Tag Archives: May Issue

Past and Future

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It is time to think of the future now that Eastlit has made it past six months and has published six online issues. Over this period we have also seen constant growth in readership. Just from March to April saw a 50% increase. Bryn and I have also managed to increase administrative efficiency to the point where we are now confident that we can start thinking about moving to the next stage in Eastlit’s development. We would also like to thank all of you who have contributed work, read the journal and given us feedback over the first six months. We would not be where we are without you.

The Future

The first thing to say about the future is that we do not plan on changing what we offer now. However, there are a number of things we are looking at adding:

  • Issues of Eastlit that can be downloaded. This means you would not need to be online to read Eastlit. You could also read it on reading devices such as Kindles. It may also make things easier on the eye.
  • Photograph and visual art section. While concentrating on English literature in East and South East Asia, in response to some requests, we are thinking of taking submissions of photographs or other works of visual art. We believe this would add a nice juxtaposition to the text, and also create more of a magazine feel.
  • Non-native writers. We plan on actively promoting Eastlit and its free editorial services for non-native writers in the future. We are also thinking of offering some form of online creative writing courses aimed at non-native writers. This is all part of our longer term aim of supporting local writers. We would dearly love to take this all to some of the poorer countries of the region, but that is probably for a later stage. Our longer term aim is to increase the amount of local non-native pieces without cutting the amount of quality native written pieces we publish. Eastlit would just become a larger publication.
  • Revisiting older issues/pieces. We do plan on highlighting or reissuing pieces of work that can be buried in older issues as time goes by. One of the things I personally heard from writers when first mulling the idea of Eastlit was that they had pieces published years ago that they felt were now just lost in either a dead journal or a years old unviewed issue. We at Eastlit want to try and ensure that this will not happen to work published on Eastlit.
  • Archive. Any issue older than 3 months is now listed on the currently minimalist Archive page. For now just click the picture on this page to enter the issue. I will probably be redesigning the archive page in the next few months. Hey, any ideas on what it should or should not have would be great!

These are our plans, but before moving ahead with them, we would as always appreciate any thoughts, comments or criticism. At Eastlit we do want to remain genuinely responsive to our contributors and readers and be as transparent as we can. I am letting you know about this now before we move ahead, so we can factor in any feedback we get. As the plans are formulated I will give updated reports here.

These plans together coupled with increased viewing does mean extra cost for us, and that brings me to the next topic.

Fund Raising

Firstly, this is not a sudden request for donations or largesse,  but a request for any advice or ideas on how funds could be raised to cover increased costs. Bryn and I are not looking at being paid or even recouping what we have already spent on setting up Eastlit. However, to move ahead on the new projects, we are looking at ways we could cover some or even all of the cost of a project. Our personal funds are not unlimited! Neither of us are businessmen or have any experience or knowledge of raising funds. If anyone reading this does, some advice would be welcome. You can contact us here.

Previously we mentioned advertising. However, this was not popular as it was seen as anything from selling out to ruining the look. So I guess that option is ruled out. We will also not indulge in anything that risks the independence of Eastlit, its aims or its editorial policy. Apart from that we are open to suggestions, but please bear in mind neither of us can cook cakes that anyone will buy.

It would also be nice if one day we could offer some remuneration for contributions, or maybe more realistically competition prizes.

