Why do I prefer silence? Because I know when my words are noise to you, my opinion is unwelcome, and your mind is already made up. Silence isn’t surrender. Sometimes, it’s simply knowing when you’re not being heard.

What if assessment doesn’t just measure learning—it shapes it? Assessment or Control? My new essay in Teacher Plus. Read it here: teacherplus.org/2026/2026/au...

Somewhere between “I want to be a writer” and “I am a writer” is a messy collection of drafts, rejections, publications, deadlines, small victories and one very unexpected honorarium. And perhaps that’s how the identity quietly becomes real.

Weak writers envy another writer’s growth. Strong writers study it. Envy says, “Why them?” Craft asks, “How?”

A generation fluent in trends, vocabulary and ideology. And then students who somehow missed the memo. Who has the edge? Maybe the ones who can survive without the algorithm telling them how to think. Just a thought…

In this twisted world, should I teach my daughter to be a badass, not the “be nice” girl my mother raised me to be? Maybe kindness needs teeth.

Writing goals? Sometimes experience trades speed for depth, and that’s not necessarily a loss.

Writing goals? Sometimes experience trades speed for depth, and that’s not necessarily a loss.

The best books don’t just get read—they get underlined, questioned, celebrated, and remembered.

Your reading streak doesn’t matter. Your reading metrics don’t matter. The pleasure of reading was never meant to be measured. Read slow. Read completely. Let books linger. #Reading #Books #Readers #BookCulture #Writing

Every writer who shares a story is doing something brave. They’re trusting that somewhere, someone they’ve never met will find a piece of themselves in those pages. That’s one of the quiet miracles of literature. #WritingCommunity #Books #AmWriting

Every writer who shares a story is doing something brave. They’re trusting that somewhere, someone they’ve never met will find a piece of themselves in those pages. That’s one of the quiet miracles of literature. #WritingCommunity #Books #AmWriting

The best design solves problems so naturally that it almost disappears. It’s encouraging to see attention paid to the small details that make public spaces genuinely usable.

Behind every book is a writer who kept going despite uncertainty. Supporting books means supporting that courage.

One of the quiet paradoxes of reading: the better the book, the sadder you are to reach the last page.

Every short story waits for the reader it’s meant to find. Today, Code White found its first. I’m delighted to share that it’s now published in the June 2026 issue of Parcham Online. parchamonline.in/2026/07/01/f... #WritingCommunity #ShortStory #AmWriting

Fiction: June 2026

Issue Editorial by Dr. Sonali PattnaikCode White by Manisha PundirThe many-taled monster and the Traveller by bhaqtiWaiting for Anything by Sis ByersBreaking Barriers: Traversing the Road Less Take…

parchamonline.in

The secret is that every book looks impossibly elegant when you’re reading the finished version and impossibly chaotic when you’re writing it.

Every artist makes work they’re unhappy with. The trick is treating it as information for the next piece, not a verdict on yourself.

Misogyny isn’t confined to one political tradition. Recognizing it wherever it appears is part of taking equality seriously.

Today, one of my students asked, “Why did classic writers write such long sentences?” It reminded me that reading literature is also reading history. Every era has its own rhythm, its own pace, and its own way of thinking on the page.

One of the hardest things to learn as a writer is that asking for guidance doesn’t diminish your independence. It simply shortens the distance between where you are and where you want to be.

Every short story waits for the reader it’s meant to find. Today, Code White found its first. I’m delighted to share that it’s now published in the June 2026 issue of Parcham Online. parchamonline.in/2026/07/01/f... #WritingCommunity #ShortStory #AmWriting

Fiction: June 2026

Issue Editorial by Dr. Sonali PattnaikCode White by Manisha PundirThe many-taled monster and the Traveller by bhaqtiWaiting for Anything by Sis ByersBreaking Barriers: Traversing the Road Less Take…

parchamonline.in

My feminist agenda? Reading women. Quoting women. Becoming the kind of woman who gets quoted.

‘The journey is home.’

Lately I’ve found myself reading different contemporary authors and hearing almost the same voice. I’m genuinely curious, how does that happen? Shared influences? Editorial expectations? Market trends? Or is it simply the sound of our time?

If you’ve decided to pursue your dream and you are a woman, become your own strongest pillar. Appreciate those who support you, but never depend on others to carry your dream for you. Keep going.

There is something wonderfully liberating about choosing a book for no reason other than joy. Sometimes that’s reason enough.

There are days when life refuses to follow the script you imagined. You feel lost, defeated, and exhausted. Then you pick up a book or begin to write, and somehow, life feels possible again.

How do we keep moving in a linear path when the world is so wonderfully, and often painfully, curvy?

Some ideas are circulated. Some are curated. Some are originated. Many are rejected before finding where they belong. Different journeys, all equally meaningful.