Meher Manda
As seen in:
The Guardian,
Bustle,
Firstpost,
Foreign Policy Magazine,
Scroll.in,
Homegrown,
Better Photography India,
The Juggernaut,
Helter Skelter
Covers:
Cinema, Television, Music, Literature, and Contemporary Culture at Large. Interested in reviews through a feminist lens, and specialized focus in South Asian culture and artistic tradition.
Writer. Fierce Atheist. "Busted Models" (@nodearmagazine). Writer @jamunkaped. 📚 rep’d by @daniellechiotti & @kan_writersside
Interview
What was your first job as a journalist?
It was an internship at Hindustan Times, one of India's leading national newspapers in English, at the age of 17.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes!
How is social media changing news?
It's making it more dynamic and instantaneous. Which means everyone covering it is obligated to a fresh take, a different perspective.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Danny Concanon, West Wing
What does it mean to be a journalist?
To be the eyes, the ears, the tongues, when no other body is around.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Email.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Word for writing. Photoshop and InDesign for any designing work. Google for research.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter. For the news. For the hot takes. For the memes.
Who do you wish followed you?
Every publication I love reading.
Why did you become a journalist?
To write, cover, critique, consume, celebrate culture I love.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
There are a few, but recently, I stepped out of culture to write about India's feminist corporeal revolution about religious sexism.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Always question. Everything. Reportage never came out of pure facts, it came from a line of inquiry.
When's the best time to pitch you?
During the day.
What's your favorite drink?
Beer? No. It's water. Water.
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
In front of a book, or cooking.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
I enjoy coverage on IndieWire, Vulture, Pitchfork, Bitch Magazine, Bust Magazine, Bustle, Longreads, Wear Your Voice Mag, and I could go on.
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
That it's a summary, of an album, or a tv show, or a movie. There is real critical and academic value to culture coverage.
Would you like to take the Muck Rack Interview?
Create a Muck Rack profile.