April News

Well it is Happy Thai New Year (Songkhran) to everyone who celebrates it at the start of this news post. It is very hot in Thailand and the five days of water throwing where I live is in full flow. People really seem to be enjoying themselves this year, which is a great thing.

Still, sitting in the garden at 9:45 I had better turn my mind to things Eastlit and give an update of what is going on before the temperature rises too high and the partying begins.

May Issue

The May issue of Eastlit will be bigger than the April issue. The plan is to have it out on May 1 for International Labour Day. It will include fiction, poetry, a novel extract and non-fiction and the first of a series on how not to write!

How Not to Write

Starting in the May issue we will be running a series titled How Not to Write by Steve Rosse. Steve Rosse is a former columnist for The Nation newspaper in Bangkok. He has written a number of books and is an accomplished editor with an eye for good and bad writing!  He has had a number of pieces published in Eastlit since its launch. We hope that writers both new and experienced will find his advice and tips useful.

April Issue

Table of Content: The complete list of contents for the Eastlit April Issue is below. Please click on a link to go to the page. We hope you enjoy the work in the April issue of Eastlit. Eastlit Cover. The picture is Urumqi in Winter by Xenia Taiga. The Eastlit April cover design is by Graham Lawrence. Note: Urumqi is the capital of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, in the northwest of the country. Editorial by Graham Lawrence. Five Poems by Rose Lu. The poems are: It's Neither Frivolous nor Drifty, A Fan, Alley, Bride of Spring and Your Autumn Leaves, My Water. Going Back to Emerald Hill by Chew Yi Wei. Black Void by Dan Asenlund. Author's note: "Black Void," is a magic realism tale taking place in a northern suburb of Seoul, South Korea. Three Poems by Tendai R. Mwanaka. The poems are: A Road to Somewhere, The Real Nuclear Threat and Intent. Three Pantoums by Colin W. Campbell. The pantoums are: Whispers, Radio Show and Mutiara 93250. J.R. and M.S. do PP by Matt Sipprell. The Articulate Mind by Steve Rosse. China - A Sequence by Iain Maloney. Contributors. An alphabetical list of all the contributors to the April issue of Eastlit complete with biographies of all the writers and poets can be found in this section. Note on Work: Please note that we publish work as received. We do not edit work for minor errors. We regard these as decisions made by the author. The one exception is that we may work with second language writers to help them say what they want to say. Please note all work whether writing or pictures remains the copyrighted work of its authors. Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest on upcoming issues, competitions, incentives, contributors and news in general. The independent offshoot of Eastlit The International Writers Group can be found on Google+.The April issue of Eastlit was a small one. However, it has attracted a lot of interest. If you have not seen it yet, why not take a look at our unique cover. If you prefer, you can go straight to the table of contents. Eastlit’s April issue has a mix of poetry, fiction and non-fiction. The contributors come from across the region and outside. They include expatriates as well as local writers, and we feature both writers new to Eastlit and a couple of old hands. The cover picture is provided by Xenia Taiga this month. Thanks to all those who contributed ad to those who have read it.

Eastlit and Readers

Over the course of this year to date, there has been a steady increase in the number of readers visiting the site. We would like to thank our readers for their support of the site and its contributors. Without you Eastlit would not be here. We also invite comments or suggestions through the usual contact.

Previously Published Authors

Please remember that you can submit more work at any time. In fact we love to see more from authors we have already published. The only limitation is that in general we do not publish authors in consecutive months. We also welcome submission or work from authors previously rejected. Every piece will be judged on its merits.

Non-Native Writers

At Eastlit we are happy at the number of pieces of work we have received from writers whose native language is not English. Thank you. We hope these submissions continue to increase. Don’t forget that we offer free advice and editing on pieces to non-native writers.

The Butterfly’s Body

The May issue of Eastlit will see the publication of Life Cycle, which is the final chapter of The Iron Butterfly by Richard Lutman. The first two chapters are The Butterfly’s Body and The Colors of the WingsThese were published in the January and March issues of Eastlit respectively.

Translations

You can now also submit translations into English of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. In fact we positively welcome this if anyone has work. Please read our submissions page first. Then submit through the submissions e-mail.

Other News

I have been busy looking for and fixing broken links in Eastlit. Those previously not working have I hope been fixed. However, if you find any broken links please report them to Eastlit admin or through our contact form.

Please also remember you can get all the latest or follow us on the Eastlit Facebook page.

Not much else to say except:

Sawadee Pee Mai.

Cheers.

Graham.

