PoC Reading Series & Writing Workshop Testimonials

“Divya’s workshop helped me not only to expand my writing skills, but also to find amazing like-minded writers and a warm community! Thank you the Reader Berlin for breaking distance barriers, challenging difficult times, and bringing this opportunity to me.”

“Divya’ writing workshop sparked a lot of things for me and was possibly my most productive writing day in 2020.” - Dylan McNulty-Holmes

“I really loved the Reading Series. The selection of books was incredible and, for me, most of the books were new. Divya prepared well and the discussions were super-interesting!”

“She is a natural facilitator. It always felt easy and she was so inclusive and no one took up all the space.”

I loved Divya's course. It was an open, welcoming space that carried both intellectual depth and accessibility, a tricky combination that Divya was able to deliver masterfully because of her depth of knowledge and experience, her warm demeanor and engaging personality, and her skill at navigating a room of people who may have been coming from vastly different backgrounds and experiences. It felt as if everyone left those classes feeling richer for the experience. Also, the choice of books for the course was wonderful. We were examining a range of PoC contemporary novels, from many different perspectives. The space also felt warm enough for us to bring our own personal experiences into the mix, and I always came out of the course with my views on the texts challenged, enhanced, or expanded. It felt as if everyone in the course made valuable contributions. In summary, Divya's space-holding skills, combined with her intellectual depth and her commitment towards inclusivity made the course a real pleasure to attend, and I'm grateful to have been a part of it. - Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi

What I liked the most about this reading series was that there was no pressure to give the right answer or correspond to certain academic standards. Everybody learned from one another. As Divya said, it shouldn't be "like University" and it sure felt a lot more relaxed and joyful, while still intellectually stimulating. This was the highlight of my corona summer! - Bruna

The course was just the thing I expected it to be. A whole new world of literature was opened up to me - I was the oldest participant! Divya was hugely enthusiastic about the books she chose for us to read and was open to any level of opinion. I always looked forward to the course regardless of whether I had read the book or not. MTH

What I liked the most about this reading series was that there was no pressure to give a right answer or correspond to certain academic standards. Everybody learned from one another. As Divya said, it shouldn't be "like university" and it surely felt a lot more relaxed and joyful, while still intellectually stimulating. This was the highlight of my corona summer! (Bruna)

The course was just the thing I expected it to be. A whole new world of literature was opened up to me - I was the oldest participant! Divya was hugely enthusiastic about the books she chose for us to read and was open to any level of opinion. I always looked forward to the course regardless of whether I had read the book or not. MTH

“Divya is an excellent teacher and the class has inspired me in so many ways. I feel much more confident and am attempting to publish things for the first time ever! I always looked forward to Tuesday evenings.” —AMSF

"If you asked me 16 weeks ago, I would not have believed I could read 9 novels in 16 weeks, next to everything else. But I did it ! and it has been one of the best experiences with @divyaghelani and @thereaderberlin and the other participants of the New Fiction by Women and Non-Binary People of Colour book club. I recommend each of these books to all of you. Get started! Looking forward to what Divya will give us all of joy from words and books around the corner. This was the best gift I have had this year! ♥️📚🦋 If you ask me which one I liked the most I cannot say. I love them all. But for some reason probably due to academia and my Ph.D. work ‘the people in the trees’ by @hanyayanagihara hunts me as it should. At the same time ‘’ordinary people’, ‘the perfect nanny’ and ‘everything I never told you’ speaks to my experiences as a mother, a daughter and a sister and ‘when I hit you’ and ‘harmless like you’ put words to how difficult it is to have healthy relationships with men at times impossible for me at least! Even the sweet and well-meaning can hurt so much. Then books can ‘hold us’ when we feel alone as author Jasmin Kaur said in an interview! I am not gonna lie these books are also uncomfortable and full of pain as they explain how racism and sexism are drenched through everything from academia, to fashion, through work, love, friendship, childhood memories, and parenthood. I know there will be a version of the book club in 2021 I really recommend you save your spot!” - Mette Edith

“As an emerging writer, I find that I often struggle with finding a community to exchange experiences and inside knowledge with. The Reader Berlin offers exactly that community and Divya the inside knowledge. I’d do the course all over again, in a heartbeat.” —Francesca F