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Exposure: You

On a yellow background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side. On top, in a yellow rectangle: Showcase Below, the headline: Exposure Below, a subhead: An open gallery for photographers Next, the session date: 1 June Next, a circular window, and a name: You And below that, a descriptor: A photography enthusiast Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image. In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

Eligibility

You must be in the early to middle stages of your photography journey, and you must be over 18.

What do we mean by ‘early to middle stages?’

You are not a full-time professional photographer. You have not exhibited your photographs at prominent galleries and big shows. It is fine if you have won a prize at a contest or had a few photographs appear in the media.

A simple way to look at it would be to understand our intent for these open sessions: to give a platform to folx who haven’t had too many. If you already have a large audience, please make space for those still getting there.

Clear? Here is how it will go.

You will need to submit three to five photographs on the theme of Marketplace Bustle via our submission form (link below) by 21 May 23 May. Your submission can include previously taken pictures as long as they fit the theme and have not been professionally displayed or published. The form will also ask for technical information on each picture as well as a note.

The curating team and a few others from our community will review the responses and shortlist up to ten people, whom we will invite to a mentored session on 24 May. (The date may change, but not by more than a day; the exact time will be communicated through the confirmation email.) This will be a closed session between the mentors, The Goa Project team, and the selected photographers

On a yellow background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side. On top, in a yellow rectangle: Showcase Below, the headline: Focus group Below, a subhead: A mentored session on street photography Next, the session date: 24 May Next, a pair of circular windows, and two names: Gopal MS & Bharath Moro And below that, a descriptor: Photographers Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image. In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

Bharath Moro has been a journeyman founder / operator / odd job person in the tech and adjacent industries for over 20 years. He has learned and unlearned many things during that time. He geeks out over photography, typography, poetry (where’s the rhyming word when you need it!) and designery things.

Gopal MS is a photographer and writer who has been documenting life on the streets of Mumbai for the last 10 years. He loves the city and the stories that spill out on to the streets of the city with limited space. He is also the author of several photobooks based on his documentation of the city. He is the winner of the first T S Satyan Memorial Award for Photojournalism in 2011.

Gopal and Bharath will give you feedback on your photographs, including technical tips and, possibly, some practical wisdom about photography as an art. They may also give you suggestions on taking photographs that are more relevant to our theme. You will then need to go out and take fresh photographs which you will get to showcase during the open gallery session on 1 June.

Sounds good? Head over to this form to submit. Only fill out this form if you are certain you can participate in the online mentorship session (24 May) and show your new pictures at the online open gallery (5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., 1st June.)

Deadline: 21st May, 6 p.m. (But submissions may close earlier.)

Please add thetgpsessions@gmail.com to your address book so that you get our emails.

Screen share: you

On a yellow background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side. On top, in a yellow rectangle: Showcase Below, the headline: Scrern share Below, a subhead: An open gallery for visual artists Next, the session date: 4 May Next, a circular window, and a name: You And below that, a descriptor: An up-and-coming artist Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image. In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

Eligibility

You must be in the early to middle stages of your art journey, and you must be over 18.

A simple way to look at it would be to understand our intent for these open sessions: to give a platform to folx who haven’t had too many. If you already have a large audience, please make space for those still getting there.

Clear? Here is how it will go.

The curating team and a few others from our community will review all submissions and invite up to 15 people to show their work to our audience. We will send you our response quickly, so you have time to create. (Yes, we would like you to create new work for this event.)

What you will show.

You will need to create art on the theme “Window.” You can interpret that as you wish. Your art can be in any medium as long as it can be viewed on a Zoom connection: a painting or drawing on paper or canvas that you scan, mixed media, digital art, sculpture that you photograph or make a video of, animation. You can show more than one work if you like, but keep the allotted time in mind.

You will get around three minutes to show your art and talk about it to our audience on 4th May.

Sounds good? Head over to this form to submit: https://forms.gle/tfPu8diWGFDCY13Y6

Deadline: 1st May, noon. (But submissions may close earlier.)

Tune up: You

On a yellow background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side. On top, in a yellow rectangle: Showcase Below, the headline: Tune up Below, a subhead: An open mic for musicians Next, the session date: 6 April Next, a circular window, and a name: You And below that, a descriptor: A blooming musician Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image. In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

Eligibility first.

You must be in the early to middle stages of your music-making journey, and you must be over 18.

What does ‘early to middle stages’ mean?

