@Bramptonlibrary:Local Author - Pratap Reddy's 'The Unwilling Poet'

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About

Wanting to write is an urge many of us feel, and so deeply that we are prepared to expend time and money, even if the prospect of earning megabucks in return are slim. This ineradicable itch to become an author may stem from enjoying reading or the need to share our views on the contemporary issues . Sometimes, it may even arise from from the desire to make money, after all many millionaires made their fortunes from writing - JK Rowling, Stephen King and James Patterson to name a few. But unfortunately, their phenomenal success is an exception rather than the norm. For most of us lesser mortal just to get published is like winning a lottery.

After I landed in Canada in 2002 from India, I wanted to make my childhood dream a reality. I took creative writing courses, started writing fiction, attended writing workshops, etc., etc. Except for one South Asian magazine, nobody seemed willing to publish my short stories. Days and months were rolling by but I could not have a single piece I wrote see the light of day. But the writer's urge in me was so strong, that I looked around for any platform where I could reach out and share my creative efforts with an audience. I approached an organization which was hosting an 'Open Mic'. But short fiction was not what was peddled at such events. "Why not write a poem?" I was told. It was Friday afternoon, and the event was on the following Sunday at a nearby coffee shop, little more than 48 hours away! Would I be able to whip out a poem at such a short notice? I never thought of writing verse before, thinking I lacked the delicate sensibilities the art demands. But taking courage from the fact that modern poetry does not have strict structural parameters (like pentameters and hexameters), I dashed out a piece called 'Second Thoughts at Second Cup', delineating the prospect of a prose writer turning to poetry. Surprise, surprise - not only was it well-received, the poem was published the organization's (Mississauga Arts Council) newsletter, and my burning ambition to see my work in print had fructified! Since then I write verse occasionally, though I am loath to call myself a "Poet". In this presentation I read aloud a few of my poetic efforts, specially the one on Writer's Block, an affliction many of us writers suffer from every now and then.

Links

• Where to buy the author's book(s) amazon.ca

Organizer

Pratap Reddy

Pratap Reddy, an underwriter by days and writer by night, writes about the travails and triumphs about new immigrants. He has published two book: Weather Permitting & Other Stories (2016) and Ramya's Treasure (2018).