The Story of a Survivor
Some feelings are too heavy to say out loud. This debut gives them words, and a gentle way to set them down in your own time.
Some stories begin with silence. Others begin when we are ready to speak.
The Story of a Survivor is a debut collection of poems and imagery about the masks we wear, the voice we lose and find again, forgiveness, and the long journey back to ourselves.
Through an honest and gentle lens, Ketki Saxena explores the silences and struggles that can accompany survival, and the quiet process of reclaiming a self once lost.
Explore the book ↓Giving words to feelings that were once too difficult to hold.
The Story of a Survivor
The Story of a Survivor began as a way of giving words to feelings that were once too difficult to hold. Ketki Saxena’s debut turns those feelings into poems and imagery, shaped by the masks we wear, the voice we lose and find again, forgiveness, and the long way back to ourselves.
We often ask survivors why they stayed, without asking what made leaving feel impossible. When fear, hope, attachment and the gradual erosion of one’s sense of self become intertwined, staying is rarely as simple as it looks from the outside.
Sometimes, you don’t even realise how much of yourself you have had to give up until you begin finding your way back. The Story of a Survivor explores the silences, the struggles and the quiet process of reclaiming a self once lost.
If these are conversations we need to have, I hope you’ll read the book.
- Readers who love poetry that feels honest, not ornamental.
- Anyone working through healing, forgiveness, identity or a fresh start.
- People who have worn a “mask” at work, in family or online and want to put it down.
- Book clubs, writing circles and friends looking for a thoughtful, meaningful gift.
Feel. Reflect. Reclaim.
Feel
Poems that give language to emotions that were once hard to say out loud.
Reflect
Imagery and recurring ideas, like the mask and the voice, invite you to pause and look inward.
Reclaim
A gentle movement towards forgiveness, self-understanding and your own voice.
Ketki Saxena and The Story of a Survivor
Discover the conversations around healing, voice, forgiveness and finding your way back to yourself.
Three cities. One ongoing conversation.
The book has begun its journey with conversations on healing, voice and forgiveness, alongside readings and open discussion.
Some stories are not meant to be forgotten. They are meant to be felt, shared, and heard. The launch celebrated The Story of a Survivor, a powerful collection of poems tracing a journey from silence and survival to awakening and self-discovery.
The conversation and celebration brought together Ketki Saxena, Siddhi Kapoor, Vibha Sareen, Preeti Chaturvedi and Nikita Chawla. A story of courage. A voice reclaimed. A journey from the wreckage of silence.
View Gurgaon launch reel →The Story of a Survivor returned to the city where Ketki first dreamed, back at IIT Bombay, of supporting survivors of domestic abuse. Moderated by Komal Nahta, the conversation with Siddharth P. Malhotra, Amita Pathak Sachar, Prerna of Maa of All Blogs, Avantika and Ketki went beyond a launch: it was about survival, finding your voice and moving forward.
Siddharth also spoke about overcoming a difficult period and why the book’s purpose resonated with him.
View Mumbai launch reel →The Dehradun book launch came as a beautiful surprise. At Highland Bake House, what was planned as a book talk became a long, open conversation where readers shared what they had carried quietly.
Ketki thanked Rahul for organising the evening and Rashmi and Rohit Mishra for their warmth and for creating a beautiful space for her poems and the conversations around them.
View Dehradun launch photo →From the book's journey
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