Featured Member Interview – Miera Rao

Tell us about who you are as a writer. What inspires the creativity behind your writing?

(MR): Growing up in India, I enjoyed books that brought different parts of the world into my little nook. Reading was an inexpensive way to take trips without buying a plane ticket or packing my bags! Apart from the stories themselves, the richness of the settings brought places to life in my mind. It stoked my love of travel. When I ultimately visited these places, it was almost a sense of coming home. Thanks to the vivid details portrayed, places and things looked and felt familiar. I hope to do that in my writing. I write fiction, non-fiction and poetry. I like an element of surprise in my stories.

Inspiration comes from different sources — from the world around me, from other writers, a random word or phrase heard in the passing that sticks with you for years and begs to be given a story. I am intrigued by human interactions and the what-ifs of a situation.

The good news: Inspiration is everywhere, ripe for the picking. The bad news: There is more inspiration than I can ever hope to write about!

Aside from being an author, do you have any other interests or hobbies that you partake in during your free time?

(MR): When I step away from writing, I like to step into my dancing shoes. I enjoy the Argentine Tango and Salsa. Music is like a magic portal; it lays bare the heart and soul of a culture and I adore the romance of Spanish songs. I also have a yen for collecting stationery, though I don’t need another journal, cards or writing instrument.

I love antiquing. One of my all-time favorite finds are these metal letterpress blocks that I came upon when antiquing in Brighton. Treasure! They brought together my love of letters, travel and antiquing! Discovering new neighborhoods locally is also fun; sometimes, even taking a different route to familiar places can feel wholly different and gives me a new perspective. I also enjoy the opera and am the Newsletter Editor for the Friends of Opera San José.

Your poem “Désolée” won first place for the Effie Lee Morris Award. What was your inspiration for this piece? What are some key takeaways that you would like to highlight?

(MR): Désolée was born from a place of despair. The tragic Paradise fires were raging when I wrote it. Two years later, in 2020, “destruction and disease” did come knocking very urgently on our doors (destruction of life as we knew it), so one of my friends said I should tear up the poem and throw it away (hard to do with a digital version) because she found this unsettling and prophetic. The poem is from the perspective of a soon-to-be mother who is loath to bring her children into this world. I remember feeling like this when I was expecting, but things are so much worse now. Each year the fires have got worse. The air quality has become worse. Climate concerns aside, wars have wrecked the world.

Désolée is an apology to the future generations. It is a dystopic projection of a macabre childhood that could be seemingly normal. Where would children play hide and seek after Earth is ravaged? No trees to hide behind nor treehouses in their backyard, but coffins would become hiding places. All that is left to amuse themselves with are gruesome games played with blown-up body parts. It was a dark poem to write. There was more gore in my drafts, but I cut it short — maybe a good thing!

I appreciate your positive outlook on the environment and moving towards a better world. Is there any advice or specific practices you would recommend in order to combat climate change and become more eco-friendly?

(MR): It was quite a shock when I learnt that all the plastic I was painstakingly recycling was not actually being recycled or even recyclable. According to Greenpeace only 9% gets recycled — worldwide. So, if most plastics were not getting recycled, the only thing I could do was to limit my consumption of plastics. We can wait for policies to effect change and corporations to step up to the plate, but in parallel, we, as individuals, are not powerless. Small changes to our lifestyles will collectively make a big difference.

Think “no waste” or “little waste” when buying things. The following are just a few tips for our day-to-day lives:

Grocery shopping: Skip plastic bagging larger items. Do we need a sack of potatoes or our milk in a plastic bag? Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, and other larger fruits and vegetables don’t need the smaller veggie bags either. Best to take your own bags, of course.

Delivery: Bundle items together, when you can, rather than using One-Day Delivery. Re-use packaging boxes and materials, or offer to share with your friends and community before recycling them.

Laundry: Use eco-friendly laundry detergent sheets — these eliminate the gigantic plastic jugs altogether and some are also free of parabens, phthalates and bleaches. Wait until you have a full load before doing laundry.

Parties: Be a maverick! Be daring and have parties without balloons. Mylar balloons never degrade. Helium is a non-renewable resource that is used in the medical field — not to be taken lightly. Latex balloons take about four years to degrade. Its “biodegradable” claims have been found to be greenwashing. Instead, opt for festoons and bunting in paper or cloth. Making and stringing these with friends and family can be a great social activity.

My articles on how to be kinder to Earth and to oceans have more tips. #SaveSoil

What is the story behind your upcoming non-fiction novel “Crushing Etiquette”?

(MR): My trip to the UK unexpectedly opened up the opportunity to write “Crushing Etiquette”. I was training at The British School of Etiquette (now Excellence) in London to become an etiquette coach. I just happened to share with the Principal, Philip Sykes, that writing an etiquette book was on my wish list. Once I finished training, he invited me to collaborate on a book with him.

It was a fun book to write and a great partnership. There is something for readers who enjoy language, trivia and fun facts, as well as those who want to get right into the crux of things. Rather than just have “rules” I interviewed people internationally to share anecdotes from their lives to make a point. Some of these stories will make you laugh; others are of the “OMG, really?” nature.

Apart from social, dining, business and social-media etiquette, Philip and I wanted to bring in emotional intelligence, as E.Q. plays an important part in how one navigates one’s relationships. We also included international etiquette, the art of conversation and listening – all designed to give readers a boost in different aspects of their lives.

Crushing Etiquette has been a labor of love and the labor for birthing it has been a long one! There have been unexpected hiccups and hurdles to contend with, along the way. We have not set a launch date yet, but have our fingers crossed for early 2024.

Tell us about your spiritual poetry book and how it relates to who you are as a writer/author.

(MR): The Pandemic was a terrible time for the whole world, of course. I had some additional challenges that set me on the spiritual path. Forced to withdraw from the outside world, I connected with my inner world, through the teachings of India’s famous mystic, Sadhguru. His course, Inner Engineering, helped me stay mentally strong and gave me tools to find inner joy, rather than depending on external circumstances to be joyful. Through Sadhguru, I found the Divine Feminine, Devi, and was astounded by how the Universe supports you.

The title poem “33 Syllables” was inspired by a feeling of humility when trying to make an offering to God, during an Indian festival. Here is a sneak peek: a short poem and a haiku.

33 Syllables

what can I offer you Devi

flowers… coconut…

milk… moong?

there’s nothing I can call my own Dear One

even my breath is your gift.

Doggess

through Ginger’s deep gaze

you look at me. I call You

my girl, lovingly.

Connecting with the self, the marvelous life around us and the larger whole are the themes of my upcoming chapbook. My poems are not religious, but rather a universal reflection on life and the magic of creation. 

What’s next for you? Is there anything else you would like to add or your possible plans for the future? 

(MR): Currently, I have a number of loose ends that are threatening to trip me.  Once I tie them up nicely, and get “Crushing Etiquette” to lift off, I would like to focus on my short fiction. This will be a collection of stories based on my immigrant experiences, which deal with expectations from the family you left behind, trying to fit in, of being new, being the other. 

I would also like to grow my business  Top Form Academy where I teach business communication and etiquette. I love the a-ha moments when students and clients understand the Why of doing something, rather than thinking they are following a random rule. Or when students come back and say how the course gave them confidence to handle a new situation. My favorite program? Afternoon Tea — hands down (and pinkies in)!