Common Questions

Usawa Literary Review is a feminist literary magazine based in Mumbai, India. Founded in 2018, it publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translations, book reviews, and interviews by and about underrepresented communities. It produces two publications: ULR, a bi-annual themed journal, and Matchbox, a monthly digital magazine. Usawa is part of an ongoing global movement toward a more equitable world.

Usawa is a Swahili word meaning equality. The name reflects the magazine’s commitment to writing that questions hierarchies, challenges naturalized biases, and responds to the inherent violence of inequality — across gender, sexuality, colour, caste, religion, and class.

Usawa was founded in 2018 by Smita Sahay and Lavanya Shanbhogue-Arvind. You can read more about the team on our About page.

Usawa Literary Review is headquartered in Mumbai, India. Our writers, editors, and contributors are based across India and around the world.

Usawa publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, translations, book reviews, interviews, and visual narratives. We particularly welcome writing that questions hierarchies, challenges naturalized biases, and responds to the violence of inequality — by and about underrepresented communities. There are many feminisms; we live and learn.

Yes. Usawa is an independent, self-funded feminist literary publication. If you’d like to support the work, voluntary contributions of any amount are always welcome — visit our Support Us page.

ULR stands for the Usawa Literary Review — our flagship bi-annual journal. Each issue is built around a theme and brings together poetry, fiction, nonfiction, interviews, translations, and visual narratives from writers across India and the world. You can explore all issues at usawa.in/ulr/.

Matchbox is Usawa’s monthly digital magazine — a space for shorter, more frequent writing including columns, essays, reviews, and interviews published between ULR issues. Matchbox is home to recurring columns and also produces special issues focused on specific regions and communities. You can read Matchbox at usawa.in/matchbox/.

Matchbox periodically produces themed special issues focused on specific regions, communities, or subjects — bringing together writing, poetry, and nonfiction that centres voices and experiences from those contexts. Past special issues have focused on Northeast India and Afghanistan. We continue to commission and publish special issues as part of Matchbox’s ongoing programme.

Everything Usawa publishes is available free to read on this website. ULR issues are at usawa.in/ulr/ and Matchbox is at usawa.in/matchbox/. You can also browse by section — poetry, fiction, nonfiction, interviews, translations, and more.

Submissions are open to all writers. Usawa particularly welcomes writing by and about underrepresented communities. We publish work in English and in translation. Full submission guidelines — including what each publication is looking for and how to send your work — are on our Submissions page.

Yes. Usawa workshops are designed to be accessible to writers at all levels — from those writing for the first time to those with established publishing histories. Each workshop page describes the level and format so you can find one that suits where you are. Browse all workshops at usawa.in/workshops/.

Workshop fees vary by session, format, and facilitator — single sessions are typically more affordable than multi-week workshops. Fee details are listed on each individual workshop page. All Study Circle sessions are completely free, with registration required.

The Usawa Study Circle is a free, ongoing series of workshop-format conversations around gender, justice, and lived experience. Each session brings together writers, journalists, and scholars for feminist-informed discussions that blend academic insight, personal testimony, and popular culture. Sessions are open to all — registration is required. Find out more at usawa.in/study-circle/.

Usawa is an independent, self-funded publication and contributions of any amount help keep the Study Circle free, the publications running, and the workshops accessible. You can make a voluntary contribution at usawa.in/support-us/. Sharing our work, recommending us to writers, and submitting your own work are also meaningful ways to support what we do.

Yes — you can follow Usawa across all platforms:

Instagram — @usawamag
Facebook — Usawa Literary Review
LinkedIn — Usawa Literary Review
Substack — @usawaliteraryreview

We announce new issues, workshop openings, Study Circle sessions, and submission calls across all platforms.