2026 Varta Storytelling Festival: Lineup and Activities
We’re eager to welcome you to Austin and be a part of the fifth Varta storytelling festival. I…
STORYTELLING| BENTO MAGAZINE | PARENTING TIPS
Creating Little Joys and Magical Stories
Peerbagh works with a mission to spotlight artists, encourage reading, and bring back the joy of storytelling in our lives. We celebrate South-Asian stories and create culturally-rooted experiences for communities.
SXSW Edu Semifinalist in 2024!
Product of Culture Editor’s Choice in 2024 and 2025!
Listed on Midwest Book Review in 2025!
UPCOMING EVENTS
ENGAGE WITH STORYTELLING
Bento is HERE- get yours!
Peerbagh’s official children’s magazine is here. Join as a member today!
QUARTERLY
PRINT MAGAZINE
Zubaani Season 4
Season 4 for Zubaani talks about weaving heritage with lived experiences!
ONLINE
SEASONS 1-4 LIVE
Bento StoryLab
Author and poet Suma Subramaniam and Dastango Rahul Rastogi for storytelling & poetry writing!
Oct 24th (Online)
10:00-11:30 am ET
Youth Contest
Our 8th youth writer’s contest is now accepting entries. Bento members submit without a reading fee!
Aug 15, 2026
Submit online
Why this work matters?
Only 10% of books K-12 are written by authors of color. Many people do not see themselves reflected in books. We spotlight lesser known stories from South Asia allowing all of us to understand one another meaningfully. We think of books and stories as a bridge to build empathy, nuance, and critical thinking. Research shows that intergenerational storytelling is an existential resource like clean air or water. It’s not just important for one community but for all of us as stories become a part of our collective consciousness.
Psychologist Dr. Albert Bandura’s research described four sources that determine a person’s beliefs about their own creative agency: a) small wins, b) vicarious experiences or representation, c) tips, and d) well-being. Through our work, we touch on all of these sources of creative-confidence. Sustainable creativity works with an inherent assumption of worthiness. All of us deserve to have our experiences reflect in books. And if we can’t find them, we’re ready to write them!
Partners and supporters
Join our monthly newsletter community
We write a beautiful newsletter for parents, educators, and creatives to get book recommendations, tips, information on upcoming events, submission details, and more. In addition, Bento members receive FREE monthly printables with their newsletters.
When you subscribe to the newsletter you will be able to get a FREE creativity manifesto.
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