Vaani Tiwari and Grant Faulkner

The 2/4/2026 edition of Dr. Andy's Poetry and Technology Hour

Vaani Tiwari is an IB Diploma student and emerging researcher focused on the psychology of identity, culture, and mental health. Her work explores why people think and cope the way they do, and how storytelling can make behavioral science more accessible. Tiwari's first book, an Amazon #1 bestseller in Asian American Poetry, examined adolescent mental health and identity through a narrative-psychological lens. She has since been published with Novelly, featured in literary magazines, and awarded the Governor’s Medallion in the Arts. Beyond her research, Tiwari creates psychology-centered social content with multiple viral videos and serve as an IB Ambassador at her school. 

Grant Faulkner is the co-founder of Memoir Nation, the co-founder of 100 Word Story, and an executive producer on America’s Next Great Author. He has published three books on writing: The Art of Brevity: Crafting the Very Short Story; Pep Talks for Writers: 52 Insights and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo; and Brave the Page, a teen writing guide. He’s also published All the Comfort Sin Can Provide, a collection of short stories, Fissures, a collection of 100-word stories, and Nothing Short of 100: Selected Tales from 100 Word Story.

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