You create your own music, but you do not engage with music in a professional way. That is, you don’t record or showcase your work actively and are not signed to any label. Performing at small events is fine, as is recording your work to share with friends on your social media. If you have performed covers professionally but not your own music, that is also okay with us.

A simpler way to look at this is to understand our intent for these open sessions: to give a platform to folx who haven’t had too many. If you already have a large audience, please make space for those still getting there.

All clear? Here is how it will go.

The curating team and a few others from our community will review your responses and invite up to 10 people to the open mic.

We will send you our response quickly, so you have time to create. This also means we might close our submissions earlier than scheduled.

What you must create.

You will need to create a new piece of music to the theme Home, or Journey, or Your City (these words do not have to appear in the piece if you are using lyrics) and perform it live to our audience on 6th April.

To be clear, no cover versions of existing songs.

The work can be in any genre, instrumental or with lyrics. We would prefer solo performers, but if you are a duo or group, you will need to be in the same location for the Zoom event (even fractions of a second of internet lag could seriously harm your performance, as you would know), with appropriate microphones.

Sounds good? Head over to this form to submit.

Deadline: 4th April, noon. (But submissions may close earlier.)

Only fill out this form if you are certain you can be online on 6th April from 5:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.

Please add thetgpsessions@gmail.com to your address book so that you get our emails.

A flash of inspiration: You

On a yellow background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side. On top, in a yellow rectangle: Showcase Below, the headline: A flash of inspiration Below, a subhead: An open mic for storytellers Next, the session date: 9 March Next, a circular window, and a name: You And below that, a descriptor: A budding raconteur Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image. In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

Eligibility first.

You must be in the early to middle stages of your storytelling journey, writing and performing short fiction in English, and you must be over 18.

What do we mean by ‘early to middle stages?’

You must not have had your stories published in a solo book or anthology from a major publishing house or in the big literary journals or zines, and you must not have been invited to perform your stories in any kind of major event or earn a living as a storyteller or coach.

It is fine if you have been published in blogs, college magazines, or a self-published book, and are a popular regular at storytelling open mics.

Another way to look at this is to understand our intent for these open sessions: to give a platform to folx who haven’t had too many. If you already have a large audience, please make space for those still getting there.

All clear? Here is how it will go.

As the term suggests, it isn’t just about the writing: how well can you tell a story? Think of the powerful one-woman show at your local theatre festival or the tales you heard at your grandparents’ feet during your summer holidays or your friend who can turn a dentist’s appointment into a sitcom plot. That.

But why make it so easy? For this open mic, it will also be about how quickly you can write. Putting the flash into flash fiction, you might say.

You will first need to tell us a little about yourself and your story-telling journey via a form (link below).

A small group of us will vote for our favourites, who will then get invited to attend an online writing space hosted by Nadika Nadja and Sushmita Sundaram (who came up with this fiendish format) at 4:00 p.m. on the day of the open mic. Yup. Just before show time. There, you will get a prompt, a word or phrase. You will then have 90 minutes to write, edit, and practice performing a seven- to ten-minute story.  And then, at 5:30 p.m., you will tell it to the audience.

Sounds good? Want to attend just so you can be appalled at Nadika and Sushmita face-to-face? Head over to this form to submit.

Deadline: 7th March, noon.

Passing the microphone: You

On a yellow background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side. On top, in a yellow rectangle: Showcase Below, the headline: Passing the microphone Below, a subhead: TGP’s first open mic for poets Next, the session date: 9 February Next, a circular window, and a name: You And below that, a descriptor: An unpublished poet Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image. In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

Here is how it will go.

Eligibility: you must not have had your poetry published in a solo book, and you must not have been invited to perform your poetry in any kind of major event. It is fine if you have been published in zines or a self-published book, and are a popular regular at open mics. The spirit of this open mic is to be a platform for folx who haven’t had too many. And you must be over 18.

You will need to write a poem to a theme, a cue or a prompt. The word is ‘bond.’ You can interpret that any way you want, and no, the word does not need to appear in the poem.The poem must be in English. (If all goes well, we will include other Indian languages in future sessions.)

The poem you intend to perform must take two to four minutes for you to perform. We would love it if it is a new poem that no one else has seen or heard.

Sounds good? Head over to this form to submit.

The form will ask you for your email address and links to two or three of your poems (note: NOT the one you intend to perform; we want to hear that on the day for the first time).

A small group of us will vote for our favourites, who get invited to perform.

Deadline: 8th February, noon.

