Anyone interested in literature, writing, translation, criticism, or publishing is welcome. Some participants join to begin writing for the first time. Others come with years of experience. Many attend simply because they want sustained reading practice, literary conversation, or access to communities of readers and writers. You don’t need formal literary education to participate.

All our workshops are curated closely by the editorial team at Usawa, especially our editor-in-chief, Smita Sahay. They emerge from deep engagement with writing and literary practice. We collaborate with writers, translators, poets, critics, and educators to design workshops specifically for the Usawa community and emerging writers. Each workshop is carefully developed in conversation with the facilitator — its structure, readings, complexity, and teaching approach included.

Workshop fees are determined in consultation with the facilitator. Designing and teaching workshops involves significant labour — curriculum development, reading preparation, teaching, feedback, moderation, administration, and production work. We believe educators should be compensated fairly for this labour. Our facilitators try to include bursary or scholarship seats wherever possible, while we continue working to keep workshops as accessible as we can.

We offer discounts for returning participants: 10% off after attending 1 workshop, 15% off after attending 2 workshops, and 20% off after attending 3 or more workshops. We also regularly offer community discounts and occasional subsidised opportunities.

Workshops by Usawa began in August 2025, and the response from participants and facilitators has been deeply encouraging. Slowly and steadily, these workshops are helping build a literary community rooted in care, curiosity, rigor, and feminist engagement with literature.

Yes. Beginning this year, one annual issue of Matchbox by Usawa will be dedicated to work by workshop participants and facilitators. This issue will serve as an archive of the communities, conversations, and literary practices emerging through Workshops by Usawa.

Every time you attend a Usawa workshop, you help sustain Usawa Literary Review and Matchbox by Usawa — two independent feminist literary publications operating without institutional funding. Your participation directly helps keep these literary spaces alive.

The Usawa Literary Critics Lab is an initiative focused on building stronger literary communities and fostering more thoughtful literary criticism in the subcontinent. Over the course of a year, we work with a cohort of emerging critics through lectures, seminars, workshops, discussions, and guided critical practice — with a focus on book reviewing, critical reading, and feminist critical methodologies shaped by caste, gender, language, translation, and location.

Yes, this is the first edition, born organically from ongoing editorial conversations and community needs. Over the coming year, we hope to formalise and expand the programme further, with future editions announced more publicly. In the meantime, readers can engage with reviews and criticism being published through Matchbox by Usawa and Usawa Literary Review.