Welcome to Assemblage!

And thank you so much for being here. It means a lot.

Whether it’s your first time here or you’ve been around for awhile, I wanted to be sure to introduce myself.

My name is Ramya, and I - like most of you - am many things.

Among them: a Mother. Internationalist. Voyager. Vibe seeker. Sunset chaser. Poet and storyteller.

Some other fun facts about me? I was born in India (Chennai) and grew up in the U.S. At present I live in Washington D.C., with my 10-year-old son Rohan. For over 20 years now, I’ve been working in the realm of international development and education. That work has given me the gift of the world, as I’ve lived over the years in Uganda, Senegal, Malawi, Guinea, France and Thailand before eventually returning “home.” But as you might guess – I experience the notion of home to be multihued, infused with the colors, ways of being and memories of those and other places.

But turning back to poetry and stories. The fact that I’m now putting them out into the world is a bit of a new development.

Don’t get me wrong - I’ve always had a penchant for words. That inclination has expressed itself in different forms over the course of my life: a book of poems and a play (both written when I was 7 years old), a spelling bee win or two, high school Saturdays spent at speech & debate tournaments, missives from “the field” to family and friends during the years I spent working in Africa in particular and eventually a food blog.

And yet.

My creative wellspring and desire to share of myself through words lay largely dormant until shortly after my 44th birthday, when I was spending some cherished time in the place that I consider my other home - Treasure Beach, Jamaica.

Enveloped by fiery sunsets and blankets of stars and stillness and connection, a bit of poetry started flowing out of me, bit by bit.

Along with it came a desire to share of myself more broadly. And thus 44 Revolutions was born.

At the end of each month, I share a roundup of things I read, music that serenaded my days and nights, the podcasts and pieces that made me reflect, food that seasoned my palate, magic potions and things that made me smile, along this messy and beautiful journey called life. Each missive is signed off with a poem, because it’s through poetry that I feel most able to make the connections between the many imprints and sentiments that course through me at any given moment.

Beyond the monthly round-up, I’ll confess that I’m still experimenting and getting to know myself as a writer. I suspect and hope that this will be a lifelong journey!  So if you subscribe, in addition to the roundups you’ll occasionally also receive short essays, poems in different formats and…who knows what else?! Thank you for receiving it all with a generous heart, and if you are indeed moved to subscribe, share, ‘restack’, comment or ‘like’ – please know that you’re making my day!

While I toy off and on with the idea of putting up a paywall and restricting some content to paid subscribers (and this is certainly what the Substack platform seems to want me to do), this simply doesn’t feel right for me at this time. At least for now, the ability to share my words and to have you read them – hopefully discovering something in them that resonates, inspires, comforts or gives you pause – feels like the most wonderous gift. I want to share this gift with as many people as possible.

That being said, if you wish to support my work financially and have the means to do so, please know that it would mean the world to me! Becoming a paid subscriber will set you back just $5/month (or $50 for an annual subscription). It won’t get you any exclusive “content” for now, but think of it as contributing to a proverbial tip jar – one that very much motivates and keeps me going.

And whether you’re a new or have been here for a while: I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a comment or drop me an email introducing yourself and letting me why you signed up. Or just say hi. I always read and respond to every message.

Thank you, again, for being here!

One love,

Ramya

P.S.: If you can’t find my posts in your inbox, please check your spam folder and make sure to mark me as ‘not spam’ to make sure you don’t miss anything.