Review in Borderless Journal

"Joshi’s poems delineate subtle contradictions between the body-as-construct and the body-as-experience with insight, freshness, and candour. There is little sentimentality in these pages, almost no lamentations of victimhood, and hardly any regret for life as it has been or is. But in their abrupt matter-of-factness and remarkable economy of expression, these poems manage to communicate a startling range of emotions – pain, fear, shame, depression, self-loathing, forbearance, and self-confidence."

Review in Purple Pencil Project

"I read Kuhu Joshi’s My Body Didn’t Come Before Me in a single sitting while recovering from an illness, and it turned out to be a delightfully refreshing read that was hard to put down till the end." - Samiksha Ransom reviews My Body Didn't Come Before Me

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Review by Youth Ki Awaaz India

“My Body Didn’t Come Before Me” by Kuhu Joshi reminds me of Frida Kahlo

"The poet in this poetry collection of fragmented blank verses has subtly described her journey from childhood to adulthood, from being a patient, then becoming a woman and later being a lover. In all these narrations, her constant struggle to escape from the confines of her body of a scoliosis patient and then a growing woman is evident. Her search for herself amidst the judgements and labels of the society is relatable for every woman." - Nupur J for Youth Ki Awaaz

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Launch and Conversation with The Make Space

In November 2023, Make Space founder Aditi Rao hosted Kuhu Joshi for a celebration of her book, and a conversation on the creative process. 

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Interview with The Wise Owl

"My Body Didn’t Come Before Me is a chant, a prayer, a quiet call for defiance. For as long as I can remember, I have felt defined and confined by my body and its limitations. In that sense my body always came before me, as an obstacle, a barrier. My relationship with my body was further complicated by being a girl in a conservative patriarchal society. The title reclaims the fullness of the person behind the body."

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Interview with Platform Magazine

"I wrote these poems over the course of two very difficult years of my life. At the time I didn’t think I was writing a book. I was really depressed and there was nothing I could do but write. I know how romantic and cliche that sounds. But really, I was writing to save my life."

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Usawa Literary Review

Excerpts from 'My Body Didn't Come Before Me' featured in Usawa Literary Review.

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" What your doctor will tell you:
Forty-five degrees to the right. Thoraco-lumbar.
Cut open. Iron rod. Stitch. Small
Surgery. Milwaukee. Kuch nahin hota hai. Insert."

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