We invite applications for a writing workshop titled "Stories from Within: Workshop on Research, Ethics, and the Art of Writing."
This 10-day intensive workshop is designed specifically for participants from the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalayas and the neighboring states of Northeast India. Through this workshop, participants will be introduced to essential techniques and the art of writing/storytelling.
We strongly encourage applications from women, sexual minorities, and individuals from marginalized communities. Why do we tell stories? How do we tell stories and more importantly whose stories do we choose to tell? This workshop is designed to introduce participants to writing both as an art and a powerful tool of storytelling. As communities whose histories have always been written for, writing also becomes an act of Resistance – where we take our power back in writing our own stories. How does our history define our location/positionality as subjects and storytellers? And how does this history have a bearing on our perception of who we are? This workshop is particularly designed for storytellers from the region to engage with larger questions of Colonialism, Representation and Belonging. Bringing together different aspects of research and writing, participants will be encouraged to critically engage with these questions to develop their own unique writing methods. The workshop is designed to introduce participants to the importance of methodology, questions of ethics and research as key components of storytelling. Using mixed methodologies, this workshop allows participants to develop mindful, ethical methods in producing stories. By the end of the workshop the participants will be equipped with using these tools and techniques in mindfully and consciously producing stories in an ethical and responsible manner.
Module of the Workshop -
• Introduction to Research Techniques/Methodologies
• Exploring different approaches to storytelling.
• Introduction to Reading/ Referencing/ Writing Techniques.
• Intersectionality.
• Popular Culture and Representation.
• Understanding the Power of Gaze and Narratives.
• Engagement with the Archives.
• Writing as Resistance.
• Sharing/ Reflecting/ Curating Writing Processes. Eligibility -
Basic educational qualification - Final year / Graduate
If you are from Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalayas, Siliguri, Dooars and any state of the North-east you are eligible to apply for this workshop.
You must be fluent in reading and writing in English.
Flair and passion for story-telling.
You must be committed to attending the workshop fully and writing a final essay for submission as part of the workshop.
*We encourage women, sexual minorities and people from underprivileged backgrounds to apply. Workshop dates - 18th April - 27th April, 2025
Location -
This is a fully offline workshop and will be held in Kalimpong.
Workshop fee - Rs 6000/- (Fee includes packed lunch, refreshments, and stationery)
The workshop fee is a donation to The Confluence Collective. Your contribution plays a vital role in supporting our work and enables us to continue offering programs that are accessible to all. Selection of participants -
All applications will be thoroughly reviewed by the TCC team and only selected participants will be informed via phone call and email by 5th April, 2025 If you have any further queries please feel free to email us at mail@theconfluencecollective.com Mentor -
Dipti Tamang -
Dipti Tamang, currently resides in Kalimpong. She is a permanent faculty in Government General Degree College at Pedong. She holds a PhD degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and is also a Fulbright-Nehru postdoctoral scholar. Dipti is a former recipient of the Zubaan-Sasakawa Peace Grant for young researchers from the Northeast and is currently a mentor for the same grant. Her areas of interests lie at the intersection of gender, culture and politics. She is widely published in reputed journals and outlets. Dipti identifies as a feminist and ardently advocates and supports gender and minority rights. She is also a founding member of the Confluence Collective. She has worked as a mentor for the IFA supported project at TCC with Mridu Rai and is currently curating and working on the Gender and Sexuality archive at TCC. She loves to read, tell stories and deliver these stories through writing; blending feminist ethics, sensibility and mindful responsible story-telling.
INAUGURAL LECTURE -
Chetan Raj Shrestha Chetan Raj Shrestha, born in 1978 in Gangtok, Sikkim, is an architect and writer. He has lived in various places, including Darjeeling, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Sydney, and currently practices architecture in Gangtok. His debut book, *The King's Harvest* (2013), includes two novellas set in Sikkim. The collection won the Tata Literature Live! First Book Prize.
Shrestha's writing delves into Sikkim's cultural and societal complexities, often blending history with contemporary issues. He is also involved in hospitality, owning Kengbari Retreat, a hotel near Gangtok. GUEST LECTURES-
Melissa Zermit Namchu - Melissa Zermit is an Assistant Professor specializing in interdisciplinary studies from Kalimpong. She holds a PhD in Anthropology from the National University of Singapore, an MPhil in Planning and Development from IIT Bombay, and a Master’s in Social Work from TISS. Her research interests include Indian history, diversity and inclusion, traditional health practices, preservation of endangered languages, and decolonizing methodologies. Her work explores the intersections of culture, identity, and sustainability, contributing to a deeper understanding of social and historical dynamics through a critical, decolonial lens.
Pema Gyalchen Tamang -
Pema Gyalchen Tamang is from Siliguri and currently works at VOLV Media, and has an academic background having worked as an Assistant professor in institutions of Kolkata, Siliguri, and Sikkim. His current research interests span Early Modern European Literature, Gender and Sexuality, and Pop Culture, with publications in Routledge, Himalaya, and TCC. He is also actively involved in translation projects concerning South Asian Literature. He has also received the Zubaan Publishers Research Grants for Young Researchers (2024-25) for his current work on the intersections of Migration and Sexuality in/from Darjeeling-Sikkim Hills.
APPLY NOW - APPLICATION LINK *Last date to apply 1st April, 2025
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