Oh, hi! Yes, this is us on a Friday, trying something completely new and, if we’re being honest, feeling a little nervous about it. Right now, we’re very stressed, because this is unfamiliar territory both for us and for the blog. But at the same time, we’re also really excited to introduce something we’ve been hoping to include for a while: our brand-new interview section.

From the very beginning, we envisioned Nonsense & Lit as more than just a space for our own writing. We wanted it to be a place where we could spotlight people doing interesting, thoughtful, and often underappreciated work in literature and language. We’ve always loved the idea of conversations with writers, readers, linguists, translators, teachers, and everyone in between. But to be completely transparent, one of the main challenges we kept running into was how to make it logistically sustainable. We weren’t sure if we had enough contacts to keep it going regularly, and we wanted to be intentional about who we featured. The goal was never to just interview friends or people we already knew, but to bring a variety of voices, perspectives, and lived experiences into the conversation.

And we’re so happy to say that today marks the beginning of that dream becoming real. This is the first in what we hope becomes a long-running series of interviews here on the blog. Welcome to the interview era of Nonsense & Lit.

Now, over to Karly, who conducted our first interview.

Let me introduce you to our first interviewee. I first came across Puspita through a post she shared on Threads, where she talked about receiving an excellent grade for an essay she had written on R.F. Kuang’s Babel—a novel that’s been very influential and thought-provoking for a large number of readers. Her post immediately caught my attention. I soon discovered she was an international student doing for a Master’s in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at the University of Edinburgh, which is where I did my degree in English Language. We ended up chatting for a bit about our experiences at Edinburgh, and I really enjoyed her thoughtful perspective and insight. After that conversation, I decided to ask if she’d be interested in answering a few questions for the blog, and I’m thrilled to say she was kind enough to say yes.

So, without keeping you waiting any longer, here is our first ever interview on Nonsense & Lit. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Nonsense & Lit: You wrote an essay on Babel, what was it about the representation of British and Chinese identities in the novel that sparked your academic interest?

Puspita: I personally think that ‘representation’ of EVERYTHING made by someone is one of the most direct ways of knowing that someone’s perspective on the ‘EVERYTHING’. RF Kuang has been one of my favorite authors since 2023 when I finished reading Babel. Knowing that she has a great list of academic achievements in Chinese studies and East Asian Languages and Literatures intrigued me to know more about what she thinks of her ancestors’ historical events in one of the most brutal eras. This way, I personally think I become one step closer to my most favorite author by knowing where she lies some parts of her empathy and stances from the perspectives of Chinese historical events. 

N&L: How did Babel resonate with your experience as someone studying language and education abroad? Did anything feel eerily familiar?

P: Interestingly, I think I love Babel because it strongly resonates with my undergraduate experience when I took Translation as my concentration field to focus on. In my fifth to seventh semesters during my undergraduate, my lectures were more about the translation process and I even had an internship to become a Translator. That was why when I read the Linguistics theories in Babel, it felt like I was having my old lectures that I loved dearly. When trying to relate Babel with my now experience studying Language abroad, I now understand more about the privilege of someone who was born with English as their L1. I now can understand that even when I can speak fluently, I will never be able to produce sentences as effortlessly as my friends who absorb English since the day they were born. I came to understand the meaning of ‘dream in English’. I do sometimes dream of speaking in English, but I do not dream in English. And will never do. And that is okay as I have my own language that is just as valuable.

N&L: Do you think fiction like Babel can teach us something about power and privilege in language classrooms?

P: Sure it can! I frequently find myself struggling with essays for weeks, only to receive the same grade as my friends, who are native English speakers and complete their essays in a week. Or sometimes I even receive lower grades than them. Because many times, we need more than good structured sentences and contents.

N&L: As someone in TESOL, how do you personally navigate the tension between English as a tool for opportunity and as a remnant of empire?

