NEWS
Book Readings, Talks, Lectures, Presentations, Panels, Roundtables, Interviews, Engagements, News reports, Projects, New Releases, Mentions and more.
- Rajat Chaudhuri was a Key Reader at the Kokrajhar Literature Festival (2023)
- Rajat Chaudhuri offered a creative writing workshop organised by Centre for Language and Communication (CLC), NSHM Knowledge Campus, Kolkata (December 2022)
- Rajat Chaudhuri offered a creative writing workshop organised by Centre for Language and Communication (CLC), NSHM Knowledge Campus, Durgapur (December 2022)
- Rajat Chaudhuri spoke about climate fiction (cli-fi) and climate change activism in a conversation with students at the CLC Conversations, NSHM Knowledge Campus, Kolkata. (2022) (Video)
- Interviewed by Y-East for their `Kolkata Movers' initiative (Moving Kolkata Kolkata Moving project) to interview hundred individuals working for a safer, better, environment-friendly Kolkata.
- `Conversation with author' Rajat Chaudhuri with students of the English Department, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA) about his novel The Butterfly Effect. (31st October, 2022) where the book is part of the English syllabus.
- Member of story selection and editor's panel for the new Solarpunk Creatures anthology to be published by World Weaver Press (US). Call for submissions here.
- Guest editor for the inaugural issue of Kitaab Quarterly with the theme `Uncanny' to be published by Kitaab (Singapore). Call for submissions here.
- Multispecies Cities--Solarpunk Urban Futures anthology co-edited and introduced by Christoph Rupprecht, Deborah Cleland, Rajat Chaudhuri, Norie Tamura and Sarena Ulibarri is a finalist shortlisted for the Utopia Awards.
- Cli-fi writer interviews by Sonam Joshi in a feature on climate fiction in Times of India. (screenshot below)
- New research about Rajat Chaudhuri's novel `Hotel Calcutta' published: Palimpsestic Jungle/Jumble: Visceral Urbanism in Rajat Chaudhuri's Hotel Calcutta" by Subhadeep Paul, Chapter about Hotel Calcutta in 'The City Speaks: Urban Spaces in Indian Literature' Edited by Subashish Bhattacharjee and Goutam Karmakar, Routledge (India), Taylor and Francis (Germany). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003323761
- The climate fiction video game, Survive the Century, with fiction contributions by Rajat Chaudhuri and three other authors has been now published as a branching-narrative book. (May 2022)
- Offering a course on Creative Writing with LIILR and Bharati College (University of Delhi) (2022)
- Climate and literature talk, Miranda House College (Delhi University) - (April, 2022)
- Presenting a paper at a symposium on Science Fiction and Fantasy in Post-Independence India at the Festival of Letters organised by Sahitya Akademi (National Academy of Letters) (March 2022, English)
- A talk (in Bengali) about ecocritical readings of the novels and short stories of noted Bengali Indian author Anita Agnihotri (Khoj Sahitya Puroskar Anusthan, Lalgola, Murshidabad, West Bengal) (Feb 2022, in Bengali)
- An adda around Bengali poetry centred around the book The Great Bengali Poetry Underground supported by Livonics and Kitaab (Jan 2022, in Bengali and English)
- Moderating a panel on Cli-fi at the Green Litfest (Green Literature Festival, India) - The Age and Rage of Climate Fiction (December, 2021) Banner at page end.
- Lecture with Q&A, `Sunburnt Stories -- Climate and Literature', University of Oxford, UK (November, 2021)
- Seminar Roundtable, `Contemporary Cultures of Writing - Seminar Series Autumn 2021 - Climate change and creativity', Open University, UK (October, 2021) Watch a recording of this event at the School of Advanced Studies (University of London) website here.
- Living Climate Change -- Panel discussion (fireside chat) with Fridays for Future (July 25, 2021) about climate change, storytelling and our video game -- Survive the Century.
- Talk about Indian Short Fiction at symposium organised by Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters (July 23, 2021)
- Interview with Amber Massie-Blomfield of Writers Rebel of Extinction Rebellion, UK about climate fiction and better futures. (October 2020)
- Released co-edited and co-introduced anthology, `Multispecies Cities - Solarpunk Urban futures' published by World Weaver Press (US), 2021. Reviews and details on this page.
- Contributed video game (narrative fiction co-contributor) on climate change futures for Survive the Century, a cli-fi game of choice and consequence (Released 2021). Created by Three Kids in a Trenchcoat with the collaboration and support of Climate Interactive, Climate Risk Lab (South Africa), SESYNC, Institute for Carbon Removal and Policy (American University) and FLAIR Fellowship programme. Reviews and details on this page.
- Presentation on storytelling and sustainable food futures (RIHN, Kyoto, Japan, Jan 2021) (image below)
- Podcast interview with Ayushi Mona on India Booked (Jan 2021)
- Released a translated anthology of Bengali underground poetry from India and Bangladesh`The Great Bengali Poetry Underground' published by Kitaab, Singapore (2021). More details on this page.
- Member of the Story Selection and Editors Panel of the Asia-Pacific Solarpunk Anthology ( World Weaver Press, US).
