Meet Charleston Writer & Poet Shantam Goyal

Tidal Lantern's October Spotlight is Charleston writer and poet, Shantam Goyal!

He has published peer-reviewed academic articles, award-winning short fiction, and poetry and aspires to someday publish a novel. His collection of poems, Five Scenes in Brief, capture the sounds and spirit of Charleston and are sure to resonate with local residents. Visit Tidal Lantern's digital library to read them!

Dr. Goyal is also a Visiting Professor at the College of Charleston's English department. He recently joined us from New York, where he completed his PhD in English at the University of Buffalo. His studies began at the University of Delhi, one of India's most prestigious institutions of higher learning. His academic interests include James Joyce, the social role of "difficult" texts, modernism, Sound Studies, Indian Cinema, and Irish Literature.

First and most importantly, how do you like Charleston? What's your favorite thing so far?​

Bojangles!

How is life at the College of Charleston? What would you say sets campus culture apart from other universities?​

No other university has a memorial to Elizabeth Jackson, Andrew Jackson's mother.

You've mentioned being drawn to "difficult" texts. What does difficulty mean to you?

Difficult texts are difficult only because they are saying things which cannot be said in any other way. I like thinking about what those things might be.

How do you see your own poems engaging with that? Do you think your work asks something challenging of the reader?​

I can take on challenges but cannot throw them down.

Sound is central to your work. How do you balance sound with meaning when drafting a poem?

I cannot close my ears as well as I can close my eyes. Sounds just seep into the poems.

Do you think difficulty and sound are connected - like, can sound itself be a form of difficulty, or can it make difficulty more approachable and accessible?​

I like to think sound is more intuitive. We listen more freely than we read.

Would you say your poems are meant to be heard as much as read?​

They are too short, perhaps? If I recite them, they will be over as soon as they begin.

When readers talk about "not understanding" a poem, do you think sound can still give them an entry point?​

Yes, exactly. I love many songs I do not understand at all.

How do you see the role of 'difficult' texts in a world that also needs accessible literature?

All texts are accessible - some just need a little more time.

What does a difficult text give to a reader that a more accessible one does not? ​

Pause.

How do you think about inclusivity when it comes to difficulty in literature? Does it risk shutting people out or invite them to dig deeper?

Not every text needs to be understood. "Reading" can mean many different things.

How do you feel about the simplification of 'difficult' texts to make them more easily digestible and accessible to a wider audience? For example, translations into simpler language. What, if anything, is lost?

I do not feel too good.

Can difficulty coexist with accessibility, or are they inherently at odds? Is there a way for difficulty to challenge readers without excluding any audiences?​

Yes. Do not try to "solve" difficulty. Let it be and keep on reading even if something makes little sense. It is okay to not understand everything.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?​

I have a question for them: Do you all know someone who can give me advice on writing?

What about aspiring professors?​

You better enjoy teaching, the sound of your own voice, and grading on flights.

Visit Tidal Lantern's digital library to read Shantam Goyal's set of five poems, Five Scenes in Brief, or to submit your own work for publication! We are always looking for promising, up-and-coming writers, poets, musicians, and artists of all kinds to feature.