Our Bureau
Chicago, IL
Marking a decade of championing South Asian diaspora voices, Matwaala Mehfil 2025 celebrated ten years of Matwaala’s sustained commitment to amplifying poetry as a space for dialogue, connection, and cultural exchange. Since its founding in 2015, the collective has grown into a vital literary platform, bringing together emerging and established poets through readings and programs supported by Poets & Writers and partnerships with institutions including New York University, Stony Brook University, Hunter College, Austin Community College, New York Writers Workshop, Nassau Community College, India Currents and Asian American Writers’ Workshop. The 2025 Mehfil not only commemorates this milestone but also reaffirms Matwaala’s role in fostering a dynamic, transnational poetry community.
Typically, Matwaala’s programs include poetry readings (in-person and zoom), collaborative projects, spotlight readings & conversations, book launches, anthology celebrations, a yearly new-books showcase, memorial readings, a community big read, youth initiatives, poetry reviews by poets etc. On some years a poet-of-honor has been felicitated for their creative output and poetry activism and proactiveness.
More than 125 poets have read and participated in Matwaala’s readings and projects. Matwaala has been supported by Poets and Writers; eminent writers such as Salman Rushdie have attended its festivals, and recently Tishani Doshi joined the initiative in advisory capacity. However, while well-known poets participate in Matwaala’s programs (Meena Alexander, Vijay Seshadri, Ravi Shankar, Indran Amirthanayagam etc.), the mission is to amplify and embrace the increased volume of poetic talent.
Tenth Anniversary in 2025: Breaking new ground
The milestone year brings unprecedented recognition and innovation. A staggering 18 events were hosted across the US by poets to celebrate Matwaala’s tenth anniversary. Some highlights:
• Academy of American Poets partnership with poem-a-day: Poem-a-Day featured five South Asian women diaspora poets in May 2025 with plans to continue this annual spotlight.
• Matwaala Mehfilm: The first ever South Asian Poetry Film Fest: On October 4th Matwaala launches the inaugural South Asian Poetry Film Fest in collaboration with South Asia Institute, Chicago.
• Matwaala Keynotes: The year end celebration was flagged by two keynotes by Tracy Smith and Dr. Subhash Kak.
• In-person poetry readings: Slotted at the SWIMM (Florida), MLK library (DC), Book Woman (Austin), South Asian Institute (Chicago), and the Walt Whitman Birthplace (Long Island) etc.,
• National Literary Journal Impact: Two major South Asian literary journals—Muse India and SETU—published special Matwaala poetry sections, cementing the organization’s influence across continents.
• Poet-of-honor: Indran Amirthanayagam was felicitated as the 2025 Matwaala poet-of-honor.
As Matwaala enters its second decade, the organization seeks collaborations, funding partnerships, and innovative projects to continue amplifying diaspora voices. Matwaala welcomes your participation and patronage. This will allow us to stretch into the future with confidence. Reach out to us if you have ideas for collaborations, funding support and ideas to promote the visibility of diaspora poets.
MATWAALA (www.matwaala.com), was launched in 2015 by Usha Akella and Pramila Venkateswaran to amplify the visibility of diasporic South Asian poets (from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Afghanistan) in the mainstream American literary landscape. The name Matwaala in a transferred sense suggests the intoxication of poetic creativity. Matwaala showcases the diversity within the South Asian community—and within the Indo-American community.
Launched in 2015 by Usha Akella and Pramila Venkateswaran, Matwaala is a growing and expansive community, mindfully working to create solidarity across identity groups through poetry. “Matwaala’s mission rests on the fundamental belief that we can only flourish when we act as a collective. Our ten-year journey proves that inclusive, community-driven initiatives can reshape America’s literary landscape,” say co-founders Akella and Venkateswaran. Consistently focused on building bridges through poetry, Matwaala relies on its community of poets to propel its mission forward year after year. The mission of Matwaala is based on the fundamental belief that we can only flourish when we act as a collective. The organization is hallmarked by inclusivity, community and warmth.
