EP #71: Tanya Selvaratnam - Emmy-Nominated Producer, Writer, Abuse Survivor & Social Justice Champion

Tanya Selvaratnam (@tanyaauthor) is an Emmy-nominated producer, writer, abuse survivor and social justice champion.She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss reading at the age of 2, her last book Assume Nothing and the impact she hopes it has along with her upcoming book Leaf Me Alone, her first film getting into the Sundance Film Festival and the opportunities that came out of this, having a photographic memory, her creative writing process, being a survivor of abuse, and so much more.Follow Tanya:- Twitter (https://twitter.com/tanyaauthor) - Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tanyaauthor/)Timestamps00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Tanya Selvaratnam00:50 - Growing up in California; her early passion for reading02:31 - Tanya speaks on being a storyteller and teases her current novel04:22 - The trajectory that a women’s conference in China in 1995 led Tanya on06:38 - Deepa Mehta’s Anatomy of Violence07:56 - Being recruited to work for the Pop Culture Collaborative08:52 - Her experience growing up with Tamils; discrimination stories (colourism)12:54 - What it means to be a Producer; how Tanya secures big opportunities15:20 - Initially wanting to be a Diplomat or Academic; Sundance17:20 - How Tanya overcame knowledge gaps and her views on success versus luck19:22 - Tanya’s creative writing process, being an avid notetaker, and how she wrote two books23:19 - What her book Assume Nothing is about, what she hopes the impact of it is25:09 - Stories she’s heard, and the importance of talking about abuse 27:20 - Why Tanya doesn’t read the news, and if there’s any value in forgiving an abuser29:38 - Spending very little time on social media31:13 - Training herself to be a good extrovert31:49 - Having her book optioned by ABC and Disney, how much creative input she has33:00 - Tanya wants to write 3 more books in the next 5 years34:03 - Her most painful experience and what she’s learned from it35:29 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self and the legacy she wants to leave behind36:16 - Creator Confessions38:28 - Tanya gives a shout out to a Tamil creator44:32 - The Wrap UpIntro MusicProduced And Mixed By:- The Tamil Creator- YanchanWritten By:- Aravinthan Ehamparam- Yanchan Rajmohan          Support the show