MUMBAI, INDIA.- Writer, poet, and artist Devangana Mishra will release Desierto Florido in May, an interdisciplinary publication that brings together poetry, visual art, and photography. The launch will be accompanied by a series of book tours and poetry readings, extending the work into live, participatory contexts.
Desierto Florido draws on the early origins of poetic expression, referencing a time when poetry existed primarily in oral form, sung, recited, and transmitted collectively. Engaging with this lineage, the book considers poetry as a foundational mode of communication, historically used for prayer, instruction, and the articulation of shared emotional experience. Mishra’s approach situates the work within a continuum that spans from early rhythmic chants to more formalized structures such as the Italian sonnet.
The publication integrates text and image to create a layered visual and literary experience. Short poetic fragments are interwoven with photographic and artistic elements, emphasizing rhythm, pause, and sensory detail. Through this interplay, Desierto Florido explores the relationship between language and perception, inviting a slower and more reflective mode of engagement.
At the thematic core of the work is a response to contemporary conditions of accelerated time and attention. Mishra addresses the impact of increasingly compressed modes of communication on emotional and imaginative depth, positioning poetry and art as a space for reflection and reorientation. The book proposes a return to shared reading and collective interpretation as a means of re-engaging with language.
Devangana Mishra is the founder and CEO of Brain Bristle, a Mumbai-based foundation focused on inclusion for students on the autism spectrum in low-income schools and communities. Her academic background includes studies in autism and intellectual disabilities at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she was awarded the Elise Todden Scholarship and contributed to the Reading and Writing Project. Her professional work spans roles in educational and arts organizations in New York, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and India, including her tenure on the leadership team at Teach For India.
Mishra has presented her work at international forums, including the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2020. Her first book, 26, Kamala Nehru Ridge, Civil Lines, Delhi, received critical attention for its portrayal of pre-independence India. Her forthcoming title, May I Bombay?, continues her exploration of narrative and place.
Born in Jaipur, Mishra currently lives and works in Mumbai. With Desierto Florido, she extends her multidisciplinary practice, bringing together literary and visual forms in a work that examines the role of poetry in both historical and contemporary contexts.
