Shalini Nayar

introduces herself ... in an e-mail dated 22 July 2002

Born in Kuala Lumpur in 1982, I had my primary and secondary education at SRK Taman Melawati and SM Taman Melawati repectively. After completing Form 5, I went on to do Form 6 at Tunku Abdul Rahman College in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur. Currently, I'm a Science undergraduate, majoring in Biology in Universiti Malaya.

Writing has always been an integral part of my life. Once an avid reader of fiction and non-fiction, now I've morphed into a full-fledged writer after being inspired by my father's short stories and writings. Recently, I've also been christened as a published poet.

My poems have been featured in various websites over the Internet and a couple of them have been published in Poetika, an independent zine showcasing young poets alike, flagged by Jerome Kugan, a brilliant young local poet himself.

I have done several edits voluntarily for an online community called Hati (http://www.hati.org.my/cnt_articles.html) and currently managing my own column in Suara Anum (http://www.suaraanum.com) which is updated every 15th of the month.

My story "Under The Stars" had been shortlisted for the Silverfish New Writings 2 anthology. www.silverfishbooks.com

I was also shortlisted by MTV to go to the United Nations in New York, in conjunction with the Speak Your Mind campaign. http://www.mtvasia.com/Partner/SpeakYourMind/short-list.html

My favourite writers are Jhumpa Lahiri, Arundhati Roy, Anita Nair and Anita Desai. My favourite poet of all time would be Sylvia Plath, and her only novel "The Bell Jar" is also one of my favourites.

I have no previous working experiences but would love to work for a publication, preferably a lifestyle magazine. Hopefully, this can act as a catalyst to catapult my experiences as a writer and an inspiring way to perfect my craft.

I can be reached via the net at shalini_nayar@yahoo.com