- Prof Ivy George Andrews Memorial Lecture 2020 titled, `Sunburnt Stories' Climate and Literature organised by St Joseph's College for Women (English Department), Alappuzha, Kerala. (October 2020)
- Conversation with eminent Bengali author Anita Agnihotri at Niyogi Books, Instagram Live (5th August, 2020)
- Talk on the topic `Sunburnt stories - Climate Change in Fiction' introducing my non-fiction work in progress on Climate Change Literature (Cli-Fi) under Project Samuh of Swapbook Book Club, Instagram: @swapbookofficial (Image at bottom) (2nd August, 2020)
- Workshops on 1) Short-story writing, 2) Climate change fiction and 3) Pandemics, OneHealth and Better Futures on invitation from National Library of India for school-goers. (April 2020)
- Interview with Rupal Vyas, Purple Pencil Project
- Interview with Gopal Lahiri, Muse India
- Interview and conversation with Jvalant Sampat in Mithila Review
- Interview with Mary Woodbury, Dragonfly Ecofiction, Canada (The Centre for Sustainable Practice)
- Villa Sarkia Residency (invited, 2020) of Nuoren Voiman Liitto, Finland
- What Books Indian Authors are Reading to Get Through the Coronavirus Lockdown in The Dispatch.
- Invited to speak and present on Climate Change Fiction by the National Library of India (15, Nov 2019) on the occasion of World Book Week. (Report in The Telegraph)
- Invited to organise a workshop on short story writing by the National Library of India (14. Nov 2019) on the occasion of World Book Week.
- Keynote speaker at the UGC sponsored National Conference on `Literatures of Climate Change' at St Andrews College, Mumbai (Sept 2019)
- Keynote speaker on `Storytelling for Better Futures' (Storytelling in the Anthropocene) at the plenary on culture and sustainability at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong) part of the Global Research Forum 2019. (June 2019)
- Book reading at China Garden, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, part of cultural evening programmes. (June 2019)
- Book reading (The Butterfly Effect) talk (biotech in fiction) and book signing at Museum of Science Fiction, Washington D.C. (USA) part of the Escape Velocity event supported by NASA and others. (May, 2019)
- Presentation about sustainability and culture in the context of fiction writing at George Washington University (Washington D.C. USA) part of the International Communication Association (ICA) pre conferences, supported by Indiana university and others. (May 2019)
- Appointed to judge the Short Story Writing competition of Asian English Olympics, 2019, organised by BINUS University and BINUS English Club, Jakarta, Indonesia (Feb 2019)
- The Best Asian Speculative Fiction was launched at Singapore Writers Festival. (9th November, 2018)
- Book Launch of The Butterfly Effect at Oxford Bookstores, Calcutta. The book was launched by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay followed by a panel discussion `Speculative Fiction and the Stories of our Times'. (25th September, 2018)
- Book Reading. Reading from The Butterfly Effect at Sahitya Akademi (National Academy of Letters), Delhi. (28th September, 2018)
- Book Launch and reading from The Butterfly Effect at Caesuare International Workshop, Hyderabad, organised by Caesurae, CART-T&M and Osmania University (9th October, 2018)
- Appointed to judge (with Lopa Ghosh from India) the Short Story Writing competition at Asian English Olympics, 2018, organised by BINUS University and BINUS English Club, Jakarta, Indonesia (Feb 2018)
- Judged Storytelling Competition organised by the Indian National Library on Children's Day (Nov 2017)
- Organised Short Story Writing workshop for students at the Indian National Library (Nov 2017)
- Editing The Best Asian Speculative Fiction anthology for Kitaab, Singapore (Oct 2017)
- Appointed Creative Writing (Short Story) trainer and coach for college learners by BINUS English Club, BINUS University, Jakarta, Indonesia (July 2017). This is a jointly certified writing course of BINUS University, BINUS English Club and Rajat Chaudhuri.
- Judged (with Gina Yap Lai Yoong of Malaysia) the Short Story Writing competition at Asian English Olympics,(Jakarta, Indonesia) hosted by BINUS university and organised by BINUS English Club, 2017
- Presentation, Studio 21 presentation of Calcutta non-fiction project (Oriental Jones) with Chitpur Local
- Reading, Caesurae (Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad)
- Talk at Record Breakers reading Challenge, British Council, Calcutta (for young readers)
- Presentation and reading, British Council, Calcutta (for Creative Writing students)
- Presentation, British Council, Calcutta (for Creative Writing students)
- Book reading, University of Chichester, UK
- Readings on the occassion of 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, Sahitya Akademi
- Reading and talk, Dongguk University, Seoul, South Korea
- Presentation, Eastern and north-eastern writers' meet, Bhubaneswar, Sahitya Akademi (National academy of Letters)
- Bookstore reading - Crossword
- Presentations on environment sustainability and rights at United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, New York), Northern Alliance for Sustainability (Netherlands) and elsewhere.
Interviews
- Cli-fi writer interviews by Sonam Joshi in a feature on climate fiction in Times of India. (screenshot below)
- Interview with Amber Massie-Blomfield of Writers Rebel of Extinction Rebellion, UK about climate fiction and better futures. (October 2020)
- Podcast interview with Ayushi Mona on India Booked (Jan 2021)
- Interview and conversation with Jvalant Sampat in Mithila Review
- Interview with Niyogi Books
- Writing in England (The Telegraph)
- Interviewed by Babita Basu (Times of India)
- Mathematics and Literature are Twins, Interviewed by Zafar Anjum (Kitaab, Singapore)
- A Storyteller's World, Interviewed by Anu Kumar (Unboxed Writers)
- Interview with Caesuare journal of Literature and Arts
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Rajat Chaudhuri and some of the other speakers at RIHN symposium on food futures, RIHN (Kyoto, Japan) |
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India Booked podcast with Rajat Chaudhuri on climate fiction |
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Rajat Chaudhuri, Keynote address on climate fiction |
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Symposium on Indian Short Fiction by Sahitya Akademi, National Academy of Letters, India |
Rajat Chaudhuri speaks about an ecocritical reading of the works of Anita Agnihotri, Khoj Sahitya Gosthi, Murshidabad |