Rochelle Potkar's Blog

Recently I gave a creative writing talk to media professionals and journalists/journalism students, drawing parallels between the two forms of writing.

You can listen in here on Spotify.

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Welcoming you, dear friends in #chennai to book launches of my comedic novel The D’Costa Family.
On 29th November at 5:30 pm by @theprakritifoundation. There will be dramatic readings from the book by Rajbarath & Muruganandam, directed by Vyshali Jeevu, followed by a conversation with @author_maya. Venue: Amdavadi Gujarati Snack House, T. Nagar, Chennai.

And by @fomrra on 30th November 3-6 pm a Book Spotlight with #bookclub BookWorms. Venue: Prestige Courtyards, OMR, Sholinganallur, Chennai. Thank you Harsha & Prabha. #booklaunch

   

Looking forward to the panel: Her Story in Verse 3.0 and a Haiku Workshop in Dehradun! @doonlitfest

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Thank you DiscoveryOfAnAuthor @DOA_Podcast’s Utkarsha Sharma for such a candid conversation on my (wee) writing life and latest novel: ‘The D’Costa Family’.

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Watch this episode now here: https://youtu.be/Xps99C2nekQ

#authors #fiction #novels #books #WritingCommunity

 

The book review of The D’Costa Family by Uttam Kumar (an independent researcher and educator) appears in The Deltagram – a Dhaka-based online newspaper. Indebted. Thank you Ahmede Hussain (Bangladeshi writer, whose ancestors hail from the former Portuguese enclave of Patherghata, Chittagong).

“The novel offers both an account of the decaying joint family systems and their underrated, taken-for-granted privileges that we have failed to account for in the process of their decay.”

You can read the whole review in the Comments Section of The Deltagram Facebook page here. https://www.facebook.com/TheDeltagram

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The D’Costas amble around the pages of The mid-day. Thank you Nandini Varma for your reading and appreciation of the book and to Fiona Fernandez.

Read the interview here.

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Talking to the receptive, quiet and brilliant students at Carmel College, Nuvem, Goa.Also, going through the genesis and making of The D’Costa Family.

Dr. Brian Mendonca captures the events of the day on his blog.

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https://rochellepotkar.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Nuvem-Carmel-workshop-reel.mp4

 

 

 

The intricate and nuanced way in which Shubha Dwivedi Mishra reads the stories from Bombay Hangovers (Hindi) is so redeeming.

“हर्ष का विषय है, कि कविता का एक सशक्त स्वर होने के साथ-साथ रोशेल पोतकर कहानी विधा को भी अपनी सृजनशीलता और सुचिंतित योगदान से समृद्ध बना रही हैं। मायानगरी मुंबई में पनपते,बसते जन-जीवन की दिलचस्प और भावोत्तेजक कहानियाँ उनके सद्य प्रकाशित और हिंदी में अनूदित प्रथम संग्रह-बॉम्बे हैंगओवर्स की आधार भूमि हैं।”

Thank you for this review, Shubha. Indebted and grateful to your intimate readings of the characters and their tales.
Read the review here.

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Thank you Ashutosh Dubey for publishing this review in Hindi Kunj.
With Dr. Divya Joshi.

 

Dear Friends,

You are invited this September weekend – Saturday and Sunday to the book launches of The D’Costa Family.

“Wickedly funny, Rochelle’s prose glimmers even in its darkest turns where graveyards come alive, curry pots stir secrets, and nightmares are never kept — they’re returned with interest. From Bombay to Callian (Kalyan), Calcutta to Goa, the story moves through inheritance, real estate, faith, and betrayal, giving us characters as unforgettable as their one-liners. Set in Burgundy House, the D’Costa ancestral home, we are ushered into a world where matriarchs like Rita D’Costa cling to grouses, grudges and jewels; sons stake their claims; and daughters their dreams.”

Join us for an engaging evening as I discuss my latest book.
In conversation with Heta Pandit
on 20th September 2025, 4:30 pm, 
The Dogears Bookshop, Margao.

&

In conversation with Michelle Bambawale
on 21st September 2025, 4 pm, 
The Flying Goa Cafe, Anjuna.

A review of the book by Maulee Senapati appeared in the Joao-Roque Literary Journal here. (Thank you, Selma Carvalho!)
A review by Heta Pandit in The Saligão Balcão, Edition 39.

And an interview by Christine Machado in The Navhind Times here.

I will also be interacting with the brilliant students of creative-writing at Carmel College, Nuvem sharing my practices and perspectives on Novel Writing on 19th September, thanks to Dr. Brian Mendonca.

RSVP for both bookstore events at:  me@rochellepotkar.com.
See you there! (Please share with friends you think might be interested.)

 

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Regards,
~Rochelle

The panel discussion on Mumbai’s Topography with Naresh Fernandes and Ekta Bhandari of was enriching for me too, as we saw our city in perspective.

You can listen to the entire conversation on the podcast: Rochelle’s Verandah. 

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Thank you @3arthouse @fictionarybooks for this space at The Neighborhood Festival 2025.