March

The complete list of contents for the Eastlit March Issue is below. Please click on a link to go to the page. Eastlit Cover. The picture is Lifetime by Sinlaratn Soontornviset. The cover design is by Graham Lawrence. Editorial by Bryn Tennant. Mirage by Xenia Taiga Four Poems by Anna Yin. The poems are: My Father's Family Tree, The Bodhi Tree, Raspberries and Root Carving. South East Asia: Patterns and Paradoxes by Quimar Yazima The Colors of the Wings by Richard Lutman. This is the second chapter of the novella The Iron Butterfly. The first chapter was published in Eastlit's January issue. Four Poems by Afzal Moolla. The poems are: Port of Call, The Whispering Leaf, Warning: Soppy Love Scribble! and The Swaying of the Grass. The Gibbon Rehabilitation Project by James Austin Farrell. Common Filipino Funeral Superstitions Rebutted by Reynold P. Macaranas Oil by Donald R. Vogel. An extract from a novel tentatively titled Father John. Five Poems by Dawnell Harrison. The poems are: Loneliness, The Sunrise Burned, The Mirage, Icy Waves and The Great Taproot. Viva La Difference by Alex Pithie The Pearl Necklace by Tom Sheehan Contributors. An alphabetical list of all the contributors to the March issue of Eastlit complete with biographies of all the writers and poets. Note on Work. Please note that we publish work as received. We do not edit work for minor errors. We regard these as decisions made by the author. The one exception is that we may work with second language writers to help them say what they want to say. Please note all work whether writing or pictures remains the copyrighted work of its authors. Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest on upcoming issues, competitions, incentives, contributors and news in general.Well as the temperature rises here in Thailand, the flow of submissions seem to be increasing. It is great to get so much original work to read and to be able to publish what we can. It is also humbling that not only do we see so much submitted but also the number of readers from around the world is on the increase. It sometimes surprises me the places that we get interest from.

The March issue also seems to have gone down well, so thanks to all of the contributors to that. We really appreciate your work and support of Eastlit. It is also wonderful to see an increase in submissions from locals.

Photographs

I know I keep mentioning this, but photos for the cover are the one area we are short of supply. Please if anyone can help out, send them in. If you have a friend who can, please ask them. You do retain full rights as with your stories, You will also be credited and given an entry in our contributors section.

Submissions

We are now taking submissions for our April, May and June issues. So send them in. We usually get back to you very quickly to acknowledge receipt. We then contact you in the week before our issue goes out to let you know if you are in or out. Please remember to read our submission guidelines before sending things in.

Archives and Older Issues

Now we have published four issues, we are creating an archive of older issues. Sometimes when pieces go into an archive, they get “lost” over time. We will try to mention and highlight our older published pieces form time to time in this latest section and other releases.

Editing

Let us know if you would like your work looked at and suggestions for edits made. We cannot offer an exhaustive service for this, but want to increase what we do offer. We do expect submissions to be at least close to finished pieces.

Other March News

There is little news from us this March. However, it would be nice to hear from you of anything you would like to see in Eastlit. What do you think of the colour and slight tagline change? What is your favourite piece of poetry or prose? Do you like the longer pieces? All this helps us to know how to best balance things and keep Eastlit interesting for you the reader. You can contact us by e-mail here or on our contact form.

Oh, remember you can also get all this news from our newsletter. Sign up now to have the news sent to you.

Cheers

Graham

February

The complete list of contents for the Eastlit February Issue is below. Please click on a link to go to the page. Eastlit Cover. Picture by Graham Lawrence. Design by Graham Lawrence. The cover shows buildings from Vientiene and provides the backdrop for the February 2013 issue of Eastlit. Editorial by Graham with a poem by Afzal Moolla. Hitoshi and the Orange Peel Mystery by Iain Maloney: This is an an extract from the novel Dog Mountain. Santubong Haiku by Colin W. Campbell. Going Home by Steve Rosse. Five Poems by Kislay Chuahan. The poems are: Afternoon Desert, An Old Age, Seashore Witness, Face of the Nature and Heart of Wood. Gip by Julien Headley. Two Poems by Terry Scott Niebeling. The poems are:Tender Thought and We See but We Don't (Easter Love). Flashing Police Lights Missing by Kersie Khambutta. Three Poems by Linda Woolven. The poems are: November Storm, Night Time Lovers and Laundry Day. Finding a Vein by Steve Tait. Contributors. An alphabetical list of all the contributors to the February issue of Eastlit complete with biographies of all the writers and poets. Note on Work. Please note that we publish work as received. We do not edit work for minor errors. We regard these as decisions made by the author. The one exception is that we may work with second language writers to help them say what they want to say. Subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest on upcoming issues, competitions, incentives, contributors and news in general.

