Rochelle Potkar

Rochelle Potkar is a prize-winning poet, novelist, playwright, and screenwriter based in Mumbai. Four Degrees of Separation , (poetry). Paper Asylum , (prose poetry) – shortlisted for The Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize 2020. Bombay Hangovers , (short story collection). Bombay Hangovers (in Hindi translation). Coins in Rivers (poetry book, Hachette India) – shortlisted – The Wise Owl Literary Award 2025; longlisted for the Sarojini Naidu Poetry Award 2026. The D’Costa Family (black comedy debut novel – released in April 2025) The Fabric Goddesses (novel released in Jan 2026) Iowa’s International Writing Program, University of Iowa, USA (2015) Charles Wallace Writer’s fellowship, University of Stirling, Scotland (2017) University of East Anglia’s 10-day Creative Writing India Workshop, Kolkata (2017) Awarded an honoris causa – Doctor of Literature (D. Litt) by Sanskriti University, Mathura on 29 July 2024 by Former President of India, Mr. Ram Nath Kovind. Kurindan Indo-Danish writing residency in Kodaikanal TN, October 2024 By the US Consulate General, Mumbai for my proposal of a 10-day artists’ residency program Arcs-of-a-Circle where artists from different art forms performed around empowerment through intersectionality, 2017. By Raza Foundation for a cross-translated co-authored poetry book in English/Marathi, 2021. Invited as a creative-writing mentor for Iowa’s International Writing Program, USA’s Summer Institute (2019) and Between-The-Lines 2022, 2023, and 2024 teaching haiku, haibun, free verse, flash fiction, short screen adaptation. Teaching poetry online at the Himalayan Writers Retreat for 3 years and counting… Panchgani Writer’s Retreat – teaching haiku, haibun, short fiction, screenplay adaptation. Widely anthologized and prize-winning, my writing has been translated into Arabic, Hungarian, French, Spanish, Marathi, Hindi, Macedonian, and German. In anthologies of Hawakal, Chandrabhaga, The Best of Asian Short Stories, Bloomsbury, Sahitya Akademi, The Best of Asian Poetry 2021, Kitaab Singapore, and Penguin-Random House. I have read my poetry at literature festivals in India, Bali, Iowa, Dubai, Stirling, Glasgow, Hongkong, Ukraine, Hungary, Bangladesh, Macao, Australia, incl. Jaipur Literature Festival 2020, Emirates Literature Festival 2022, Mathrubhoomi Literature Festival 2023, Vadodara Lit Fest, Goa, Mysuru and Trichy Lit Fest 2025. My poetry and story were dramatically performed by actors and dancers at the Portland Stage Company, Maine, USA. Poetry film Skirt features on Shonda Rhimes’ blog: Shondaland. My poems performed by Sonu Anand’s group of actors at the Godrej Dance Theatre, NCPA. The Hindu, Asian Age, Mumbai Mirror, Mid-day, Deccan Chronicle, Sunday Guardian, Navhind Times, The Goan, New Indian Express, The Afternoon Dispatch & Courier, Hindustan Times, Scroll, O Heraldo, Indian Express, Live Mint, The Metrognome, Calyx et al. •The Norton Girault Literary Prize in poetry UK, 2018, winner for To Daraza. •The Gregory O’ Donoghue International Poetry Prize Ireland, 2018, shortlist for The girl from Lal Bazar. •The Great Indian Poetry Contest, 2018, first runner up for War Specials. •Her poetry manuscript The Inglorious Coins of the Counting House was longlisted at the Eyewear Publishing, Beverly Prize Poetry Book Award UK 2019, and shortlisted at the 2nd Gaudy Boy Poetry Book Prize 2019, NY. It was published as Coins in Rivers by Hachette India in 2024, which was also shortlisted and later the 2nd runner- up at The Wise Owl Literary Awards 2025 and longlisted for the Sarojini Naidu Poetry Award 2026. •The Best of Asian Short Stories, Kitaab International 2018, selection for Chit Mahal (The Enclave). •The Best of Asian Speculative Short Stories, Kitaab International 2018, selection for Eternal Swirl. •The DISQUIET International Literary prize, Lisbon 2019, notable entry for Parfum . •Her poems from Coins in Rivers were performed by Sonu Anand’s group of actors at the Godrej Dance Theat