Written by AnneMarie Auvenshine (Inspired by Senthil’s Journey in the novel “A Friend”) There’s a moment every writer dreams of — not the moment a book gets published, but the moment it stops being yours and starts belonging to someone else entirely. For me, that moment didn’t happen at a bookstore signing or a five-star…
The Vacations We Didn’t Take
Written by AnneMarie Auvenshine (Inspired by Senthil’s Journey in the novel “A Friend”) Summer has a way of asking questions you didn’t know you were carrying. As the season winds down this year, I find myself doing what I do every August: counting backward. How many years has it been since I left Milwaukee for…
A Physician’s lack of empathy on disability
I have faced many challenges dealing with hearing loss, social anxiety, and broken friendships. It has created a roadblock on many aspects of life. In recent years, I’ve confronted a new medical issue: limited peripheral vision and Usher Syndrome, due to my hearing loss. Despite this, I try my best to live a fulfilling life….
How MyKayla Skinner’s Story Helped Me Speak Up About Cyberbullying
When I watched Olympic gymnast MyKayla Skinner speak openly about the bullying she endured — including from one of the most beloved athletes in the world, Simone Biles — I felt something shift inside me. Her vulnerability was raw. Her courage? Unmistakable. And in her voice, I recognized something familiar: the quiet pain of being…
Bullies, Back Then and Now: Why A Friend Still Matters
Bullying isn’t new—but it has changed. If you were a middle school student in the 1980s, you might remember bullying as something that happened face-to-face: being teased in the classroom, whispered about in the cafeteria, or made to feel small in the hallway. It was loud. It was personal. But once the school bell rang, you…
New Beginnings
My name is Senthil Srinivasan, and I am the author of the newly published novel A Friend. This story explores themes of overcoming challenges related to social isolation, bullying, disabilities, and friendship, among others. I believe my book can serve as an inspiring resource for readers of all ages, offering insight into the obstacles I…