{"id":26113,"date":"2024-01-11T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-11T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/?p=26113"},"modified":"2024-01-31T11:56:48","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T06:26:48","slug":"editorial-2024-anthology-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/editorial-2024-anthology-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"Editorial: 2024 Anthology Issue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In a world increasingly riven by suspicion, hatred and destruction, it feels awkward to say \u201cHappy New Year!\u201d But then, it is only through reminding ourselves that it is indeed a new year and an opportunity to build a new and better world together, that we can forge new connections and nurture old ones to sustain hope, grace and optimism in times when otherwise we might give in to despair and defeat. And so, we grant ourselves the possibilities of joy, laughter, wellbeing and celebration with our January 2024 anthology issue that explores the intersections of play, desire, pleasure and sexuality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Psychotherapist <strong>Sadhana Vohra<\/strong>, in an interview with <strong>Radhika Chandiramani<\/strong>, talks about how we can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/interview-sadhana-vohra-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">build joyful lives from a sense of connection<\/a> with others, reminding us that it is that sense of deep connectedness, the knowledge that we are loved and respected, that is the most powerful motivator for us humans. <strong>Shweta Krishnan<\/strong> explores ideas of attachment across various relationships including friendship, romance, monogamy, polyamory, and marriage to find that it is with our friends that \u201cwe become something other than what we could be on our own. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/friendships-or-that-in-which-we-decouple-coupledom-from-the-economies-of-marriage-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">We become more<\/a> in a joyous way.\u201d And this is something that <strong>Saswati<\/strong> too discovered when she became part of a small collection of writers who wrote, shared and responded to each other\u2019s stories and then went on to becoming part of different fandoms and to write <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/for-the-joy-of-it-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">simply for the joy of it<\/a>. <strong>Rohini Banerjee<\/strong> reviews <em>Fangirl <\/em>by Rainbow Rowell to explain <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/rainbow-rowells-fangirl-and-everything-it-gets-wrong-about-fandom-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the fascination that fandom holds<\/a> and how it allows for freedom of expression. If fandoms brought Saswati to a newer appreciation of herself and of others, it is porn that led <strong>Ankita Dhar Karmakar<\/strong> to articulate her queerness and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/so-what-if-im-my-own-voyeur-connections-and-disconnections-with-desires-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">find pleasure in subversive desires<\/a> by questioning linear understandings of power and what may turn one on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our quest for joy, pleasure and safety seems to be inextricably tied up with space. In Mumbai, <strong>Tanvi Khemani <\/strong>discovered that the local trains offered her the possibility to \u201cgo where I pleased and do what I pleased\u201d, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/the-last-local-to-vashi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">taking risks, being aware, making choices<\/a>, and to feel at home in the city, and by extension, in the world. In Delhi, <strong>Manvendra <\/strong>finds that the metro transports not only people but also desire; that it creates a script of desires written and read by certain bodies and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/the-metro-and-desires\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">provides a space for queerness<\/a> by blurring the lines between the private and the public. <strong>Shilpa Phadke<\/strong> journeys online, loitering wherever the whim may take her, and argues that despite all the talk about online forays being filled with danger, the Internet is just as much <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/loitering-online-conditions-of-possibility\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a space for fun and pleasure<\/a>. <strong>Wesley D\u2019Souza<\/strong> only ever wanted a space where he could be himself and not be criticised. Finally, he found it. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/acting-like-myself-hindi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hindi translation<\/a> of his article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Self-care is a notion that is being bandied about quite frivolously (as in, being a \u2018fad\u2019) and dangerously (as in, for our mental-health as well as our wallets) these days. <strong>Rukmini Banerjee<\/strong> focuses on what its main aspects are and how true self-care means also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/a-peoples-self-care-in-the-making-perspectives-on-the-multiple-possibilities-of-existence-and-care-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">caring for and connecting with others<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We cannot let you go without pointing you in the direction of a few laughs as you watch <em><strong>Risky Business<\/strong><\/em>, a short film in which a mother has a couple of things to say to her daughters when they ask her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/video-risky-business\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cMummy, how <em>can<\/em> you?\u201d<\/a> on discovering what she has been up to in her own quest for pleasure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stay well, and may we all strengthen nurturing connections!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img width=\"700\" height=\"350\" data-id=\"26170\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1-1-700x350.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1-1-700x350.png 700w, https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1-1-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1-1-1536x768.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/1-1-2048x1024.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"700\" height=\"350\" data-id=\"26171\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2-1-700x350.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26171\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2-1-700x350.png 700w, https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2-1-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2-1-1536x768.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/2-1-2048x1024.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-75\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-align-center wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/submission-guidelines\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Click here to read the submission guidelines<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\" style=\"font-size:14px\"><em>Cover Image: Artwork by <a href=\"https:\/\/thegreats.co\/artists\/izabela-markova\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Izabela Markova<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/thegreats.co\/artworks\/flowers-of-solidarity-alternate-version\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Greats<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a world increasingly riven by suspicion, hatred and destruction, it feels awkward to say \u201cHappy New Year!\u201d But then,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26166,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4213,65],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-26113","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-anthology-issue-jan-2024","8":"category-editorial"},"menu_order":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26113"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26183,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26113\/revisions\/26183"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarshi.net\/inplainspeak\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}