Meet the Team

Susmita Paul

Founder, Editor-in-Chief

She knew she would study English Literature when she was 8. She writes poetry, short fiction and non-fiction in English and Bengali. She is the second prize winner of the 50 cent prize of the Grazer Poesieautomaten Project. “Himabaho Kotha Bole” (When Glaciers Speak) (Kaurab, 2019) is her only Bengali book of poetry. Her works are published in Life in Quarrantine (sponsored by Stanford University), Indie Blu(e) Publishing, Poetry and COVID, Montauk and Plato’s Caves Online, amongst others. She loves to create Zentangle-inspired drawings. Susmita is addicted to coffee and loves listening to people, sounds and silences. www.susmitapaul.org

Candice Louisa Daquin

Poetry & Art Editor

She is of Sephardi French/Egyptian descent. Born in Europe, Daquin worked in publishing for The American Embassy and Chamber of Commerce in London before immigrating to the American South West to study and become a Psychotherapist, where she has continued writing and editing whilst practicing as a therapist. Daquin has worked at Jewish Community Centers and Rape Crisis Centers both in Texas and Ontario, Canada. Her area of specialization is adults sexually abused as children. Prior to publishing her own poetry collections, Daquin regularly wrote for the poetry periodical Rattle and The Northern Poetry Review. Daquin is currently Senior Editor at Indie Blu(e) Publishing, a feminist micro-press. She is also Writer-in-Residence for Borderless Journal.

As a queer woman of mixed ethnicity and passionate feminist beliefs concerning equality, Daquin’s poetry is her body of evidence. 

Dr. Khusi Pattanayak

Prose & Art Editor

She is a PhD in English Literature with over 13 years of professional experience in both academia and industry. A polyglot, she has a number of published books, articles and translations to her credit. A cine-scholar, she was featured in TEDx Thought Break. KP has swashbuckled from Middle-Earth to Earthsea while enjoying Márquez , Kafka, Neruda , Seth, Christie in no specific order . She is the Patronus Charm herself.

Shehnaz Parveen

Assistant – Administrative Coordinator

She is a HR by profession, a foodie by passion, a writer by aspiration. She has worked with companies in a variety of industries, from retail to IT. 

Parnika Mathur

Assistant – Social Media Coordinator

She is a bachelor’s student studying media and information at the University of Amsterdam, who is passionate about media and gender issues. With a background of living and studying in an international culture, she has been a part of starting and running an organization, Feminist Photography Foundation (FPF). FPF’s aim was to empower women to stand up for their rights and inspire them to reach their full potential, using multimedia to raise awareness about the gender inequalities present in our communities. She also loves to read, watch various genres of movies, and engage with a variety of art.