May Issue

Past and Future Page: Table of Content: The complete list of contents for the Eastlit May Issue is below. Please click on a link to go to the page. We hope you enjoy the work in the May issue of Eastlit. Eastlit Cover. The picture is Renewal of Vows and is submitted by Tom Sheehan featuring his old friends Stanley "Ike" George Kujawski (7-20-21 to 5-3-12) and Setsuko "Dottie" Haghara Kujawski (3-3-22 to 11-15-88). They were Married in Tokyo on 11-12-47. Married for 41 years. The poem At the Lake featured in this issue of Eastlit is dedicated to Stanley Kujawski. The Eastlit May cover design is by Graham Lawrence. Editorial by Bryn Tennant. Blame it on the Farmer by Stefanie Field. At the Lake by Tom Sheehan. The Cebuanos by Charlie Canning. Three Poems by Anna Yin. The poems are: The Map Home, Visiting "The Warrior Emperor and China's Terracotta Army" and A Chinese Nightingale. The Battle of Mianzi by Nichole Reber. Life Cycle by Richard Lutman. Life Cycle is the third chapter of The Iron Buttefly. Five Poems by James Underwood. The poems are: Absent, Currents, Mine, Semaphore and Whiter. Gavin is a Nazi by Christopher Luppi. Five Poems by James Austin Farrell. The poems are: The Battle of the Bulge, Five Star, Rainy Season, Sentiments and The Night Bazaar. A Girl Named Indira by Ashutosh Ravikrishnan. Three Poems by Dawnell Harrison. The poems are: Wounded Whisper, Quiet and Time. Master by Nicholas Keys. How not Write: 1. How Not to Market Yourself by Steve Rosse. The first in a series of short advisory pieces by author and editor Stever Rosse. Contributors. An alphabetical list of all the contributors to the May 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 May issue has already been read by a very large number of people. I did hear a report or two of the server being down on occasion. If you notice this, could you please let me know as we do have a plan to upgrade hosting, but with cost a consideration it is not yet urgent although could become so!

Anyway the May issue with the last part of the Iron Butterfly and the first of the How Not to Write series as well as writers new and previous to Eastlit is out and receiving good feedback. If you haven’t seen it yet, just click on the picture to the left. It has more content than the last few issues. The cover picture is explained inside.

Translations

Don’t forget you can now also submit translations into English of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. In fact we positively welcome this. Please read our submissions page first. Then submit through the submissions e-mail.

Other News

There is not much else to say. However, I would like to thank all those who have contributed to the first six issues. I have really enjoyed everything I have read even in some cases if it hasn’t been published. Remember that you can submit more any time, and we will just slot it in for consideration for one of the next few issues.

If you like Eastlit and our aims, please support us by spreading the word or like or share this or another page.

Oh, remember you can also get all this news from our newsletter. Sign up now to have the news sent to your e-mail if you would like that.

Cheers.

Graham.

April News

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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 Wings. These 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.

News

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There are a number of news items as we approach the end of March. I have set them out under headings so you can find what is relevant to you.

News

The April issue will be out on April 1, 2013. It will be an issue of eight or nine pieces including fiction, poetry and a couple of non-fiction pieces. This is continuing in line with our smaller issues policy from the start of this year.

Writers will be hearing in the next few days if their work is in or out.

Writing Process and Editing

We hope to be making an announcement on something new to help new and aspiring writers very soon. As soon as we have things confirmed, we will make it public. This fits with our aim of trying to help new writers and non-native writers. We remain fully committed to encouraging and supporting non-native writers.

Writers’ Group

The International Writers Group, which will be independent of Eastlit, has been set up. It is on Facebook as a Facebook page. Google stopped supporting Google Communities. Please take a look if interested. It is open to anyone writing in English. It is also open to those interested in writing and readers. Using Facebook means that writers can take advantage of easy ways to share, edit, co-write or seek opinions. This can also be done in a private way with only chosen people or publicly. That is up to the writer. Using Facebook does though mean you will need a Facebook account. But who doesn’t have one these days!

Right now the group is very new and small. We are actively seeking new members, so if you have friends who may be interested please let them know. The aim is to make this a group for the members and not have it dominated by a few.

Most of all we would love to hear your ideas. You can contact us in the community, through the usual channels here or via our g mail account.

Future Eastlit Issues

We are now taking submissions for our May and June issues. We are accepting fiction, poetry, non-fiction, relevant essays, novel extracts and photographs. If you have not submitted before, please take a look at our submission guidelines before sending work in.

We actively encourage non-native writers to send work in. See our commitment to supporting new writers.

Finally

If you do support our aims or even just enjoy the work, please do like or share us from the links at the bottom.

Cheers.

Graham.