DIDIHOOD ~ Issue 34

Welcome to our final newsletter of 2020! It's been a wild year and to end things off we wanted to do something special for our followers! Head over to our Instagram today for #DidihoodGiveaway where we're giving away gifts for the next 12 days from South Asian creatives and their businesses!


Meet The Didi: 

This month we spoke to author Natasha Ramoutar. 

Natasha is an Indo-Guyanese writer by way of Scarborough (Ganatsekwyagon) on the east side of Toronto. She has been published in The Unpublished City II, PRISM International, Room Magazine, Living Hyphen and more. She is the social media assistant at the Festival of Literary Diversity and the Fiction Editor of FEEL WAYS, an anthology of Scarborough writing. Bittersweet is her first book of poetry, published this year by Mawenzi House.

You've worked as a journalist and a creative writer, where did this passion stem from?

Even as a young child, I was always drawn to storytelling. There was something really magical about the power of words and the way they could shape the stories we encounter. As a reader, I saw fairytales and folklore reimagined and reinterpreted in so many different ways.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become interested in the ethics of storytelling and representation. Within journalism, there’s a very special care that needs to exist between a writer and their sources. I like to think of my sources as collaborators because they’re entrusting me with their words, and there’s an obligation to ensure their stories are represented accurately and ethically.

You're Indo-Guyanese and Canadian, how has this shaped you, especially as a woman of colour working in creative industries?

Being a woman of colour working in creative industries has made me even more passionate about representation because I can see how far we still have to go. I do see tangible change happening within the publishing and journalism industries I’m a part of, but I‘ve also had my share of challenges. For example, there have been times when I have suggested changes to make a project more inclusive, only to be shut down by a superior. The reality of contract work also poses a challenge in being vocal about these issues because we can be branded as “difficult to work with.”

I think of the Didihood as one of the many organizations working to change this across so many industries. I was really lucky to take part in the first round of the mentorship program. My mentor Shetu Modi was so incredibly knowledgeable about the industry and also just wonderful to talk with and get to know.

Outside of the creative industries, I’m very grateful to know and partner with many other creatives on the margins for community projects. For example, I am co-editing an anthology of Scarborough literature with fellow writers Adrian De Leon and Téa Mutonji. 

Your poetry book, Bittersweet, was released this past September, can you tell us about it?  

My poetry collection Bittersweet is an exploration into a disrupted Indo-Caribbean lineage. The narrator of these poems uses different touch points like language and folklore to collage together a homeland. While writing this collection, I was interested in the process of reimagining a homeland while in the diaspora when documents and historical archives aren't always available. Bittersweet works in a dream space as the narrator attempts to construct stories and timelines.

I am primarily a fiction and non-fiction writer, so the fact that my first book is a collection of poetry was a big surprise to my friends and I! Sometimes you have to trust the form that your writing takes, even if it’s not what you expect or are used to. I had the support of my poetry mentor Sheniz Janmohamed during the editing process which helped the project come together.

What advice do you have for younger Didis who want to do what you're doing? 

There are two pieces of advice I would give to Didis who want to do what I’m doing. 

First is that you should write what makes you happy. There’s a lot of pressure to fit a certain style or write on a certain topic, but that can often take the fun out of writing. You don’t have to be passionate about every single piece you write, but making space for the writing you love to do helps ensure that you keep stoking that creative fire. I like to think of it as returning to the reason why I write.

The second piece of advice is not to get discouraged. Writing is a lot of rejection when you’re starting out. During my early days, my pitches went unanswered and my work was consistently rejected from literary magazines. That doesn’t mean your writing or your ideas aren’t good — it just means that it wasn’t a good fit at the time. Over time, you’ll build relationships with editors and learn which outlets are the right places to pitch your ideas, but it’s a process of trial and (often a lot of) error.

What we're doing:

Women Leaders of Tomorrow is hosting an online fundraiser for its GOAL (Girls of Afghanistan Lead) initiative on Dec. 10 on International Human Rights Day. The funds raised will be paid towards the daily cost of transportation for the Afghan women Judo athletes. More info here.

What we're reading:

These Punjabi Women Artists Are Supporting The Protesting Farmers

Burnt Roti Issue 3 looks at anti-blackness in South Asian communities. Pre order here 

Annual BIPOC Giving Guide by Navi Gill Wellness for some gift ideas for the holidays

See you in 2021! 

— Roohi Sahajpal

Issue 34
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