KALPNA SINGH-CHITNIS is an Indian-American poet, writer, filmmaker, and author of five poetry collections. Her works have appeared in “World Literature Today,” “Columbia Journal,” “Tupelo Quarterly,” “Cold Mountain Review,” “Indian Literature,” “Silk Routes” (IWP) at The University of Iowa, Stanford University’s “Life in Quarantine,” etc. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and her poems from her award-winning book “Bare Soul” and her poetry film “River of Songs” have been selected to go on the moon with NASA’s missions. A former lecturer of Political Science, she is also an Advocacy Member at the United Nations Association of the USA. Her sixth poetry collection, “Trespassing My Ancestral Lands” (2023), is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press. Her last book “Love Letters to Ukraine from Uyava” published by River Paw Press consists of sixty-eight wartime poems in English written on the current Russia-Ukraine armed conflict. The poetry collection has also been translated into the Ukrainian language titled as ЛюбовнілистидоУкраїнивідУяви by Volodymyr Tymchuk, a poet, translator, and Lieutenant Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
IRMA KURTI: Why did you decide to leave your country? Was it a difficult decision?
KALPNA SINGH-CHITNIS: I had never imagined leaving India. But it was for a good reason. Therefore, the decision wasn’t difficult. I married an American citizen, and moving to the USA was expected. However, starting all over again in America was indeed challenging.
IRMA KURTI: How did your country of origin affect your writings, and what place do your childhood memories occupy in them?
KALPNA SINGH-CHITNIS: India’s cultural and spiritual influences on me have much to do with who I am as a writer and person. I grew up in a small town but had a happy childhood. My parents and grandparents gave me a good upbringing. We had a joint family, closely knit, that taught me the values I still find important. The memories of my early life in India are very precious. They inspire me to write many things. My forthcoming poetry collection, “Trespassing My Ancestral Lands,” has several poems inspired by my childhood memories.
IRMA KURTI: Can you tell us something about your career as an actor? Do you think you may dedicate yourself to it, or do you just feel fulfilled as a filmmaker?
KALPNA SINGH-CHITNIS: I consider myself a poet and a writer first. I had published three poetry collections before coming to the USA, and my first real job was as a lecturer of Political Science at a college. I loved acting, but I never made acting my career. I pursued acting side by side with my other jobs. I was involved with theater and modeling in Mumbai. After coming to the USA, I studied film directing at the New York film Academy and graduated from there in 2004. I made a feature film and a few short films in Hollywood. But I decided to act only in my own productions. I played the leading role in “Goodbye My Friend” (2011), written and directed by me. The film was screened at several film festivals, and I was asked to do acting more often.
IRMA KURTI: How many hours a day do you dedicate to writing?
KALPNA SINGH-CHITNIS: I do not have a set time for writing. Writing poetry is a spontaneous act for me. However, I dedicate my time to writing prose and film scripts. Sometimes, I write several days in a row. But I also retreat often to enjoy reading, cooking, gardening, meditating, caring for my pet, and spending time in nature. This is important to me as I gain a fresh perspective every time I return to my writing table.
IRMA KURTI: You have published five books of poetry. Do you think that in the future you’ll write prose too?
KALPNA SINGH-CHITNIS: I do write prose, but I haven’t published much in that genre. When I write fiction, I’m inclined to write screenplays. In the near future, I plan to put together the first book of my essays on the socio-political theme and a book of literary interviews I have conducted with many poets and writers over the years.
IRMA KURTI: It’s somewhat surprising that the film “The Tree” was based on your poetry with the same title. May you share with us how was it transformed into a film?
KALPNA SINGH-CHITNIS: “The Tree” movie is based on my sequence poem, The Tree, which I wrote during the Pandemic, published by “World Literature Today.” That’s how the film got its title. The poem was inspired by an actual event, which later became the script of the film. I decided to turn “The Tree” into a film because it tells the stories of millions of trees and endangered forests through the story of one tree. It meditates on the life and purpose of a tree and draws attention toward environmental concerns such as deforestation, climate change, and their effects on wildlife and our ecosystem.
IRMA KURTI: Can you tell us something about “The Tree” success because it touches on important environmental aspects?
KALPNA SINGH-CHITNIS: “The Tree” won the Best Experimental Short Film Award at the 2022 North Dakota Environmental Rights Film Festivalwhich took place from April 20 – 23, 2022 at the historic Fargo Theatre in downtown Fargo, North Dakota.It has also won the Best Environmental Film Awardin April 2022 at Crown Wood International Film Festival in Kolkata, the Best Experimental Short Film Award in June 2022 at the Gangtok International Film Festival in Sikkim, and Special Mention Award in July 2021at Madras International Film Festivalin India.
IRMA KURTI: Do you think poetry is a powerful means to treat important topics like environmental issues and human rights?
KALPNA SINGH-CHITNIS: Poetry is inspired by life’s experiences. Poets often address important issues in their poems. Poetry undoubtedly is a creative and effective way to bring awareness about important topics like the environment, human rights, and so on.
IRMA KURTI: What are some of your future plans?
KALPNA SINGH-CHITNIS: I will be writing poetry all my life and making films whenever possible to tell unique and essential stories. Above all, I shall focus on living a simpler life in nature to practice mindfulness and compassion toward all existing on our beautiful planet.
IRMA KURTI is an Albanian poet, writer, lyricist, journalist, and translator and has been writing since she was a child. She is a naturalized Italian and lives in Bergamo, Italy. All her books are dedicated to the memory of her beloved parents, Hasan Kurti and Sherife Mezini, who have supported and encouraged every step of her literary path. Kurti has also won numerous literary prizes and awards in Italy and Italian Switzerland. She was awarded the Universum Donna International Prize IX Edition 2013 for Literature and received a lifetime nomination as an Ambassador of Peace by the University of Peace, Italian Switzerland. In 2020, she became the honorary president of WikiPoesia, the encyclopedia of poetry. In 2021, she was awarded the title of Liria (Freedom) by the Italian-Albanian community in Italy. She received the Leonardo da Vinci and Giacomo Leopardi prizes from the Chimera Arte Contemporanea Cultural Association of Lecce. Irma Kurti collaborates with various newspapers, magazines, and websites in Italian, Albanian, and English; she publishes interviews with various individuals in the international literary scene and translations of poetry from all over the world. She is a member of the jury for several literary competitions in Italy. She is also a translator for the Ithaca Foundation in Spain. Irma Kurti has published 26 books in Albanian, 21 in Italian, 15 in English, and two in French. She has written approximately 150 lyrics for adults and children. She has also translated 15 books by different authors, and all of her own books into Italian and English.
WorldWide WriterWeb 