‘Sohini’s editorial notes play on the potential that she sees in the work and comes in the form of exercises, possible directions for flight, subtle reckonings and the most astute observations. Sohini helped me pick on patterns and concepts that I did not see before, flushing them out in more intentional ways, apart from also nudging me to experiment more. Her first round of feedback enabled me to grow the work in a new (and ferocious) way and by the time we reached our second round, the collection bore its face with so more calm and determination. Overall, I must say, our exchanges and editorial meetings were also very soft and exciting – unlike several such encounters and their withheld dynamics.’
– Avrina Prabala-Joslin

‘Sohini Basak is a dream editor. She is generous with her time and suggestions, resourceful with her literary connections, and a stunningly close and insightful reader of prose and poetry both. Working with her on The World that Belongs to Us: An Anthology of Queer Poetry from South Asia was joyful. She was always helpful to her authors, and created a very collegial working environment.’
– Akhil Katyal

‘Sohini copyedited one of our key titles for the year and she was great – communicative, great attention to detail and engagement with the subject of the book which led to very helpful suggestions and feedback, and a pleasure to work with. I would definitely recommend her as a copyeditor.’
– Fritha Saunders, Footnote Press

‘I had a chance to work with Sohini on my short story. By the end of it, my story was transformed, and I was able to look at it from a very different perspective. Working with Sohini helped me rewrite the story, which went on to get longlisted for a prestigious short fiction award.’
– Abhimanyu Acharya

‘I loved working with Sohini on my first book of poems, They Gather Around Me, the Animals. At the start of the editorial process, Sohini asked me a bunch of gentle but foundational questions which invited me to clarify my vision for the manuscript and led to the making of new poems which now form a good chunk of my book … She also encouraged me to try out forms like the pantoum or the burning haibun, forms I’d never attempted before. One of my biggest concerns was ordering the manuscript; Sohini’s insights were absolutely invaluable in this regard and helped me reimagine the arc of the book.’ – Kunjana Parashar

‘We have loved working with Sohini on several freelance editorial projects, from employing her to read and report on our submissions to taking on full editorial of a poetry pamphlet and teaching workshops for writers. We have always admired her clear eye for strong work, easy communication and ability to get the best from a piece of writing.’
– James Trevelyan, Emma Press

‘Sohini holds a panoramic view of the text throughout her editing process. Her hold on substantive editing allows the necessary psychic distance that an author may falter on sometimes. She lets the author retain their autonomy while tirelessly working on the coherent unity of the book. With her calm demeanour she is equally great on alleviating anxiety, especially during the last and very disorienting phase of editing the manuscript.’
– Farah Bashir

‘Working with Sohini was such a great experience for me. She quickly understood the strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript and articulated these clearly in our editorial conversation. My discussion with Sohini expanded how I thought about my writing, and helped me see avenues for improvement. I found her notes incredibly useful, and have continued to refer to them as I revise.’
– Mahreen Sohail

‘Sohini Basak and I first worked together on my poetry collection, The Altar of the Only World, and her gifts for seeing the true capaciousness of a work, attunement to lyrical possibility and gentle approach gave me absolute confidence when we subsequently worked on my novel The Queen of Jasmine Country. She is an editor whom I would entrust with any manuscript that is heartfelt and fully-fledged yet not fully-hewn. In those tender moments between creator and creation, she wields insight, craft and perspective that strengthen both one’s work and one’s vision for it.’
– Sharanya Manivannan

‘Working with Sohini on my graphic narrative was a deeply grounding and affirming experience. Her thoughtful, intuitive edits allowed the story to breathe more fully while holding its emotional core with care. It felt like a steady, enjoyable collaboration with someone who genuinely understood the visual rhythm of the work.’ – Rai