‘Appetite: New Writings from Goa’, a literary anthology by the Goa Writers group is all set to launch at the Goa Arts and Literature Festival on February 14. The book editors Shivranjana Rathore and Tino de Sa tell NT BUZZ how it all come together
CHRISTINE MACHADO | NT BUZZ
Goa. A three letter word that elicits a multitude of emotions. Anyone who has ties with it, whether they have grown up here, have chosen to move here, or return to its embrace whenever they can, have their own stories of what this place means to them. And it is a collection of some of these many stories that make up the new anthology to emerge from the Goa Writers group. Titled ‘Appetite: New Writings from Goa’, the read which consists of stories, poems, and essays, explores hunger in its many forms: for food, for intimacy, for belonging, for selfhood, for resistance.
This is not the first anthology to come out from this group of diverse writers. “The Goa Writers group has published three anthologies in the past. The one before this was called ‘Ways of Belonging’, published in 2024, by Goa 1556. The group effort and enthusiasm for bringing that anthology out were infectious, and we wanted to do it again,” says writer and retired IAS officer Tino de Sa, who together with writer and artist Shivranjana Rathore has edited this book.
De Sa states that soon after the publication of the earlier book, the group brainstormed, and the idea of writing something on the various manifestations of ‘appetite’ caught the enthusiasm of members.
“Quite frankly, while I have edited college magazines and the like, I had never edited an anthology of eminent writers. But it seemed an exciting proposition to venture on, and so I volunteered, and, happily for me, the group accepted,” he shares.
Rathore meanwhile reveals that she has long been a participant and an occasional initiator of collaborative spaces and rooms of creatives coming together for a shared project or co-working on solo projects. “The exchange, back-and-forth, and constructive critique are an enriching part of the process of making work. It was my love of enabling and co-building that drew me to offer to take on the responsibility of an editor,” she says.
Right at the outset the editors made a decision to accept only previously unpublished writing. “We also decided that while fiction and poetry could be free-ranging, non-fiction had to have a ‘Goa connection’,” says de Sa.
But the process of assembling the book involved learning when to push and when to step back, the editors states.
“No two writers are the same in the way they work. I think a lot of editing this book, and really, any work, is founded in solid listening skills. You have to step away from your own narrative to read and receive what the writer is saying and share feedback from that place of wanting to understand and hear, instead of superimposing and correcting,” explains Rathore. “It’s only once you have understood what is being said that you bring in the critical narrative, structure-focused, and technical parts of the skill to the page.”
The editing process thus involved a considerable amount of back-and-forth, and sometimes, says de Sa, even stepping on toes. But the reward, he says, was worth it. “Interacting with the authors of pieces from the perspective of an editor allowed me a deeper understanding of the range and complexity of the creative process as it lives in the mind of a writer,” he says. “I am Goan by heritage – but reading these superb contributions, I realised that one doesn’t have to be born in Goa or in a Goan family to be Goan. Goa Writers is called what it is (and not Goan Writers) for a reason. This brilliant collection vindicates this belief.”
For Rathore meanwhile, whose work delves into trying to understand the many ways in which Goa suffers from placemaking and commodification, working on this book was a valuable learning. “In the noise of the image of Goa, through this anthology (and my lived experiences), I sat at the other end of the spectrum of this investigation through the intimate, private, personal, and lived stories that the writers have shared with us,” she says.
The book which will have its formal release at the 14th edition of the Goa Arts and Literature Festival has been published by Penguin Random House India
“As a group, we deeply value regional publishing and remain grateful to the publishers who have supported our work and our community over the years. But when discussions around this anthology began, many contributors expressed curiosity about what it might mean to take this collective project to a national stage,” shares Rathore. From the outset, she states, the group remained clear that any such attempt would only be meaningful if the work remained firmly grounded in the individual and collective voices, without trying to smooth themselves into something more ‘mainstream’. “We were very aware that a national publication was far from guaranteed, but we felt it was worth trying, and were fortunate to have the anthology taken on by Penguin,” she says.
And in an age where it is becoming increasing difficult to fully know and experience the complexities of places which are often reduced to commodities, Rathore hopes that the writings in this book allows readers to encounter a part of Goa outside of that commodification. “I hope the book gently interrupts existing narratives of Goa for the reader, making space for curiosity to take root, enabling the reader to meet Goa and Goa’s people where they are, beyond the construct,” she says.
De Sa adds that he hopes that readers appreciate it for what it is. “It does not purport to offer a single, coherent, composite view of Goa, reflecting it in all its aspects,” he says. “Rather, this anthology is a collection by writers rooted in Goa, but writing of their experiences, their perspectives, for a national, even an international audience. I hope that readers enjoy it.”
