The Literary Mentorship
South Asia Speaks is a free literary mentorship for outstanding emerging writers living in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives.
Our writers bring a diversity of ethnicities, geographies, languages, and genres to our program. Our goal is to cultivate excellence, dismantle the biases that exist in the publishing industry, and build a critical mass of literary voices that represent South Asia.
We match South Asia-based writers who have applied for support to produce a major work with published authors from around the world. We support fiction, nonfiction, reportage, translation and poetry. Mentors and fellows meet for six sessions during the year to workshop writing. In addition to one-on-one mentorships, fellows have access to masterclasses dedicated to subjects such as craft, publishing, and acquiring an agent.
Since 2021, our masterclass has welcomed New Yorker staff writer Parul Sehgal, James Beard Award-winning food writer Mayukh Sen, poet and activist Meena Kandasamy, essayist Pankaj Mishra, Pulitzer Prize finalist Suketu Mehta, screenwriter Nikesh Shukla, film director Mira Nair, and novelists Kamila Shamsie, Vauhini Vara, Jamil Jan Kochai, Nilanjana S. Roy, Manjushree Thapa, Rahul Bhattacharya, and V.V. Ganeshananthan.
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South Asia Speaks graduates have achieved book deals, agency representation and award wins. They have gone on to The Iowa Writers' Workshop, Logan Nonfiction Program, The New India Foundation, International Women's Media Foundation and The American Literary Translators Association's Emerging Translator Mentorship Program.​
The application is very competitive. Every year we received more than 500 applications for twenty fellowships. Our ideal fellow is talented and driven with a track record of finishing a project. Since we are assembling a class, we are looking for fellows who will contribute to a collegial atmosphere and support one another.
The relationship between mentors and fellows is built on a mutual commitment to the craft of writing. Our fellows come from diverse backgrounds and pursue professions that range from filmmaking to engineering, but they are all determined to make the most of this unique opportunity.
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The geographical diversity of our fellows is reflected in the books they are working on, many of which are only being published because of the support and visibility of our program. Topics include a book about Muslim women in India, a memoir about a boyhood in Kashmir, an investigation into the persecution of the Ahmadi community in Pakistan, conversations with fishing communities affected by natural disasters, and a novel set during a Dalit protest.
Applications for the 4th edition of South Asia Speaks open in September 2023
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