The Asian Prizes announces the long list for the inaugural Asian Prize for Poetry 2025, featuring ten works from nine countries exploring the theme “The Earth.” The international jury, chaired by Ukrainian poet Iryna Vikyrchak, selected diverse voices spanning Ukraine, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Botswana, Vietnam, India, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Marianna Kyanovskaya’s poetry today is one of the most important voices of struggling Ukraine. Struggling for what? After February 24, 2020, we faced the threat of a world war. We understand that the heroic sacrifice made today by Ukrainians, including poets fighting on the front lines, is done not only on behalf of the freedom of the Ukrainian people, but also in the name of the civilisation of freedom.
The fact that Café Europa was born during the war is telling. Poetry and war should walk separate paths. Yet it is from their intersection that the word-in-action, or poesis, arises. The Greek root of this word is close to the Sanskrit term for compassion – karuna.
The title Anatta, a Pali word meaning “not-self,” points towards a central theme in the anthology: the impermanence of all things, including the self. Buddhist philosophy challenges the notion of a fixed, unchanging self. Anatta proposes instead a fluid, ever-changing entity, constantly shaped by our experience as a body-mind (Nama-Tula) and the world in which it lives.
Maria A Perdomo is an emerging Venezuelan poet who has penned two poetry collections so far. She writes in both Spanish and English. Currently based in Valencia, Venezuela, Maria is a medical professional who has shown an unyielding passion for literature. She is working on her first novel and a new poetry collection. Her writings are known for their boldly honest nature, soulfulness and intimacy.
Amaranthine by Anupam Patra – Searchingly introspective, suffused with a strange calm, the poems are both poignant and profound.
The Poetry London Prize is a major, internationally renowned award for a single outstanding poem. Previous winners include Liz Berry, Niall Campbell, Romalyn Ante and Richard Scott. Now open for submissions.
The whole day from dawn to dusk
Did I hurt you my love ?
I asked you a million times.
Lips are locked
Hips are numbed
Breaths are brisk
My Tiny Chaotic Universe by Jithu Biji Thomas: A Poetry Collection of Complex and Subtle Thoughts
Koshalee Sirichandra is an emerging literary personality in Sri Lanka who demonstrates that writers are limitless. She has authored one book and translated several well-known titles into Sinhala. Koshalee has been contributing to The Asian Review’s Writers’ Space with her intriguing short stories and profound poetic-craft.
The will of a woman
Whose mastery is fighting
Fighting anything life throws at her
‘I am not a poet but scribble lines I never publish on paper. This was written in 2001, while travelling by bus from Gampaha, my native town, to Colombo. The bus was passing through Main Street, Pettah, and I could not take my eyes off those cart pullers gathered on both sides of the road. Back then, I was a student. It was the day. I imagined their Night.’
By Nadeera Dickwella When I cried you consoled me. When I was angry You calmed me down. When I was mischievous You tolerated me. When I grew old Mighty and big, When […]
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