In spite of being a smaller issue, the Eastlit February issue is getting a lot of views. The number of readers is increasing every month right now. Thank you to our readers. Thank you also to the contributors for the poetry and prose that is attracting people.

After three issues, it feels like things are settling down a little. The crazy rushed feeling of November through January has now gone. It is now a time when we can consider new developments. While we do this, we will stick to the current format. Hopefully we can keep a nice mix of poetry and prose and writers new and experienced while adding something new as we go.

March and April Issues.

These will continue in the slimmer format for now. We are taking submissions for both of these issues now, so send them in! Please read the submission guidelines before submitting. We encourage non-native writers to submit work and will give assistance where needed.

Photographs

If you have photos, pictures or artwork from or connected to the region, we are very interested in using it on our front covers. As usual you retain all rights, and just grant us a license to publish it by submitting to us. We would also consider publishing artwork or pictures linked to a story if authors want this.

Previously Published Writers

If you had work published by Eastlit in the December or January issue, you are clear to submit more for the March issue. Writers and poets published in the February issue can submit work for the April issue. You can send it in at any time as we mark it for the next issue you can appear in, so don’t delay!

Chinese New Year

We at Eastlit would like to wish everyone who celebrates it, a Great Chinese New Year, and a wonderful year of the snake.

Other February 2013 News

We are still working on getting more involvement from the few places that are yet to feature in Eastlit. Indonesia remains top of that list, and we may have a development for one of the next issues. Fingers crossed.

There are a few things we at Eastlit will now put more energy into. The first is the writers’ group. The others are the Eastlit app and the possible greater involvement of some of our more regular contributors. More news on these as they arise. If anyone wants to volunteer for anything from writers’ groups to editing assistance, let us know.

You can also get all this news from our newsletter. Sign up now to have the news sent to you.

Finally

I would like to say a personal thank you to all of you who have had contact. After three or four months and looking back, it has been a great experience from my perpsective.

Cheers.

Graham.

 

New Year

We at Eastlit would like to wish all our contributors  readers and partners a very happy holiday season and a happy New Year. We wish everyone the best in 2013. In 2013 we hope that Eastlit will continue to bring readers an interesting variety of East and South East Asian based writing. We also hope we will be able to give an opportunity to new writers to establish a published foothold. Let’s hope 2013 is a good one for us all. Peace.

Eastlit New Year (January) Issue

The January or New Year issue will be out on 3rd January. We are very excited by this one. It includes more pieces from within the region. It also covers more countries and cultures. This issue will include fiction, non-fiction, poetry and at least one novel extract. We hope it will be as well received by our readership as the first issue of Eastlit. We also hope you enjoy the pieces as much as we did.

Writers Based Outside the Region

Eastlit will always consider writing from anyone based outside the region. We do, however, ask these writers to tell us how their work connects with the region. Please do this if submitting from outside East or South East Asia. As from 2013, we will not read or reply to  submissions not doing this. Eastlit is a monthly publication with few staff. Time to read, discuss, reply and decide is limited, so please help us in this case.

Photographs

Any photographers out there? We are accepting photograph submissions. These photos will be considered for our journal front cover. Copyright will remain with the photographer. You will just be granting us a non-exclusive licence to publish your photo when you submit it. Full credit will be given.

February Issue

We are now taking submissions for Eastlit’s February issue.  Please send them in over the New Year or after. We may though take a little longer to reply over the New year period.  Eastlit is also now looking for book reviews for this and later issues.

Remember

We now have an Eastlit newsletter. If you want news sent direct to you, Sign up for our free newsletter!

Finally

I would like to thank everyone again for the support they have given Eastlit. Have a great 2013

Cheers.

Graham.

 

Eastlit Issue One

Eastlit Issue one is now out. Take a look. You can go the front cover. Then click the cover for the contents. You can also go to current issue at the top of each page.

We have eleven contributors for this issue. There are 9 poems and 8 pieces of prose.

We appreciate your feedback. Let us know what you think of it. You can go to the contact page or e-mail us.

Other News.

We are now listed on the writers resource site Duotrope. We also are in the poetry listing of Andromeda Rutgers. Plus we are on Litlist. It is nice to see referrals from these sites. It is nice to be listed.

We get asked if Australia is in our region. Technically it is not. But the connection between Australia and the region is strong. It is growing too. We welcome Australian based writers to send work in and if there is connection, we will consider it.

Don’t forget submissions for issue two are open. Visit our submissions page to send work in. Issue two is out in January 2013.

Anyway, today is not about news. Issue one is out. It is out one day early too! We hope you find something interesting. We did. You can find it here.

Cheers.

Graham.