The Blaft Book of Anti-Caste SF is an anthology of weird, fantastic, supernatural, Dalit futurist, and magical realist fiction by writers from South Asia and the diaspora. Edited by R.T. Samuel, Rakesh K., and Rashmi R.D., this collection brings together an impressive array of voices. The anthology features original English short stories, translations, and graphic by celebrated authors such Bama, Mimi Mondal, Gogu Shyamala, and many others. Speculative fiction (SF) is of course a broad genre – an umbrella term for writing on magical realism, space odysseys, AI, ghosts, etc. In the Indian context, SF has a long history, and while it has engaged with social issues, it tends to be largely be published by and written by privileged communities. This book, therefore, to quote the publishers is a curation of “SF stories that take anti-caste stances and launch them into the future, outer space, the lairs of nightmarish monsters, and bizarre solarpunk dreamscapes.”

Ipsa S. and Pratiti Ketoki will read and discuss their translation of "God's Garden" by Goutam Mandal, a really fascinating story from the anthology, originally written in Bangla.

Pratiti Ketoki is a translator and PhD student at the Department of Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature, with an MA in Asian Studies from UC Berkeley. Their work focuses on modern and contemporary Bengali literature, new media, and South Asian musical cultures. They have translated "Exiled from Ayodhya: A Journey in Search of the Ramayana" by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay.

 Ipsa S. is a graduate student in the English Department at UWM with a background in history and creative writing. Their interests include gender, sexuality, and linguistics. They have translated "Hidden Treasure" by Sangeeta Bhattacharya and continue to explore literary translation alongside their academic work.

Moderated by Anushmita Mohanty