MATWAALA
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    • Directors
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    • Core Team
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  • 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

ABOUT

The name Matwaala evokes bonding and bonhomie, fun and funk, creative adventure and freedom, artistic assertiveness and non-conformity. A Hindi/Urdu word, it was the name of a radical literary magazine edited by the poet Nirala from Kolkata a century ago. Matwaala is used for someone who is drunk, but the word is used more often in a transferred sense, for someone who is a free spirit.
 
Concerned about the visibility of South Asian poets in the American poetry scene, university reading series, and representation in anthologies and syllabi, we were inspired to initiate a collective. Though the core mission may be perceived as idealistic or even somber, Matwaala, materialized in a weirdly magical way in Austin. The idea of a poetry festival emerged after an editorial project we co-edited for www.museindia.com.  The issue focused on a project involving Diaspora artists and poets that generated the idea for sustained collaboration and initiatives. A festival was its magnification, and appeared, erected on a shoestring budget propelled by enthusiasm and faith in 2015. The first festival/collective drew to its fold a group of poets, Saleem Peeradina, Pramila Venkateswaran, Ravi Shankar, Sasha Parmasad and Varshs Saraiya Shah. Joie de vivre, friendship and a sense of community have become the hallmark of the festival that seeks to establish a paradigm based not on hierarchies but on solidarity, offering readings by established and emerging poets, youth forums, papers and panel discussions.

​In 2019 Matwaala launched its website, branding, and e-anthology, hosted readings in NYU, Hunter College and NCC. It received sponsorship from Poets & Writers and hosted South Asian diaspora poets from the UK.

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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