Biginnings: You

On a grey background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side. On top, in a yellow rectangle: Open House Below, the headline: Biginnings Below, a subhead: What is one small change you made in your life? Next, the session date: 12 January Next, a circular window, and a name: You And below that, a descriptor: TGP Community Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image. In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

Since we began TGP Sessions, it has become a tradition, at the end or beginning of the calendar year, to take a break from our regular programming to host an informal meet that harks back to our roots as an unconference.

That is, our presenters are: you.

In the past, we have asked our community to come with their answers to a small set of questions. We have asked about lessons from the pandemic and lockdown, a changed world and changed world views, shocks and surprises, big decisions, new ideas and adventures, and much more that sprang from those.

This year we have a single question: is there a small change you have made in your life that has has had big results for you? And can you talk about it in two to three minutes?

It could be something you have always wanted to do, something you did for the first time (or something you did for the last time), a tweaking of your schedule, a new hobby you made time for… anything really that isn’t one of those ‘big changes’ like a new job or career, changing cities, getting into or out of a partnership.

If you’d like to speak, please fill out this form telling us a little about what you want to say. You will separately need to register via Zoom.

Of course, you can come just to listen too. Remember to register, though. (And we’ll keep a bit of space for anyone who decides to speak at the last minute.)

Sab continental: Gautham Shenoy

On a neon pink background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side. On top, in a yellow rectangle: Intersections Below, the headline: Sab continental Below, a subhead: Science fiction from the global south Next, the session date: 15 December Next, in a circular window, a black-and-white portrait of the presenter with their name: Gautham Shenoy And below that, a descriptor: Reader, critic Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image. In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

TG Shenoy is a long-time fan and reader of science fiction, fantasy and horror. He was the writer of India’s longest running weekly SF column, New Worlds Weekly, at FactorDaily. He also wrote the SpecFix column on science fiction for Bangalore Mirror. His articles & reviews have also appeared in the international magazine of SF, Locus Magazine, He has also been on the jury of the Locus Awards.

Desci Fiction: Lavanya Lakshminarayan

On a neon orange background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side. On top, in a yellow rectangle: Intersections Below, the headline: Desci Fiction Below, a subhead: Futures imagined with an Indian inflection Next, the session date: 15 December Next, in a circular window, a black-and-white portrait of the presenter with their name: Lavanya Lakshminarayan And below that, a descriptor: Novelist, game designer Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image. In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

Lavanya Lakshminarayan is the first Indian woman to be nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. She’s the multi-award winning author of The Ten Percent Thief and Interstellar MegaChef, and her work has been translated into multiple languages around the world. She’s occasionally a game designer, and has created worlds for FarmVille and Mafia Wars, among other games.

Brothers and the ’hood: Shiven Prem

On a neon pink background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side. On top, in a yellow rectangle: Society Below, the headline: Brothers and the ’hood Below, a subhead: How men can make better men Next, the session date: 17 November Next, in a circular window, a black-and-white portrait of the presenter with their name: Shiven Prem And below that, a descriptor: Learner, listener, teacher, facilitator Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image. In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

Shiven Prem worked as an editor in publishing, a video journalist, a facilitator and a guidance counselor, before he and three like-minded friends founded Biraadari in 2019. Their intention is to build and sustain a community of brothers that boys and men can have regular access to. Biraadari is a safe space where bros can chill and hang out with bros who not only want to be aware of their masculine wounds but also want to tend to them with loving care and compassion. Based in Coimbatore, Shiven has been working in a private school for two years, teaching languages, music and drama.

Men at work: Angarika Guha

On a neon blue background, a faint wave pattern runs down the right side. On top, in a yellow rectangle: Society Below, the headline: Men at work Below, a subhead: Evolving masculinities in India Next, the session date: 17 November Next, in a circular window, a black-and-white portrait of the presenter with their name: Angarika Guha And below that, a descriptor: Researcher, curator Below, at centre, the logotype for The Goa Project Sessions, which has the words ‘The Goa Project’ in white text next to a stylised sunset-and-water image, and next to that, the word ‘Sessions’ within a stylised video camera image. In a black strip at the bottom: Once every four weeks on Sundays, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. IST, on Zoom.

Angarika Guha works at Maraa, a media and arts collective, as a researcher and facilitator around issues of gender, caste and sexual violence. She also works as a curator of creative practices in public spaces, through festivals and monthly interventions in Bangalore, that foreground narratives of exclusion. She co-founded Freeda, an inter-generational theatre collective of women from Dalit and Adivasi communities and works closely with independent musicians.