Poetry from the War Torn Kashmir Valley

One of the innovations of publishing an online literary magazine is the range of our audience. It is with this world wide audience that we are able to bring you poetry from places that seem so far removed from the east coast of America. However, when Dr. Shiben Krishen Raina approached us with an opportunity to publish the poetry of Kashmir poet Bashir Athar, I realized the scope of our endeavor. E. M. Forester used, “Always Connect…” as the epigraph to Howard’s End and that simple phrase has been a driving force in my life.

Bashir Athar – Kashmiri Poet and Journalist

In our fall issue, we will be presenting poetry from Bashir Athar. Bashir Athar (Athar in Arabic means holy/sacred) is an established Kashmiri poet widely known for his powerful expression and more so for the human values he embodies in his well conceived poems. His poems advocate a deep sense of compassion, love, fraternity, patriotism, and humanness urgently needed in the strife-torn valley of Kashmir. The poetry is translated from Kashmiri into English by renowned writer/translator Dr. S. K. Raina who holds postgraduate degrees in Hindi and English. Dr. Raina was Fellow at Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Rashtrapati Nivas, Shimla, India from 1999 to2001 where he worked on the Problems of Translation. The work is published and available from IIAS. Presenting these poems and translation dispels any doubt that online journals have a place in defining the direction of world literature.

Peter Selgin’s Upcoming Title / Due In Feb.

Peter Selgin’s By CUNNING & CRAFT: Sound Advice and Practical Wisdom for Fiction Writers

“This is a book for serious fiction writers of all levels—from beginner to advanced and beyond, including accomplished authors wishing to fine-tune their craft. It aims to provide actionable advice, and plenty of it, yet offers no glib formulas or panaceas. Those seeking a writing guide that tells them, in so many words, that writing fiction is easy and that anyone can do it, should probably look elsewhere. Such guides exist and are hugely popular. As is so often the case, the truths of the matter are less obviously appealing, and are as follows: that writing fiction is indeed hard, that it takes time and energy and effort, that if everyone could do it, it wouldn’t be worth doing; at any rate, it would be no more worth doing than riding a bicycle, or whistling.”

Giller’s Unknowns

The Giller’s Unknowns
Canada’s Giller Prize shortlist overlooks the bigger names for writers (generally from small publishers) on their first or second novels:

Gaetan Soucy, The Immaculate Conception
Rawi Hage, De Niro’s Game
Vincent Lam, Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures
Pascale Quiviger, The Perfect Circle
Carol Windley, Home Schooling