating a residency for thinkers and artists within her home country. This birthed the Slam India Retreats which have taken place in twice in Jaipur and once in Goa, serving as a home for collaborations, friendships and belonging. Financing the project with her own savings, she flew Caribbean-Canadian poet Jamaal Jackson Rogers down to India on several occasions to mentor new voices. 

She has been a featured performer at leading universities like IIT Delhi, BITS Pilani and MICA Ahmedabad, and venues such as American Embassy, Bikaner House, Korean Cultural Center and Siri Fort Auditorium. Her writing has appeared in mostly offbeat publications such as 63 Channels, O Heraldo, Shakthi Daily and The Hindu. 

Saumya is a passionate writer and reader of poetry, and uses her extensive experience across the fields of editing, design and publicity to represent new authors at Delhi Poetry Slam.