The Alchemy of Writing | Jeet Thayil and Sheena Kalayil in conversation with Tishani Doshi @JLFInternational

Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago

Two writers, Jeet Thayil and Sheena Kalayil, reflect on the pervious realities of their craft. Poet and novelist Jeet Thayil provocatively dissolves the boundaries between the personal and the political with his unflinching prose. Sheena Kalayil, whose recent novel The Others was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2026, brings to her writing a quiet intensity, attentive to the intimacies of displacement, memory, and love. In conversation with Tishani Doshi, they uncover the secrets, compromises and liberties behind the act of writing.

In partnership with British Council

Jeet Thayil is the author of five novels and five poetry collections, and the editor of The Penguin Book of Indian Poets. His most recent poetry collection, I'll Have It Here, won the Sarojini Naidu Award and the Kalinga Literary Award. His latest novel is The Elsewhereans.

Sheena Kalayil is the author of four novels, including The Others, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. She grew up between Zambia and Kerala and has lived and worked in several countries, including Mozambique and Nepal. She holds a doctorate in sociolinguistics and is a lecturer at the University of Manchester.

Tishani Doshi writes poetry, fiction, and essays. Her fifth poetry collection, Egrets, While War, explores the body, violence, and renewal in fractured times. A former lead dancer with the Chandralekha company in Madras, she is the author of multiple award-winning and shortlisted books and serves as a visiting professor at NYU Abu Dhabi.

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#alchemy #writing #literature

$The Alchemy of Writing | Jeet Thayil and Sheena Kalayil in conversation with Tishani Doshi Two writers, Jeet Thayil and Sheena Kalayil, reflect on the pervious realities of their craft. Poet and novelist Jeet Thayil provocatively dissolves the boundaries between the personal and the political with his unflinching prose. Sheena Kalayil, whose recent novel The Others was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2026, brings to her writing a quiet intensity, attentive to the intimacies of displacement, memory, and love. In conversation with Tishani Doshi, they uncover the secrets, compromises and liberties behind the act of writing. In partnership with British Council Jeet Thayil is the author of five novels and five poetry collections, and the editor of The Penguin Book of Indian Poets. His most recent poetry collection, Ill Have It Here, won the Sarojini Naidu Award and the Kalinga Literary Award. His latest novel is The Elsewhereans. Sheena Kalayil is the author of four novels, including The Others, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. She grew up between Zambia and Kerala and has lived and worked in several countries, including Mozambique and Nepal. She holds a doctorate in sociolinguistics and is a lecturer at the University of Manchester. Tishani Doshi writes poetry, fiction, and essays. Her fifth poetry collection, Egrets, While War, explores the body, violence, and renewal in fractured times. A former lead dancer with the Chandralekha company in Madras, she is the author of multiple award-winning and shortlisted books and serves as a visiting professor at NYU Abu Dhabi. Follow us on – Website - https://jlflitfest.org/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JLFInternational/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@JLFInternational Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jlfinternational/ X - https://twitter.com/JLFLitfest #alchemy #writing #literature$

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