Pradnya Oberoi – Winner of the 21st Century Emily Dickinson Award

Whispers of the Moon Breaks Silence – A Soul-Baring Debut from a Young Poet Who Writes What Others Dare Not Say

In a world that often demands perfection and performance, Whispers of the Moon dares to be real. At just 15 years old, Pradnya Oberoi delivers a breathtakingly raw debut poetry collection that captures what it means to feel too much in a world that often tells us to feel less.

Awarded the 21st Century Emily Dickinson Award, Whispers of the Moon explores love, grief, identity, and the aching voids in between. It’s not a book of polished metaphors—it’s a series of journal entries dressed as poems. They bleed, they whisper, and they linger long after the last page is turned.

“I wrote Whispers of the Moon when I had nowhere else to place the weight I was carrying,” Pradnya reveals. “There were nights I felt like I was unraveling, quietly, while the world kept moving. Writing became survival—each poem, a fragment of what I couldn’t say out loud.”

The moon, a recurring character in her work, becomes a silent confidante—a witness to breakdowns and quiet resilience. For Pradnya, it was the one constant, the one listener who didn’t flinch or ask her to be anything other than what she was.

These poems are more than words. They’re moments captured in the rawest of states. Some are jagged and unresolved. Some speak of heartbreak and identity. Others offer soft glimpses of healing. But all are honest.

“I didn’t plan on writing a book,” she says. “I just needed somewhere to put everything I couldn’t say out loud.” And that urgency—that emotional necessity—pours through every page.

Whispers of the Moon is not here to offer closure. It’s here to offer company. A seat beside the reader in the dark. A reminder that silence doesn’t mean emptiness—it means presence. And in that presence, something sacred is shared.

The literary community has taken notice. In addition to the Emily Dickinson Award, Pradnya’s debut has struck a chord with readers who call it “a mirror,” “a hug in words,” and “a lifeline.” But for her, the most meaningful response is simple: “If someone reads my book at 2 a.m. and feels less alone, that’s all I ever wanted.”

This isn’t a debut that demands attention—it earns it. With whispering grace, Whispers of the Moon marks the arrival of a voice that’s not only needed but unforgettable.

📖 Book Title: Whispers of the Moon
🏆 Award: 21st Century Emily Dickinson Award
📍 From: Gurugram, India