We were lucky to catch up with Anya Mathew recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Anya, thank you so much for joining us today. There are so many topics we could discuss, but perhaps one of the most relevant is empathy because it’s at the core of great leadership and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your empathy?
As a child, I spent every summer with my grandmother in India. I often walked with her to our local market, where I witnessed her generosity firsthand. She would stop to give food or money to those on the streets who didn’t have homes or enough money to eat. While as a child I was afraid of strangers (I was quite young so the stranger danger mindset still had me), the smile she received from those people truly left a lasting impression on me. Those moments remind me of the importance of kindness and truly understanding the situations others may be going through.
Listening to my grandmother’s stories also shaped my understanding of hardship and resilience. She shared how she had to leave school to help her family, carrying her little brother, who had polio, to school on her back every day. Hearing about her struggles and sacrifices opened my eyes to the challenges others face, even if they’re not immediately visible.
Through observing her kindness I was encouraged to give back to those in need as well. She always reminded me to look beyond the surface and consider the circumstances of others. Overall, this childhood I was blessed to experience taught me to approach situations and people from multiple perspectives, fostering a sense of empathy that I carry with me today. My grandmother’s lessons on generosity and understanding have shaped the way I connect with others, prompting me to consider their experiences and feelings first.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Hi everyone! My name is Anya Mathew and I’m the founder and CEO of TheFinePrint, a nonprofit digital publishing organization dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices in STEM and creative writing.
To me, writing is not just about words on a page; it’s about conveying and preserving thoughts that resonate with others, sometimes even for generations to come. Many people from minority backgrounds often walk through the world feeling unheard and pushed aside. As an Indian girl passionate about STEM research and a lover of creative expression through poetry and short stories, I have encountered having my voice overlooked due to my gender and race. Today, many talented writers and researchers from underrepresented backgrounds continue to struggle for visibility and recognition. I’ve noticed a significant lack of diversity in the reading materials used in schools, where the contributions of women and people of color are often sidelined. This realization sparked a question: why aren’t these diverse perspectives being showcased? Imagine how our understanding of the world could transform if we amplified the voices of an immigrant mother or showcased the groundbreaking discoveries of women in STEM in creative writing and research.
Driven by this desire for change, I founded TheFinePrint. I believe that sharing these diverse narratives allows us to enrich our collective understanding and foster better solutions for the challenges we face. With TheFinePrint, I am committed to celebrating the richness and diversity that has long been missing, aiming to build a more equitable society by ensuring that these diverse voices are given the opportunity to shine.
One of the most special or unique aspects of TheFinePrint is the butterfly in our logo. The butterfly shows how we want all our authors and researchers who publish through TheFinePrint to grow their dreams like a butterfly. Butterflies symbolize freedom and similarly, we hope our authors feel free with their writing, knowing no matter their race, gender, or socioeconomic status they have every right to have their voices heard.
I’m also excited to share some of our upcoming events. This November, we’re celebrating Native American Heritage Month with a Literary Festival that invites those of Native American heritage or those writing about related themes to share their work. Additionally, we’re excited to launch our Winter Collection, featuring works that explore the theme of “What Winter Means to You.” Extended information on submission deadlines, criteria, and information is on our Linktree on our Instagram (@thefineprint_nfp). These events are just a few ways we’re working to highlight diverse voices and create meaningful impact. We believe that every story deserves to be told, and we can’t wait to see what our community will share!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back countless qualities impacted my journey such as resilience, transparency, delegation, communication, and more. However if I had to pick three that impacted me the most while starting and growing TheFinePrint I’d have to choose confidence, courage, and decisiveness.
To begin, confidence is a quality I can’t stress the importance of enough. When creating a new piece, conveying your perspective to an audience, or leading change in a specific topic, you’re going to face a lot of situations with roadblocks, denial of your proposals, rejection, struggle, and more. However, you must have the confidence to push past these challenges and tackle them head on. For example, one issue for me in my journey when TheFinePrint was just beginning was spreading our organization to other schools and nonprofit organizations. I worried that many might dismiss our mission since we were a new nonprofit. However, I was confident that even in the face of rejection, we could still achieve our goals. By cold emailing organizations and attending meetings with assurance in our capabilities, I spread our mission and built lasting connections. Confidence played a crucial role in my journey, allowing me to push aside the “what ifs” and focus on why I started TheFinePrint: to amplify underrepresented voices in STEM and creative writing—an issue that affects me and millions around the world.
Next, courage is a trait that impacted my journey greatly. Back when TheFinePrint was simply google documents of my thoughts I was so excited to implement my plan and ideas. However, one aspect I came to quickly recognize was that I had to find a team. Initially, I was hesitant to begin interviews and promotion for board director positions as I was fearful no one would apply. I realized though that if I didn’t even take the chance no one would know the organization, community, and change I wanted to build. So, I took that leap of courage and posted it on my Slack and LinkedIn communities, looking for candidates from all types of backgrounds. To my surprise, many candidates, nationwide and internationally, had reached out to me to apply. Overall, courage was such an impactful quality in my journey because without the courage to share my mission and vision, I would never have the amazing, creative board team I have today.
Lastly, decisiveness is a quality that was critical in my journey of starting and growing TheFinePrint. Now don’t get me wrong—I don’t always have the right answer! In some situations in my life, like even ordering ice cream, you can find me being indecisive with the simplest choice between 2 flavors. Yes, I am the friend who searches up the menu of a restaurant before going just so I don’t take too long when I get there, but I like to think of it more as being prepared. However, when developing TheFinePrint I was not indecisive on the deadlines I set for myself and my team. When we were going through our pre-launch time, the deadlines for my team were strict. However, there were some issues in the middle of this time with the completion of key components to get us ready for launch. While it was understandable if we were a few days behind, weeks put all of our departments behind. As such, I needed to be decisive on replanning and rearranging certain events so we could still meet certain goals on time as well as communicate to my team the urgency of certain tasks. Something I encourage leaders who aspire to enact change in a target area, whether that concerns starting an organization or not, is to be understanding when certain events don’t go the way you plan. This might happen a lot, and it’s important to be flexible to rearrange certain aspects and details so you can ensure you’re still on track. However, when you have to push a deadline back so much that it delays a majority of your departments I encourage you to be assertive on how you will fix the issue. Without decisiveness, the delay will go on for an extended time delaying not only your departments/teams but your mission as well.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
Reflecting on my journey, I can confidently say that my grandmother and mother have been the most helpful in overcoming challenges and developing the essential skills I needed to succeed. My grandmother, with her captivating storytelling, instilled in me a deep appreciation for the power of writing. She taught me that written words are an extension of ourselves, capable of creating entire worlds, addressing pressing issues, and sharing groundbreaking discoveries. Her intricate tales, filled with rich narratives, sparked my curiosity and inspired me to explore the art of storytelling.
Similarly, my mother nurtured my writing skills, encouraging me to articulate my thoughts and experiences. She emphasized the importance of nuance, emotion, and depth in writing, guiding me to find beauty in both poetry and clarity in scientific expression. Her support helped me transform my childhood enthusiasm for sharing stories into a valuable skill.
Furthermore, I noticed that my grandmother and mother, along with many others, often lacked the platform to share their unique perspectives. It was disheartening to see my grandmother, a remarkable storyteller, dismissed by her peers due to her background and gender. This realization fueled my determination to create spaces where diverse voices can be heard and valued. Through their guidance, I learned not only the craft of writing but also the importance of advocating for those who may not have the opportunity to share their stories.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: thefineprint_nfp
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-fine-print-nfp/
- Other: TicTok: thefineprint_nfp
Image Credits
All images were taken by or of creation of our organization.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
