MATWAALA
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    • 2021: A Beginning >
      • July 2021 Open Mic: Confidence
      • September 2021 Open Mic: Connection
      • October 2021 Ghost Stories and Poetry: Creation
    • 2022: Outreach >
      • Poetry Submissions!
      • A week of exploration! >
        • Open Mic: July 25, 2022
        • Speed Poetry: July 26, 2022
        • Repetitive Poetry: July 27, 2022
        • Style Mirroring: July 28, 2022
        • Let's Play a Game: July 29, 2022
  • Resources
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MATWAALA

SOUTH ASIAN DIASPORA POETS' COLLECTIVE
intoxicated by poetry

Mission
​
Matwaala, South Asian Diaspora Poets’ Collective, is a community of poets whose origins go back to South Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Afghanistan). Our mission is to promote South Asian poetry in the American literary landscape and collaborate with other arts in North America through a festival, publications and mutual support.

Read about Matwaala at Poets and Writers:
https://www.pw.org/content/building_solidarity_through_poetry

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MATWAALA POETRY FEST
2021-2023
Poets of Color: The Series
​
In 2020, George Floyd 's inhumane murder was not the first time  African Americans and people of color have been victims of police brutality. Thousands took to the streets to protest the cold-blooded killing by police of Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, and so many more.

Poets at Matwaala state our solidarity with our African-American brothers and sisters.  

We support this brave struggle and fervently hope that every voice crying out for justice in this movement is heard.  We join all people of color in creating change and paving the way for our institutions to treat all people in our democracy with respect, dignity, and non-violence. 

Our 2021-'23 festival features poets of color. African American, Mexican, Native American, Caribbean,  South/Central, Dalit & Asian American poets.

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JULY 8, 2022, 7 PM Eastern
Zoom link: 
 https://ncc-zoom.zoom.us/j/93486825536?pwd=L2JHNTNWTHdvT0JZcVdKa1ZyVXh3UT09

Poets: 
Marianela Medrano, Danielle Legros Georges. Keisha-Gaye Anderson, and Bessy Reyna
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​JULY 8, 2021, 8 PM Eastern

View the recording:
​​https://ncc-zoom.zoom.us/rec/share/_QYNpVYj1fVWHgOLKQXkQjS8jH06ijjiRF5drE8xjMqKrnEZbJ2Vr7wA_tV9TSJC.4_3UiqpT_gQWClbH 

Poets: María Baranda, Ana Belen, Mariana Bernárdez, Fernando Carrera, Elsa Cross, Manuel Iris, Luis Armenta-Malpica, Jorge Ortega,  and Natalia Toledo
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MARCH 3, 2022, 8 PM Eastern
​Zoom link:

 https://ncc-zoom.zoom.us/j/93878918727?pwd=N2pBZjY4MU9BSXY0YmRGZEw3Vjc4QT09
Introduction by Kamala Platt
Poets: Lyla June, Lucille Long Day & Andrina Smith.

Art by Jeremy Dennis


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APRIL 22, 2021. 8 PM Eastern

​To read poems at lucywritersplatform by the poets click here
​View the recording
Passcode: ^lr06CR#
Poets: Dorothy Randall Gray, Anastasia Tomkin, Cynthia Manick, Marsha Nelson, and Loretta Diane Walker 
​

Highlights

Poetry Wall of 24 South Asian Diaspora Poets at Irving Museum and Archives, Dallas

​Curated by Matwaala and ThinkIndia Foundation for the Smithsonian project Beyond Bollywood:
University of Cambridge and India Currents

Articles on Matwaala:

LucyWritersPlatform by Usha Akella
​The Birth of South Asian Diaspora Festival by Pramila Venkateswaran
Matwaala; Birth of a South Asian Diaspora Poetry Festival and Collective- Journal of comparative literature- http://jcla.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/JCLA-44.2_Summer-2021_Usha-Akella.pdf

Matwaala Readings Hosted By:

Murray Edwards College at Cambridge University, UK
New York University
Stony Brook University
Hunter College
Nassau Community College
​Austin  Community College

"​Voices that dare to say the unsaid and hear the unheard… voices that break down barriers… voices that dare to be South Asian, American and simply human…"

Mission
Matwaala, South Asian Diaspora Poets’ Collective, is a community of poets whose origins go back to South Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Afghanistan). Our mission is to promote South Asian poetry in the American literary landscape and collaborate with other arts in North America through a festival, publications and mutual support among poets.
Learn More

MAPS: Matwaala Anthology
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Click to view

2019 Mugs

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Learn more about Matwaala!

FESTIVALS
MAPS
MEDIA

Intoxicated by Poetry

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Photo by Nomita Verma Pfaff
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Made possible by US


Community brought together by poetry
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Photo by Nomita Verma Pfaff
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Matwaala directors say thank you to the collective's poets who made the website possible, website designer Francisca, posters’ designer Anannya and all sponsors and partners. 

Contact us to donate:

Donate!

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About


DIRECTORS

ADVISORY TEAM

CORE TEAM

POETS

FESTIVALS


2015

2017

2018

2019

TESTIMONIALs

PRESS


PROCESS

SUBMISSION GUIDLINES

UPON ACCEPTANCE

ROYALTIES

MAPS

MEDIA

CRITICAL WORK


INTERVIEWS

ARTICLES

REVIEWS

RESOURCES

ContacTDONATE

MATWAALA

WEBSITE CONCEPTUALIZATION BY USHA AKELLA
LOGO, BRANDING AND WEBSITE DESIGN BY FRANCISCA LI
(www.franciscali.com || franciscajenli@gmail.com)
  • Home
  • About
    • Directors
    • Advisory Team
    • Core Team
    • Matwaala Poets
  • Festivals
    • 2015
    • 2017
    • 2018
    • 2019
    • 2020
    • Testimonials
  • Projects
  • Matwaala Press
    • Process
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Upon Acceptance
    • Royalties
    • MAPS
  • Media
  • Critical Work
    • Interviews
    • Articles
    • Reviews
  • Sync Poetry
    • 2021: A Beginning >
      • July 2021 Open Mic: Confidence
      • September 2021 Open Mic: Connection
      • October 2021 Ghost Stories and Poetry: Creation
    • 2022: Outreach >
      • Poetry Submissions!
      • A week of exploration! >
        • Open Mic: July 25, 2022
        • Speed Poetry: July 26, 2022
        • Repetitive Poetry: July 27, 2022
        • Style Mirroring: July 28, 2022
        • Let's Play a Game: July 29, 2022
  • Resources
  • Contact/Donate