The inspiration behind Annalemma's India theme

Chris Heavener, founder and editor of Annalemma Magazine tells Out of Print what his inspiration was for the India issue.   


I had the opportunity to go on a research trip to India with my brother, a documentary filmmaker. We’d met Dr. Joseph D’Souza at a conference the year before where he spoke about his work with the Dalit FreedomNetwork. He and his team showed us around Hyderabad for a week with the hopes of finding a good story to tell in a documentary. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a story that appropriately met the needs of the DFN. But I still wanted to maintain a personal connection with the work they were doing and I wanted to maintain a connection with the country. 

I witnessed the intense and traumatic wealth and resource disparity there, along with the wholesale exploitation of people of lower castes. And in spite of that I still found the country exceedingly beautiful. The people were incredibly warm and inviting. I loved every minute of my time there. 

With the India issue I wanted to explore the contradictions I saw in the country because I see them in the US as well. As a young country, I feel like it’s important for us to learn whatever we can from cultures who’ve undergone centuries of the issues Americans are waking up to. I wanted to offer a point of entry for a Western reader who’s ready to take that first step. 

Annalemma Magazine runs an India theme

The New York based literary and arts magazine Annalemma likes a good story and an intense aesthetic. Appearing both in print and online form, their upcoming issue is themed around India.
Here is what they say about Out of Print.


Annalemma Issue Nine: IndiaCall to Submit

As America and Europe begin to recede into the background of global superpowers, new forces are stepping up as the leaders of the democratic world. Among these powers, is India. With the die of globalization now cast, the geopolitical, economic, technological & environmental landscape is more connected than ever. It is important for people in the West, young people especially, to claim an understanding of how their world intersects and effects Indian culture, and vice versa.

But how can you expect to cover an entire country in one go? And in 104 pages of a literary magazine no less? Agreed, that's somewhat impossible. The purpose of this issue is to allow a point of entry for Western readers and writers, to forge a new mental pathway to understanding.

What we are humbly asking of Indian writers is this: show us your country. Show us the micro and the macro, show us the beauty and the horror, the power, the corruption, the injustice, the triumph, the enduring beauty, the infinite feedback loop of suffering, all the wonder and terror your country brings to bear.

A lot of American/Western writers might be upset about this, maybe feel left out. So we offer this appeal: If you are a writer who has some connection to India or can offer some informed opinion of your experience as it pertains to the topic, we'd love to read it.

We'll accepting creative nonfiction, fiction, personal essay and interviews. No poetry, please. Simultaneous submissions are allowed. Please keep submissions under 5000 words. Any submissions over 5000 words, please submit a query letter. Please send only one submission at a time. We're finding creative nonfiction more compelling these days, so the more of that you send, the more likely you'll get published.

Deadline is January 13th.

Click here to submit: http://annalemma.submishmash.com/submit