P: It has been an interesting topic of discussion in my classes from both terms here. We talked about decolonising English in our curriculum until last semester we discussed how English has always been providing privileges for its speakers and its ‘native speakers’. From these times, I come to an agreement with myself that, English is no longer something I will be overproud of (I used to do it when I was way younger because I did not have that many friends who can speak or even understand English), but rather I will keep reminding myself of how this language also carries colonial legacies that are still heavily influenced many aspects in our lives, such as job opportunities of just simply invisible sense of power due to the ability of speaking it. I will not deny the opportunities it brings to me as well, but from now on, I will use English as a tool as well as a subject to learn and enforce the concept of decolonisation. Because at the end of the day, we should start growing the mindset that all languages are equally valuable. 

N&L: Has living abroad changed how you think about your own cultural identity, or how others perceive it?

P: Living abroad makes me realize how visible I am now as I am a minority. This slapped me hard as I tried to find places to eat, to pray, or even just to find toilets. As a part of the majority back in my home country, I have never felt different and always have the privilege of being seen as ‘ordinary’. Even though I have never experienced bad things as a result of this situation, this makes me more aware to keep my behaviour and attitude and always try to adapt well in this environment.   

N&L: Are there books you return to for comfort when academic life gets overwhelming?

P: I have this sad fact that I will never be able to enjoy books when deadlines are around. It is hard for me to pick up books if I have not finished my essays or assignments. Even now as I am doing my dissertation, it feels so hard for me to read fiction. But, usually when I have no deadlines coming, I always go to romance. Could be from typical famous authors whose books everyone reads or I will go to dark academia books, such as (the last titles I read) If We Were Villains and The Secret History (I have not finished reading this one).  

N&L: What first drew you to TESOL, and when did you know you wanted to pursue it abroad?

P: It is a simple thing actually. English is a foreign language in my country and I studied English education in my undergraduate. So it was like just an automatic call for my masters. I love teaching and studying English is fun for me. I do have a day or two filled with crying, but apart from that, I guess it is one of my biggest privileges.

N&L: What role has literature played in shaping your idea of “home” now that you’re far from it?

P: The biggest role literature has given me so far is that they teach me histories. As a gen Z, I used to think that everything from the Western cultures always seemed cooler than my own and making them my goals and idols meant I was striving for modernity. As I delve deeper and read more about the world and my histories, I learned more about equality among others and came to the conclusion that my home is just as cool as many other places. Somewhere along the way of this journey of pursuing my master’s degree, I think I have decided that I will embrace my home, Indonesia, as my forever home and identity. Being far away from home makes me realize just how close my home is since the beginning.

N&L: What is a book that you find yourself constantly recommending?

P: Easiest answer: Babel. But I can understand that Babel could be ‘too much’ or ‘too less’ for some people who do not have interest in the themes Babel brings (post-colonial lit, slavery, racism, translation, or just basic linguistics stuff). But I still find myself getting really excited whenever I know someone starts reading Babel. 

N&L: Finally, what does a typical day in your life look like at the moment?

P: Really simple yet a bit intense: wake up, eat, write my dissertation, break, write more, sleep. I have been enjoying it as much as suffering from it. But I can’t complain. Again, as I mentioned before, to be in this place now is my privilege.

And that brings us to the end of our very first interview on Nonsense & Lit. I’m so grateful to Puspita for taking the time to share her thoughts and experiences with such care and clarity. It was a real pleasure to hear from someone who approaches language with both passion and purpose. You can follow Puspita on her Instagram if you’d like to see more of her journey.

If you enjoyed reading this, I hope you’ll stick around. We’re already planning more interviews with people doing fascinating work across literature, linguistics, education, and everything in between. Whether they’re writers, researchers, teachers, or readers with something to say, the aim is to build a space where these conversations can keep growing.

Thank you for being here. Let us know what you thought, and feel free to share any ideas for future interview guests. As always, happy reading, and see you soon.