# S3E131: From Forests to Fiction: Arefa Tehsin on Writing, Wildlife & Women’s Voices

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-abouther-show-with-sangeeta-relan-6385791/s3e131-from-forests-to-fiction-arefa-tehsin-on-writing-wildlife-women-s-voices
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-abouther-show-with-sangeeta-relan-6385791/s3e131-from-forests-to-fiction-arefa-tehsin-on-writing-wildlife-women-s-voices.md
Podcast: [The AboutHer Show with Sangeeta Relan](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-abouther-show-with-sangeeta-relan-6385791)
Published: 2026-01-01T04:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sangeeta--relan/episodes/S3E131-From-Forests-to-Fiction-Arefa-Tehsin-on-Writing--Wildlife--Womens-Voices-e3cqsfl
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/e0659394/podcast/play/113127349/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-11-26%2F415016932-44100-2-30dbc807dd8eb.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-abouther-show-with-sangeeta-relan-6385791/episodes/s3e131-from-forests-to-fiction-arefa-tehsin-on-writing-wildlife-women-s-voices
Duration seconds: 1932

## Resource

In this episode of The AboutHer Show , author and conservationist Arefa Tehsin shares her extraordinary journey of writing 19 books for children and adults, growing up in the wild with renowned naturalist Dr Raza Tehsin, and using storytelling as a powerful tool for nature conservation. From the internationally acclaimed The Witch on the Peepul Tree to the globally celebrated The Elephant Bird , Arefa speaks about fantasy, feminism, wildlife, and what success truly means as a writer today, a conversation rooted in forests, stories, and strong women’s voices. For more detailed insights, read the full article on our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://aboutherbysangeeta.com/arefa-tehsin/ Chapters: (0:00) - Walking Into the Wild An introduction to Arefa Tehsin, writer, conservationist, and storyteller rooted in nature. (3:10) - A Life of 19 Books From picture books to adult fiction, Arefa reflects on a prolific and genre-spanning writing journey. (5:51) - The Witch on the Peepul Tree The inspiration behind her acclaimed adult novel and its recognition at The Asian Prize for Fiction. (10:43) - Building Fantasy Worlds The creative challenges of writing fantasy and constructing immersive, believable worlds. (13:20) - Growing Up Wild Childhood days in forests with her father, naturalist Dr Raza Tehsin, and how they shaped her worldview. (15:25) - Can Literature Save Nature? How stories, especially for children, can nurture empathy, curiosity, and conservation. (18:00) - Why The Elephant Bird Flew So Far What made this picture book universally resonant across cultures, languages, and geographies? (19:24) - Facing Bias as a Woman Writer Navigating gender bias while writing across nature, fantasy, and literary spaces. (20:51) - Writing Strong Protagonists Why strength, curiosity, and agen…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-abouther-show-with-sangeeta-relan-6385791/episodes/s3e131-from-forests-to-fiction-arefa-tehsin-on-writing-wildlife-women-s-voices/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-abouther-show-with-sangeeta-relan-6385791/s3e131-from-forests-to-fiction-arefa-tehsin-on-writing-wildlife-women-s-voices.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.