Usawa in Swahili means equality. The Usawa Literary Review is a bi-annual English language literary magazine dedicated to feminist literature and writings by and about underrepresented communities. We publish poetry, fiction, nonfiction, reviews and interviews that question hierarchies, hegemonies and naturalized biases.
There are many feminisms – we live and learn. In the face of discrimination and violence based on gender, sexuality, colour, caste, religion, class… we believe in the persuasive humility of artistic expression, and carry writing that responds to the inherent violence of inequality. Have you produced or come across writing that provokes uncomfortable questions and gets us to re-examine our silences? Please share it with us and allow us to share it with our readers.
Based out of Mumbai, India, Usawa is a part of an ongoing global movement toward a more equitable world.
Usawa was founded by Lavanya-Shanbhogue Arvind and Smita Sahay in 2018.
SMITA SAHAY served as Associate Editor for ‘Veils, Halos & Shackles: International Poetry on the Oppression and Empowerment of Women’. Her works have appeared in national and international journals, newspapers and anthologies. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Usawa Literary Review, and the Poetry Editor for SPEAK, the Magazine. A visiting faculty of Creative Writing at Whistling Woods International, Mumbai, she is an ISB alumna, class of 2015.
A survivor of C-PTSD, she is also the founder and Somatic therapist at Calm Space Healing, a trauma-informed therapy and healing practice.
BABITHA MARINA JUSTIN is an academic, poet and artist. Her poems, short stories and articles have appeared in Taylor and Francis journals, Marshal Cavendish, The Yearbook (2020, 21, 22), Singing in the Dark (Penguin), Eclectica, Esthetic Apostle, Jaggery, Fulcrum, The Scriblerus, Trampset, Constellations, Indian Literature, etc. Her books are Of Fireflies, Guns and the Hills (Poetry, 2015), I Cook My Own Feast (Poetry, 2019), salt, pepper and silverlinings: celebrating our grandmothers (an anthology on grandmothers, 2019), From Canons to Trauma (Essays, 2017), Forty Five Shades of Brown ( Poetrywala, 2023)
ANKUSH BANERJEE’s (he/him) debut volume of poetry, An Essence of Eternity, was published by Sahitya Akademi in 2016. He is the three time recipient of the USI Gold Medal for his essays on Military Ethics and Leadership. His poem, ‘Righteous among the Nations’ was the winner of 2019 All India Poetry Prize. His poems appear in Indian Literature, Collateral, Eclectica, Jaggery Lit, and TBLM among others, and have been anthologised in the Best Asian Poetry 2021, Yearbook of Indian Poetry 2020 & 2021, and Converse: Contemporary Poetry in English by Indians (2022). Some of his review-essays can be found at Tupelo Quarterly, Eclectica, Kitaab, and Usawa
SONAKSHI SRIVASTAVA is a writing tutor at Ashoka University, Sonepat, India.
She is one of the recipients of South Asia Speaks mentorship programme (cohort 2021), working on translating the Hindi novel, “Titli” into English under the mentorship of Arunava Sinha. She was the contributing translator columnist at “The Bilingual Window’. She was longlisted for The Stinging Fly Translation Bursary 2022, and was awarded the Katharine Bakeless Nason scholarship for the Bread Loaf Translators’ Conference 2023. Her works have previously appeared in or are appearing in ASAP art, Usawa, Proseterity, The Monograph, Alipore Post, Hakara, potluck zine, orangepeel mag, Qissa mag, and Rhodora among others.
PRIYANKA SACHETI is a writer, poet, and photographer based in Bangalore, India. She’s published widely about art, gender, culture, and the environment in international digital and print publications over the years. Her literary work and art have appeared in many literary journals such as Barren, Dust Mag Poetry, Common, Parentheses Art, Popshot, The Lunchticket, and The Sunlight Press as well as various past and forthcoming anthologies like Yearbook of Indian Poetry in English 2022. She’s currently working on a poetry and short story collection. She can be found as @atlasofallthatisee on Instagram and @priyankasacheti on Twitter.
KABIR DEB is an author/ poet based in Karimganj, Assam. He works in Punjab National Bank and has completed his Masters in Life Sciences from Assam University and is presently pursuing his MCW from Oxford University, London. He is the recipient of Social Journalism Award, 2017; Reuel International Award for Best Upcoming poet, 2019; and Nissim International Award, 2021 for Excellence in Literature for his book ‘Irrfan: His Life, Philosophy And Shades’. He runs a mental health library named ‘The Pandora’s box to a Society called Happiness’ in Barak Valley. He reviews books, many of which have been published in magazines like Outlook, Usawa Literary Review, The Financial Express, Cafe Dissensus, Sahitya Akademi etc
SIVAKAMI VELLIANGIRI has been included among the women poets in the History of Indian Writing in English (1980).Her online Chapbook In My Midriff https://tinyurl.com/nzk7db78 was published by Lily Literary Review. ‘How We Measured Time’ https://tinyurl.com/h38tpfz5 is her debut poetry book. Her poems appear in The Penguin Book of Indian Poets April 2022 edited by Jeet Thayil.
Usawa is a highly welcome addition to the online literary landscape—especially so at a time when a disheartening number of online magazines have been downing their shutters. The magazine’s title clear-sightedly sets out its purpose and ethos, and its contents fulfil its promise abundantly. Curated with taste and discernment, Usawa, despite being just 10 issues into its journey, already hosts writing from some of India’s best contemporary writers, and its themed issues are a special delight, housing troves of thought, analysis and first-rate writing. It looks all set to be a pivotal and vibrant figure on the literary scene, and has my very best wishes for enduring success.
Reading Usawa has always been an eye opener for me. The writings explore a range of works from gender, power dynamics, and the varied experiences of women in our society. It is so remarkable to come across such a great body of work that highlights women's experiences, perspectives, and struggles and helps spark discussions for the need to change. Also, examining how different marginalized identities intersect, you start developing a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the multifaceted nature of oppression in our society today.
I highly recommend reading it, even a few articles, for anyone interested in understanding and challenging societal norms, contributing to broader conversations about and embracing the diversity of human experience.
As a young, queer Indian woman—it’s been such a blessing to have come across the lovely and relevant Usawa magazine. Not only does the zine make an immensely valuable addition to the poetry, art and culture scene in India, but also gives a platform to such interesting, daring and exciting work. It has been nothing short of joyous to explore the many feminisms of this literary oasis—I hope you will take the time to dive in, too!
