Aparna Burke
“I wanted to ‘start’ somewhere, stop just talking about it and actually accomplish something.”
Heartlines explores what it means to write – from the heart and soul – and where that writing takes us. Every writer’s journey is different, so we invite you to take a moment to read, pause and reflect on what it means to shape stories for the page.
Aparna Burke is a first-generation Australian born to Punjabi Indian parents who migrated in the early 1970s, narrowly avoiding, but still enduring the hangover of, the “White Australia Policy”, which was abolished in 1966. She has a collection of poems that are a reflection of her childhood in 1980s Perth. Aparna grew up in a gorgeous multicultural setting, with parents who desperately wanted to assimilate while holding onto beliefs, traditions and culture from a faraway home. She is in love with words and their power and, hence, often fascinated by how something so personal can resonate and penetrate the world of others.
Centre for Stories: What are you currently reading and what are you enjoying about it?
Aparna Burke: On Writing by Stephen King. How he shapes his craft is inspirational and surprisingly practical. There is a refreshing lack of ego, practical yet whimsical, and it makes me laugh.
CFS: What inspired you to pursue writing?
AB: A Year Five project in which my piece was featured in the school newsletter. It was when I understood that words elicit feelings and emotions in a reader.
CFS: Is there a particular book that changed your life?
AB: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. That is the most spectacular use of words I have ever known.
CFS: What inspired you to join the Writing Change, Writing Inclusion program and how has your mentor shaped your writing so far?
AB: I wanted to ‘start’ somewhere, stop just talking about it and actually accomplish something. My mentor, Ana Brawls, has shaped my writing with kindness and support, she has inspired me to be brave, give meaning to my fears, and embrace writing for me, not necessarily for an audience. She has given me perspective and tools and has such a love for writing and humans that I was very lucky.
CFS: What writing did you work on with Ana?
AB: A poem. Deeply personal and confronting, Ana encouraged me to embrace the vulnerability of the content and helped me shape my draft into a piece I am now comfortable sharing. Â
CFS: When you’re not writing, what do you prefer doing in your free time?
AB: Spending my time with people who bring me joy and scrolling Instagram, haha.
Aparna Burke is a first-generation Australian born to Punjabi Indian parents who migrated in the early 1970s, narrowly avoiding, but still enduring the hangover of, the “White Australia Policy”, which was abolished in 1966. She has a collection of poems that are a reflection of her childhood in 1980s Perth.
Writing Change, Writing Inclusion is Centre for Stories’ signature writing program for 2021 to 2024. Generously funded by The Ian Potter Foundation, Australia Council for the Arts, My Place, and Centre for Stories Founders Circle, this writing program features mentoring, hot desk, and publication opportunities for emerging writers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and/or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander backgrounds.
Copyright © 2024 Aparna Burke.
These stories have been licensed to the Centre for Stories by the Storyteller. For reproduction and distribution of these stories, please contact the Centre for Stories.
This interview was published in 2024.