2019: Long Island/NYC, NY, USADirectors Pramila and Usha see the fruition of their vision- website & branding, collaborating with three NYC colleges (NCC, Hunter and NYU), sponsorship by Poets & Writers, and launching the e-anthology in 2019. The work was achieved in five months since the close of Matwaala 2018. The fabulous website and branding was designed by young designer Francisca Li who put scores of hours into the project. Anannya Akella offered brilliant poster designs. The projects were made possible in true Matwaala community spirit with donations by poets.
2019 Participating poets are UK poets: Yogesh Patel (poet-of-honor) and Kavita A. Jindal. US Poets: Pramila Venkateswaran, Ravi Shankar, Zilka Joseph, Vivek Sharma, Ralph Nazareth, Vikas Menon, Sophia Naz, Yuyutsu Sharma, Usha Akella and Indran Amirthanayagam. About 2019 Matwaala Festival:
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Read more about the 2019 Festival with this Recap by Usha Akella:
Day 1: April 3, 2019, NYU:
Our thanks to Tim Tomlinson & Global Studies department, NYU for the Matwaala opening at NYU. No words can really express our gratitude to you Tim for making the connection, your superb hospitality, enthusiasm, and belief in the South Asian poetic voice. We hope many more colleges and universities will follow your lead to welcome us as you did at NYU. You rounded it off with a delicious Indian buffet, a thoughtful gesture that was so appreciated. So glad we got to unveil the Matwaala mug and honor Yogesh Patel (UK), poet-of-honor at this event who in turn released Kavita Jindal's book.
We are not going to forget anytime soon that unexpected audience member- Salman Rushdie- who quietly sauntered in, and so graciously stayed and left after listening to ALL the poets read. Sophie, thank you for facilitating this bonus surprise.
Day 2: April 4, 2019, Nassau Community College:
Intense panel discussion by Kavita Jindal, Yogesh Patel, Zilka Joseph, Sophia Naz and Usha Akella on migration and its effect on the language of poetry (migration across and within continents), reinvention of form and language as a result of migration, feminist themes in our writing, how feminism is marked by cultural differences and particular local experiences, how personal/ political situations enter our writing and capture our imagination....This was followed by an amazing poetry reading by the features. The student reading sponsored by the Muslim Students Association was wonderful--so much talent among our students. Lovely to hear poems in Urdu, Arabic and English.
And a dash to the Red Room with Tom Tomlinson at 7 p.m.
Day 3: April 5, 2019: Hunter College, Meena Alexander Memorial Reading:
Sign-off Matwaala Fest reading at Hunter College Asian American Studies Program on April 5th in memory of Meena Alexander. A moving evening attended by Meena's husband David Lelyveld and many others as poets paid tribute to Meena with her poems and their own. The Matwaala collective wrote a collective poem and gifted it to David, Hunter College's Vivian Louie and Poets and Writer's Bonnie Marcus. Poets spoke of their associations with Meena, her influence on their work supported by a slide show of photographs in the UK, US and elsewhere... Meena's poetry books and articles by scholars such as Dr. Amritjit Singh were displayed. The event ended with David's gracious acknowledgment of the event.
In the years to come, Matwaala will continue to honor senior poets, and create platforms for upcoming/established and establishing poets... It was a heartfelt fest of new bonds, surprises and poignant poetry from Sri Lanka, India, US, UK, Nepal, and Pakistan. Thank you to all who added to the intoxication.
Our thanks to Tim Tomlinson & Global Studies department, NYU for the Matwaala opening at NYU. No words can really express our gratitude to you Tim for making the connection, your superb hospitality, enthusiasm, and belief in the South Asian poetic voice. We hope many more colleges and universities will follow your lead to welcome us as you did at NYU. You rounded it off with a delicious Indian buffet, a thoughtful gesture that was so appreciated. So glad we got to unveil the Matwaala mug and honor Yogesh Patel (UK), poet-of-honor at this event who in turn released Kavita Jindal's book.
We are not going to forget anytime soon that unexpected audience member- Salman Rushdie- who quietly sauntered in, and so graciously stayed and left after listening to ALL the poets read. Sophie, thank you for facilitating this bonus surprise.
Day 2: April 4, 2019, Nassau Community College:
Intense panel discussion by Kavita Jindal, Yogesh Patel, Zilka Joseph, Sophia Naz and Usha Akella on migration and its effect on the language of poetry (migration across and within continents), reinvention of form and language as a result of migration, feminist themes in our writing, how feminism is marked by cultural differences and particular local experiences, how personal/ political situations enter our writing and capture our imagination....This was followed by an amazing poetry reading by the features. The student reading sponsored by the Muslim Students Association was wonderful--so much talent among our students. Lovely to hear poems in Urdu, Arabic and English.
And a dash to the Red Room with Tom Tomlinson at 7 p.m.
Day 3: April 5, 2019: Hunter College, Meena Alexander Memorial Reading:
Sign-off Matwaala Fest reading at Hunter College Asian American Studies Program on April 5th in memory of Meena Alexander. A moving evening attended by Meena's husband David Lelyveld and many others as poets paid tribute to Meena with her poems and their own. The Matwaala collective wrote a collective poem and gifted it to David, Hunter College's Vivian Louie and Poets and Writer's Bonnie Marcus. Poets spoke of their associations with Meena, her influence on their work supported by a slide show of photographs in the UK, US and elsewhere... Meena's poetry books and articles by scholars such as Dr. Amritjit Singh were displayed. The event ended with David's gracious acknowledgment of the event.
In the years to come, Matwaala will continue to honor senior poets, and create platforms for upcoming/established and establishing poets... It was a heartfelt fest of new bonds, surprises and poignant poetry from Sri Lanka, India, US, UK, Nepal, and Pakistan. Thank you to all who added to the intoxication.
Poet-of-Honor: Yogesh Patel
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SeaWorld
(From Swimming with Whales, Skylark Publications UK) Born and bred in homelessness A home that is a pond, a migrant’s world I have to perform: every move watched Corrected by a man on the nose! I am a damned foreigner If released in the wild It means a fresh alienation Returning home as someone else The formation dance here: slavery The formation in the wild: Means to hunt as a pack Creating waves as a family To topple the seal from its Shaky small ice island Is only a spiritual world The hunt is a social bond The hunt is a cultural home The hunt is a language Pleasing the spectators Delighting the masters To earn the scraps for a living Is not the avant-garde art This pond is a beggar’s delight In this mini – virtual - sea Are torn alien cultures, trapped Freedom is a chasm, your version A sea is a scary place If your home is the SeaWorld I am a migrant afraid of home Homelessness is my sanctuary! |
A Big Welcome
There is nothing new In feeling alienated In your own cold home Welcome to the Thames Its heart isn’t big enough It’s your new cold home One day we will meet We will compare notes Interview with Yogesh
More about Yogesh: |
Photos!
