Saheli Khastagir is a painter, writer & development professional from India, living in New Orleans. One third of her days are spent providing professional service in monitoring and evaluation, technical writing and research for programs spanning gender, education, health, labor, child protection and youth across the Global South. Another third of her days are spent making paintings of surreal worlds through which she tries to make the viewers take a leap of empathy and imagination. The rest of the time, she writes poems, fiction and essays to hold her reachings and longings. During her residency, she worked on her first collection of poems exploring the ideas of home, rootedness and belonging. Photo by Anjana Thampy.

“When I applied for the residency, I didn’t think I could achieve too much in just 7 days. But what really struck me during this week, is just HOW much time one can have in a day when there is no other responsibilities… what I will remember and miss most is the luxury of time and silence, and the sound of the woods.” – Saheli Khastagir