She Seeks

She Seeks The stories in She Seeks essentially revolve around how humans have used their minds to navigate a complex world. The mind in constant interaction with a dynamic environment is perpetually seeking answers. Sometimes this takes the form of a yearning for or a desire to connect with the past--often termed as nostalgia. The journey down the memory lane can shed a light on a present predicament or a problem or lead to new self-realizations. In other situations the mind works like a laser beam; honing in on an enigma or mystery with a singular objective of solving it. The mind prescribes what action is required to be taken in times of imminent danger or threats. Such actions can take the form of fight or flight adrenalin-fueled adventures or outmanoeuvring the adversary by deploying--to paraphrase the famous detective Hercule Poirot--ones gray cells.Women have relied on their minds--their best asset--to challenge the status quo of power privilege and corruption in society. The stories in this volume portray women using their minds in ingenious ways often leveraging their experiences to address a situation. Munni Masis morality tales crafted from family lore is meant to arouse the curiosity and imagination of young minds (The Summer House); while a chance meeting with a little girl in a park makes a middle-aged lady reconnect to her younger happier and most authentic self (The Girl With the Mismatched Rubber Bands). Akriti and Suchishree both lean heavily on the past to find a way out of faltering relationships (Yesterday Once More; LAnge Protecteur). But their tryst with nostalgia could not be more different. Ashas search for a simple family recipe from her home country leads to an unexpected yet heart-warming reve-lation about her great grandmothers entrepreneurial abilities (The Nostalgic Garden). A sophisticated urbanites assumptions are challenged by a village detective who is determined to prove that she possesses clairvoyant powers (Mataji Knows Best). The story of the rescue of another city dweller from the clutches of bandits in the badlands of Uttar Pradesh is a jaw dropping thriller (Kidnapped). Two savvy women manage to outwit a corrupt business magnate and an obdurate bureaucrat by their sheer chutzpah (The Showdown and A Tale of Mystery and Intrigue). A teenager and a young woman take on the role of avenging angels in classic tales of good versus evil (The Purple Star and Godhuli). Then there are possibilities that lie beyond the realm of human consciousness. Radha Sasha and Jezzie take enormous risks by immersing themselves in other worldly adventures in their single-minded quest for truth and love (Turiya; Yatra and The Other Her). SHE Writers Group completes 5 years! The She Writers Group believes in creative activism and has 45 women of Indian origin from around the world. Coming from diverse professional backgrounds these women have come together to write and give a creative platform to the female voice by publishing five books of short stories and one of poetry. Books published include: She Speaks (short stories 2018) She Reflects (flash fiction 2021) She Celebrates (short stories 2021) Emotions in Rhythm (poems 2021) and She Shines (short stories 2022). With She Seeks (short stories 2023) based on mystery and nostalgia; the She Writers group is celebrating their fifth anniversary!